-
If you have bought, sold or gained information from our Classifieds, please donate to FJRForum and give back.
You can become a Supporting Member or just click here to donate.
WTB: Philips 4G HIDs
- Thread starter BIODSL
- Start date
Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:
GalaxyBlue
Well-known member
Yeah, keep us updated on this if you find them, And a 2nd mortgage is not required! 
bramfrank
BramFrank
You can get a set of Hella Micro DE Xenon driving lights for less than what these cost, assuming they are still being made. Smaller, magnesium casing and such. The only drawback is that you need to find somewhere to bury the ballasts because they aren't 4th generation HIDs - BTDT, as have a number of the other members of the board - search on the appropriate term for more info if you are so inclined
Last edited by a moderator:
Zorlac
Well-known member
I'm assuming these HID lamps are better than sex, please correct me if I'm wrong. :dribble:
GalaxyBlue
Well-known member
Peter Murray
Well-known member
Paul I was lucky enough to get the last set from Bruno. Bruno says he will produce a taiwan knock off of the G4. Will see ,give hima call.
FJR-RemingtonRider
Their Sunset / My Sunrise
$700.00 bucks for some light..geez
But the important thing is that you get what you are willing to pay for.
Uh.Oh..in HID lighting I guess. I am content with my stock...
However, I do get a special gleem in my eye when I see a MC with some HID lighting, then I want some.
But the important thing is that you get what you are willing to pay for.
Uh.Oh..in HID lighting I guess. I am content with my stock...
However, I do get a special gleem in my eye when I see a MC with some HID lighting, then I want some.
bramfrank
BramFrank
That's cute - this guy will produce a Taiwanese knock-off of a Chinese light assembly. Go figure.
Last edited by a moderator:
So, I just heard back from Bruno. No guarantees, but if you've been wanting a set, Christmas might be a little brighter this year.
Said to hang tough for a couple of months.
Maybe the light assembly does come from China, but bulb and ballast were German made Philips. Here's Bruno's email to me
the 4G has always been assembled in Taiwan with German made HID components from Philips. I am considering bringing it back with with our GE bulb and Taiwan made ballast which is as good as the Philips version to make this product more viable to stock. The Philips bulb and ballast are so expensive and have huge minimum orders. Stay tuned in the next couple of months.
bramfrank
BramFrank
The issues relate to the optics, case quality and such in the original 'PHID' design - It's always made me giggle to hear that this was promoted as a 'Philips' HID. In the industry no one refers to their lights by the name of the provider of the guts (though they will likely refer to the supplier in their advertising), and, not to belabor the point I'd wager that no one ever asked Philips if they could use their trademark in the product name. When they were designed, the Chinese had yet to start producing their ballasts and bulbs in quantity and the major providers were Hella and Philips so providers realisitically had no choice but to spring the almost $300 for the active components in the lights.
But there was another good reason; The German engineered components were (and remain) bulletproof.
As things stand low cost Chinese ballasts and bulbs do not work as well as the German-sourced components, which is one reason why German ballasts cost $150 each and typical Chinese ones about $25 - if they were as good you can be absolutely certain that given their HUGE cost differential and the industry's need to keep those costs down Mercedes, BMW, Audi and the rest of the car manufacturing world would think nothing of switching over to them, yet they do not. That alone speaks volumes.
In the meantime, there was a reason I mentioned the Hellas earlier in the thread - they are made in Europe of German components, they have magnesium (as opposed to plastic) housings and thick glass (as opposed to plastic) lenses and can be had for less money than the PHIDs cost. I've been running them on my bikes since 2003 and while my first set suffered through a head-on crash, the reflector that survived and it's ballast is doing duty for me in another application even today.
Just ask a couple of the people on the forum who run them what they think of their Hella purchases.
Engineering on much of the Chinese-sourced product is almost non-existant. The base in the $120 Chinese HID conversion kit I installed in the headlight assembly of the FJR started melting within a week of installation; I put them in and I took them back out quickly; thank goodness they were plug and play - besides, the combination (Halogen Headlights/HID Driving lights) allows me to continue using my headlight modulator and is legal, to boot (HID conversions are not).
Hopefully these 'Taiwanese knock-offs' mentioned will be appropriately priced - they ought to cost a lot less than the original PHIDs or the Hellas..
Last edited by a moderator:
Bungie
FrostBack #2 - IBA # 44620
At SW-FOG in New Mexico Adam (GalaxyBlue) and I squared off in an aux HID light pissing match. He with a set of PHID's, me with the Hella Micro DE's.
Even though were only a few feet apart, my beam pattern was blocked by a trailer at the end of parking lot, his weren't. So the results of this highly scientific test are all moot. But what was readily apparent was that the Hella beam pattern was more tightly focused, whereas the PHID were spread out quite a bit more. I'll leave it to Galaxyblue and ScooterG (who was the instigator naturally) to comment on which one they preferred.
All that being said, we (Huron52/FJRob1300) rode 700 miles the day before and pulled into the Kachina Inn at close to midnight. We came in through the road through mtns' that seemed to be under constant construction. Not good, at night and being dead tired. I led with the Hella's, followed by Rob riding my lights, with Huron taking the sweep position with his Solteks. Hurons Solteks: One driving light (not pencil beam) the other a flood to fill in the corners.
My Hella's lit up a bunch of, what I believe were bears, but probably antelope or deer, crossing the road well ahead of us. No drama. Unfortunately we met an oncoming car in a blind corner and when I went to flip off the Hella's I missed. Sorry buddy! He went by and all I heard was a horn and the sound of gravel. Ooops.
Riding around locally quite often a vehicle will catch up to me and NOT pass. The only reason I can see for this is the incredible amount of light that Hella's can spew.
I've also tried using them during the day as running lights. Its a no go. I get a bunch of oncoming cars flipping their lights at me.
Long story short. I love my Hella's.
Even though were only a few feet apart, my beam pattern was blocked by a trailer at the end of parking lot, his weren't. So the results of this highly scientific test are all moot. But what was readily apparent was that the Hella beam pattern was more tightly focused, whereas the PHID were spread out quite a bit more. I'll leave it to Galaxyblue and ScooterG (who was the instigator naturally) to comment on which one they preferred.
All that being said, we (Huron52/FJRob1300) rode 700 miles the day before and pulled into the Kachina Inn at close to midnight. We came in through the road through mtns' that seemed to be under constant construction. Not good, at night and being dead tired. I led with the Hella's, followed by Rob riding my lights, with Huron taking the sweep position with his Solteks. Hurons Solteks: One driving light (not pencil beam) the other a flood to fill in the corners.
My Hella's lit up a bunch of, what I believe were bears, but probably antelope or deer, crossing the road well ahead of us. No drama. Unfortunately we met an oncoming car in a blind corner and when I went to flip off the Hella's I missed. Sorry buddy! He went by and all I heard was a horn and the sound of gravel. Ooops.
Riding around locally quite often a vehicle will catch up to me and NOT pass. The only reason I can see for this is the incredible amount of light that Hella's can spew.
I've also tried using them during the day as running lights. Its a no go. I get a bunch of oncoming cars flipping their lights at me.
Long story short. I love my Hella's.
Last edited by a moderator:
Duster19
Well-known member
Interested in some knock off HID lights.
Keep me updated.
Dave
Keep me updated.
Dave
GalaxyBlue
Well-known member
I would say that it was a draw. Both the Hella and PHID are insanely bright. I would not hesitate to run the Hella light when my PHIDS die.
It would have been VERY interesting to see good2go and his 4G HID's in out little scientific test.
Peter Murray
Well-known member
I have the PHID G 3 on a beemer and the G 4's on the fjr . The G4's smoke the G 3's . BTW The taiwan HID products are superior to the chineese hid products.
Last edited by a moderator:
I suspect this is the product Bruno referred to above. The reflector is 10mm smaller than the 4G. It also appears there was no cost savings switching from Philips to GE components.
Peter Murray
Well-known member
Paul I would say that is the replacement of the 4 G.. Looks good, I see verticle ridges in the reflector housing the 4 G is smooth inside. I would also bet the taiwan ballast have less draw then the phillips ballast, good for the Gen 1 people.
