[phillip24fan]

I completed a headlight retrofit of my ZX6R this past weekend. The previous owner put HID bulbs in the stock reflectors which blinded any cars around me. The difference going from reflectors to specific HID projectors is better than day and night!

I drove down to The Retrofit Source for the components (local in Atlanta) and they were super helpful and knowledgeable. Cool showroom too!





I installed two bi-xenon projectors from TRS and also installed LED halo (angel eye) rings around the projectors. The LED rings are from exLED.com. They are dual color (white or amber).
Currently I just have them wired on/off for white only. Down the road I will wire up the exLED controller chips that allow them to flash amber as turn signals, Audi style. It's referred to as "switchback LEDs" where they will shine white until I hit a turn signal then the white goes out and they flash amber like turn signals.

The LED halos are hidden behind plastic diffuser rings which I tinted black with VHT Nite Shades to complete the blacked out look. So with them turned off you'd never know they were there.

I purchased from TRS:
-Morimoto Mini H1 projectors
-5000k HID bulbs (pure white)
-mini gatling shrouds
-harness, wiring, etc

35 watt ballasts are also required but my bike already had them from the old HID bulbs. And I bought way more parts that I will detail later.

I will complete this as a full write-up with pictures of every step. Just wanted to post a little teaser to convince everyone to go stick their headlights in the oven and install projectors right now!

Let me know what you guys think, hope you like it! I would also be willing to do this for anyone who wants to send me their headlights.

My iPhone camera distorts the color a little. They are a pure, bright white. No blue or green tint whatsoever.

 

[blt4drgn]

looks good id like to have them but not sure if i trust my self to pull it apart to do it

 

[phillip24fan]

Pulling them apart was one of the easier steps, though probably the most nerve-racking. I stuck them in the oven at 170 (lowest possible setting) for 10 mins then pulled them apart. Reversed that when reassembling, plus I added some butyl window sealant (3M Windo-Weld) just in case.

I was so afraid of melting something, but the housings themselves were not terribly hot after 10 minutes. I pulled them out with my bare hands. I wouldn't be afraid to do it again, even a little hotter to speed things up.

 

[blt4drgn]

after all said and done what did it cost you?

 

[phillip24fan]

I'll have to add everything up but $250-$300. I could have saved some money by skipping the halo rings which cost $50 for the pair.

TRS sells a full kit for motorcycles for $270 here. I bought just the projectors individually because I already had ballasts. You could save money by buying cheaper ballasts elsewhere.

 

[blt4drgn]

cool thanks for the info

 

[Texas636]

I'm a HUGE advocate for TRS. I won't buy an HID kit from anyone else other than TRS. Sure, I could go to BKMOTO for it, but their HID kits aren't as great. TRS' quality is amazing.

Do you already have Morimoto ballasts? If not, I'd check into upgrading that too from TRS, even though you already have the ballasts, wiring and bulbs. Their stuff is just that much better.

I have my entire bike ripped apart in the garage and my headlights are about to be broken into so I can swap out my factory projects and add some Bi-Xenon Mini M1 projectors so both the lights are on when the low beams are on. Right now, just one projector is on for Low Beam and both are on for High Beam, but remember, one of those high beams is actually a low beam. It's just like the current R1's are like.

Maybe I didn't read it, but what color of angel eye halo's you go with? Are those the color changing ones? I'm not a bug fan of those persknally, because you can see each individual LED. The single color ones are a continuous color beam pattern with no separation.

I'm trying g to figure out a good color combination for my green and black 6R. I'm think for the back halo's to be green, front halo's to be white or amber and the demon eyes to be green, 20th the green mini projectors and the amber\white DRL Audi style lights. Not sure yet.

I'm subscribed for sure.

 

[phillip24fan]

I'm still running whatever cheap ballasts came on the bike but I plan to upgrade to Morimoto for sure. May just use these til they die, then upgrade lol.

The halos are dual color. Cool white and amber. Down the road I am going to wire the amber into my turn signal power so they blink with my signals. I agree, the single color halos look great with the continuous circle. From a distance these don't look too bad, the plastic diffusers definitely help. It was a trade off between getting the amber or having the smooth continuous light.

Can't wait to see yours when you finish! Post a pic here.

 

[phillip24fan]

Well here's the full breakdown of my install process...

Again the main components were purchased from The Retrofit Source. You can check their stuff out here and I highly recommend you do! All the components seem to be of excellent quality and they have great customer service!

Here's what I purchased from TRS:
-Morimoto Mini H1 projectors: $120
-5000k HID bulbs (pure white): $40
-mini gatling shrouds (included free with projectors)
-H7 dual output motorcycle harness: $35
-high beam splitter wire: $10



I purchased so many other miscellaneous items for the project. I'll list everything I can remember:
-2x 70mm exLED 2-color thin angel eyes: $58/pair
-2x 70mm diffusers from superbrightleds.com (AEPC-70 70mm Diameter): $10 shipped
-VHT Nite Shades paint for the diffusers
-VHT high temp satin black paint for the reflectors and shrouds
-3M Windo-Weld for resealing headlight housings
-silicone glue for securing angel eyes and diffusers
-various toggle switches, crimp connectors, wire, etc.


Here's the old beam and an attempt to mark the height. You can see why I wanted some better headlights. The color is off because of my iPhone's camera.


Next I removed the front fairings and pulled the headlight housing out.


Now for the scary part... baking it! I placed it on a cookie sheet with the oven at 170 degrees for 10 minutes and I was able to pry it open. Many people do it at a higher temperature but this worked for me. I would rather spend a little more time than melt my housing. They still didn't come apart very easily though. It took some muscle and prying.


Here is one side with the reflector removed. You can see the adjustment screws that have to be completed unscrewed to remove the reflector. These are of course how you will aim the beams once everything is complete. To remove the reflector you unscrew the two adjustment screws and you also have it release it from the post in the lower left of this picture. It was plastic clips that must be depressed.


Next it was time to start putting things together. The 70mm diffusers had to be trimmed with a dremel for them to fit and not hit the projector lens. The inner plastic ring had to be cut down.


On to painting...






Once everything dried I siliconed the angle eyes and diffusers.


A beautiful completed projector!




Here I am adding 3M Windo-Weld to the seam to ensure a waterproof seal. Some people don't add this and simply use whats already in there. I figured better safe than sorry and I don't want to be sticking these in the oven more than I have to.


Now to stick all these expensive electronics back into the oven! I did the same 170 degrees for 10 minutes




Using some clamps to hold them tight after baking while everything cools.


Here is what the back looks like with all the wires coming out.


One switch controls the halos. The other controls the projectors themselves so I can turn them off during the day and run halos only.




Then it was just a matter of putting everything back together!






When it was all said and done I spent right around $300 for everything.

I hope you guys like it! I'd love to hear some feedback and I'm happy to answer any questions.
I couldn't recommend this upgrade highly enough! And I highly recommend checking out The Retrofit Source!

 

[WowGuyZX6R]

Man that looks great! I dont like the price tag, but well worth it for sure!...great work!

 

[blt4drgn]

looks sick

 

[RGM1122]

Pulling them apart was one of the easier steps, though probably the most nerve-racking. I stuck them in the oven at 170 (lowest possible setting) for 10 mins then pulled them apart. Reversed that when reassembling, plus I added some butyl window sealant (3M Windo-Weld) just in case.

I was so afraid of melting something, but the housings themselves were not terribly hot after 10 minutes. I pulled them out with my bare hands. I wouldn't be afraid to do it again, even a little hotter to speed things up.

use a tiger torch separates in under a minute

 

[laggy311]

Looks great man. I did a retrofit on my 06. Best upgrade ever. Baking headlight was easy. Time consuming project but such great reward.

I'm about to do a retrofit on my 97 Jeep Wrangler to help with on and off road lighting. My LED spots and floods are awesome, but I need a bit more on road. My LED's are 4 led pods and are bright as fuck, but there's no way I'm going with a huge LED light bar. Anyway, I'm using lightwerkz.com this time. Better prices than TRS. I was gonna get Matsushita Gen 5 ballasts or Mistubishi Gen 4's but Morimoto Ballasts are 100% potted. Morimoto for the win. In a jeep, water is a huge concern. Most ballasts are built to go inside headlight housings.

Retrofitting some cars is different because lo beam signal shut off when hi beam goes on = no light because biXenon HID pigtails just flip the solenoid when hi beam is hit. I was gonna wire my own relay harness, but once again, Morimoto wins. 8 pin relys with a capacitor to hold over power so there's no missed light during the lo to high flip.

The only thing I'm getting from EBay is the actual bulbs. You can get Philips XV Xrtreme Visions or Osram Nightbreakers for a little cheaper. Although morimoto xb35's are a great bulb.

 

[laggy311]

use a tiger torch separates in under a minute

Really?

 

[IRB636]

I've been contemplating on doing this retrofit but have been holding out because there's not a whole lot of info on how the projectors are actually mounted. Can you elaborate on what you had to do to mount the projectors into the reflectors?

 

[laggy311]

I've been contemplating on doing this retrofit but have been holding out because there's not a whole lot of info on how the projectors are actually mounted. Can you elaborate on what you had to do to mount the projectors into the reflectors?

The projectors are fabricated with a very large threaded post that goes thru where your bulb normally does. An equally large nut secures it from the back. There is a notched washer that matches up with a notch in threaded post and in back of reflector that prevents spinning/rotation.

This is a no-brainer retrofit and has been done successfully for a couple years now, if not more. It's the most functional, and coolest, upgrade I've done.

 

[phillip24fan]

The projectors are fabricated with a very large threaded post that goes thru where your bulb normally does. An equally large nut secures it from the back. There is a notched washer that matches up with a notch in threaded post and in back of reflector that prevents spinning/rotation.

This is a no-brainer retrofit and has been done successfully for a couple years now, if not more. It's the most functional, and coolest, upgrade I've done.

What he said. You put the projector into the front of the reflector and screw a nut onto the back that holds it in place. Along with a silicone washer and the washer with a notch that holds everything from rotating out of alignment.

 

[ouverson636]

wow this is a very impressive write up! Thinking of doing this myself. but I hate the baking part lol

 

[laggy311]

wow this is a very impressive write up! Thinking of doing this myself. but I hate the baking part lol

It's really easy. The baking is a elementary. I just did a retrofit I my wrangler yesterday. I had to put the housings in oven for resealing. Put them back in a section bs time even. It's not a big deal at all.

 

[IRB636]

Thanks for the info laggy. I may end up doing this very soon.