ESI HID install -GS/RS

[Lamonster]

I've always thought the Spyder had some pretty good lights for being stock. I live out in the country and when it gets dark out here it's really dark. I saw where BRP offers a HID kit for $1300 bucks and I couldn't see where any light would be worth $1300 bucks. Now that I have my No Magic Neon HID kit in I can see why they are so much better than stock. These things are really bright and it makes the stock lights look like they are running on 6 volts instead of 12. The price is much better too and now I'm thinking it's a worth wild mod for safety if nothing else. People are going to see you going down the road night or daytime.

The install was not too bad. It would be a little more work than changing out a stock bulb if it burned out. Getting the bulb in and out is the hardest part.

First thing you need to do is pop out the instrument cluster. That's about as easy as it can be. Just take a small flat screwdriver and poke it in the slotted hole on top of the dash and then pull on the corner of the gauges until it pops out. Do the same thing on the other side and just tilt it out of the dash. I unplugged mine for more room. Trust me you're going to need it.



Now that you have that out of the way you'll see two tubes with a rubber cap on them. Go ahead and pull the cap off and you'll see the back of the bulb that holds the light.



Grab the plug and turn it counter clockwise until it pops out.



Now unplug the wires from the bulb and remove bulb holder from socket by opening locking tabs on each side of holder. This is what you will have in your hand.



There are two little tabs that locked in the stock bulb. We are going to remove those so the new thicker bulb can sit flush for mounting. I just used some needle nose to bend the one tab down and to break the other one off. I guess you could grind those off too with a small grinder. Bending and breaking worked fine for me.



Now insert large female connector from HID bulb through locking plate hole. The first one I filed a bit to get it to go but on the second one I was able to push it through. It's a very tight fit but it will go if you try. Now pass smaller male connector through hole in locking plate.



If you look at this pic you can see why we had to break and bend those two little tabs out of the way. You want the bulb to sit nice and flush with the keeper.



Now here comes the tuff part. You need to install the bulb back in the holder. There are two tabs that lock into bolt heads. That's why they twist out so now you're going to twist them back in. This bulb has a little bit thicker plate so you need to bend them just a bit to get them to tuck under the bolt heads. It was a pain and with my big hands I decided to just take the top of the dash off so I could see what I was doing and so I could take a good picture of what you need to lock into. Just make sure they are locked in good.



The rest of the install from here is gravy. Cut a little slit in the rubber cap big enough to pass the two wires from the bulb through and to pass the pigtail wires to the plug that connected to the stock bulb.

Connect the red wire from the pigtail the white wire on the stock plug using the spade connector on the pigtail. Plug the black wire on the pigtail to the brown wire on the stock plug.

Stuff the stock plug back in the tube and reinstall rubber cap.

Now plug all three connectors to the HID ballast unit.



You can test the light now by pressing the trunk light switch on the right bar. This will give you an idea how bright these puppies are. This picture didn't show as well as I hoped but it is a huge difference.



Now do the same thing for the other side and zip-tie the ballast together and out of the way making sure all wires are free from any moving parts. Hope this helps.


By the way if your thumbs look like this don't feel like the Lone Ranger.

[nickcaro]

I've installed HID bulbs on my motorcycle and agree that they make a tremendous difference....

I'm looking to purchase a Spyder and was shocked at the price of the HID option, so I'm glad to see this post.
How are you handling high beams?
Was the stock bulb dual filament?
or are those bi-projectors that flip the shield up when you hit the high beam switch?

[Magic Man]

The stock Spyder headlight bucket already has a built in shutter system for the high beam, as all H7 type bulbs are single filament be them HID or halogen.

This kit is now for sale up on our site @ www.nomagicneon.com. The complete kit will retail for $349.95 with Spyderlovers club members getting a 10% discount off of that price.

We hope that at this price this important safety item will now be within the reach of many more people. Finally allowing the safety and performance these kits provide to be obtained without breaking the bank.

MM

[majinbusa]

Hey MM will this Hid will fit on the Fog lights as well?

[Oxblood]

Thanks for the step by step Lamont. As always, I love it when you post your photo enhanced how to's.

[pphantom538]

Lamonster,
Great job & post. I guess I'll be speaking with Evan & Patti again.

[nickcaro]

my advice is to go with 4500 or 5000 Kelvin anything higher is not cool and attracts negative attention..

Who knows more about the fog lights?
What kind of bulbs are in there?

Thanks to this thread, I will not order the OEM Hid lights as I'm very happy to hear that those are Bi-Projectors.

[Magic Man]

Our reaserch has shown that the factory HID lights from BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi and most European high line cars use ether the 6000K or 8000K units. That is what gives that distinctive crystal white light you see coming down the road at you. We have found that is the effect that most people want to see when spending the money to upgrade to HIDs. We have K ranges above and below the 6K and 8K available as well.

[Magic Man]

4300K and 5000K kits are available as well as 10000K, 12000K and 15000K.

[bjt]

Now for the legal question Magic Man. Do you know if certain K values of headlights are illegal in certain states? Just wondering as many states have laws against certain light or lens colors in some light positions like tail lights or turn signals. Not that I want them but I wonder if someone buying 15000K HIDs runs the risk of getting hassled by the police more than someone who gets 8000K HIDs.

[Magic Man]

There are no States that I now of that have anything on the books regarding actual K ratings on headlights. However, there are 50 of them and I might have missed something? There are a few States that have minimum requirements for candlepower output, but HIDs these blow those away.

There are 3 States that are to be commended regarding lighting and motorcycle safety. Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware all have just passed laws that allow motorcycles to have ANY COLOR ACCENT LIGHTING ON A MOTORCYCLE, as long as it is not strobing or flashing. This is to help increase the visibility of the motorcycle to other motorists. These 3 States are leading the way in motorcycle safety as they have all done something to try to keep us safe BEFORE we get hit, rather than the other States that say we have to wear a helmet to try to keep us alive AFTER we get run over. Because research has shown the #1 response from drivers who hit a motorcycle is.... The infamous "I didn't see him."

As for the light color. Personally I feel anything 10K or over is getting too blue for my taste, and is beginning to shift outside of the best wavelength for your eye to see. However, we have sport bike kids who all buy 12 and 15K all day long and I don't hear of any getting stopped? Go figure?

[bjt]

A few of my takes on the NoMagicNeon HID kit install. I agree with everything that Lamonster has here but I'll add my thoughts in certain spots.

Now insert large female connector from HID bulb through locking plate hole. The first one I filed a bit to get it to go but on the second one I was able to push it through. It's a very tight fit but it will go if you try. Now pass smaller male connector through hole in locking plate.

I did not have to file the female connector for either light to get them through the holder. It was a real bugger but the female connectors for both left and right HID fit through. They are semi-flexible and with some pressure on the edge of the connector while pushing it through the locking plate, they go.

If you look at this pic you can see why we had to break and bend those two little tabs out of the way. You want the bulb to sit nice and flush with the keeper.

You need to make sure that the cutout on the base of the HID bulb fits very close to the tab on the holder that was designed to go up against the cutout. I struggled with getting the bulb to fit into the light housing and have the locking tabs turn in and lock down fully. Upon inspection, I noticed that that bulb wasn't fitting in the center of the holder and because of the way it is all supposed to fit together, the bulb not being centered would not allow both locking tabs to fit under the latches. I solved this by bending one of the parts on the steel holder that held it to BRPs plastic light connector. Once the bulb was centered in the steel holder, I could twist and lock the holder into the housing without bending those tabs that lock the holder into the housing.

Now here comes the tuff part. : You need to install the bulb back in the holder. There are two tabs that lock into bolt heads. That's why they twist out so now you're going to twist them back in. This bulb has a little bit thicker plate so you need to bend them just a bit to get them to tuck under the bolt heads. It was a pain and with my big hands I decided to just take the top of the dash off so I could see what I was doing and so I could take a good picture of what you need to lock into. Just make sure they are locked in good.

Do yourself a favor and just remove the top of the dash from the start. It is only a ten minute job to take it off but it makes working on the lights so much easier. Remove the windshield (4 screws), remove the side view mirrors (2 screws each side, 1 of them under a plastic cover and unplug turn signal wires), remove the tank plastic piece (2 screws and 2 plastic push locks) and 5 locking tabs on the top dash (similar to the digital display, 2 on each side and 1 front center). It opens everything up so nicely, your hands actually fit in the housings and you can see what you are doing. It opens up some more area to mount the ballasts and route the wires also.



Here is a picture showing how the female HID lamp connector doesn't quite make it through the opening of the steel holder. It fits by squeezing the plastic a bit.




This picture shows the two tabs that are cut off or bent out of the way (red arrows)
The tab on the holder that the cutout on the HID bulb base is supposed to fit up to (blue arrow)
The portion of the holder that I bent a little to get the bulb to center in the holder (purple circle)




This picture shows how open the light work area is once you remove the top of the dash and where I mounted my ballasts toward the front of the dash area, on the brace between the headlights.

[Magic Man]

Hey bjt and Lamonster thanks for taking time to help post additional pics of the install!

It is always good to have more information to help people with the installs. Sometimes people can see things I miss myself when trying to write the install instructions, because I can't see the forest because all the trees are in the way LOL!

I hope these HIDs make riding your Spyders safer and more fun.

Thanks for the extra time you took to help myself and others with the install info.

MM

[bjt]

Hey bjt and Lamonster thanks for taking time to help post additional pics of the install!

It is always good to have more information to help people with the installs. Sometimes people can see things I miss myself when trying to write the install instructions, because I can't see the forest because all the trees are in the way LOL!

I hope these HIDs make riding your Spyders safer and more fun.

Thanks for the extra time you took to help myself and others with the install info.

MM

You're Welcome Magic Man. Honestly, the difference these lights make for nighttime riding is HUGE! I feel safer not only for the fact that other drivers can see me or notice me better but that I can see them and all other road hazards much sooner and more clearly. Thanks for researching and putting together this great product for us.

[pphantom538]

Lamonster and Brian, Great write up. Thanks, can't wait to light up mine.

[Roaddog2]

If only I brought my laptop out to the garage yesterday
man did I screw up the bulb retaining clips.
2 new clips on the way Home run stuff all instaled and tested no setbacks there
update HDX bailed my --- out this am

[dave01]

Half way thru the install. I am calling it quits till tomorrow morning. Thanks again for the good instructions. One question though. Does the blue stripe on the new bulb go on the top or bottom once they are installed, or does it matter?

Finished it up and rolled the Spyder outside. Man are these things bright

[deerslayer]

What size fuse do you use for the NMN fog light install. And I took apart the BRP Back rest and painted it ,Went to put back together and forgot were the c- clips on the backrest adjustment were in the front or rear. thanks

[docdoru]

15 amps.

[Putt-Putt]

Boy I thank you guys for the pictures and all the help with this install.

[Putt-Putt]

Half way thru the install. I am calling it quits till tomorrow morning. Thanks again for the good instructions. One question though. Does the blue stripe on the new bulb go on the top or bottom once they are installed, or does it matter?

Finished it up and rolled the Spyder outside. Man are these things bright

What about this Blue Stripe; top or bottom- don't matter???? Anybody know?

[bjt]

What about this Blue Stripe; top or bottom- don't matter???? Anybody know?

It's been so long ago that I don't remember a blue stripe on the bulb. The bulb is supposed to fit in the Spyder bulb holder a certain way (I think lamonster and I sort of detailed that above and it's also stated in the NMN instructions) and the bulb holder fits in the headlight housing a certain way. If the blue stripe coincides with the positioning tab on the metal bulb holder, I think that is on top when properly installed. I would check for you but it was such a pain to get the HID bulbs and bulb holder into the headlight housing that I won't be taking it back apart until I have to. Whatever the orientation of the bulb holder is when you start taking the stock bulbs out, be sure to put it back in the same way.

[XXX 74]

So i decided not only to add the fogs but also upgrade to the HID 8000 at the same time for both headlights and fog lights !!!

What a mission !

I used both of the guidelines provided here in the forum

I found myself back and forth with the Fog lights install and the HID install...



Wow what a great write up. GREAT WORK !!!!!


At the end of the day and the end of the 12 pack... i was done, time to test... the headlights worked

time to test the fog lights.. ... and what the Fk... then i took a deep breath and was like ... I went back to the HID fog box from no magic neon and realized that i had to change the freaking fuse !!!! changed the fuse to 15 amps and worked !!!!!

Once again, great write up!!!

Im still working on the bike and now i have to change the swing arm... so, where is the write up for that?

[Texan]

Just out of curiosity. Do you have a radio and if so did they interfere with it? Have read a couple of places where folks have installed the HID and it messed up their radio reception.

[SpyderByter]

I read over this post for hints. My question is this: When installing the HID fog lights, do I need to reuse the clip like Lamont did in the headlight install? It looks like the bulbs already have the proper black plastic clip built in and it seems to fit but not turn. I dont want to force or break anything. Am I just not pushing hard enough?