HID Kit
- Thread starter Alba
- Start date
Chewbadger
Active Member
As far as I'm aware, there are no provisions for aftermarket kits on bikes. Fitting one may make it an MOT failure. You could however swap it out for a conventional bulb once a year, and anything that stops the myopic bastards running into you is a bonus.
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Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
I've never had a problem at MOT time with my HIDs.
Mind you I have to find a new MOT man as the one I used has gone out of business so will have to see what happens this year.
Mind you I have to find a new MOT man as the one I used has gone out of business so will have to see what happens this year.
Chewbadger
Active Member
Wouldn't mind them on the twin, but I'd have to use the H4 kit that moves for high/low beam. Not too sure on those.
Got some LED spot lamps from work to fit, and a couple of marker LED's too. Just got to get round to making the brackets and modding the crash bars.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Got some LED spot lamps from work to fit, and a couple of marker LED's too. Just got to get round to making the brackets and modding the crash bars.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Whealie said:
Is that not a rather simplistic view? Just because some thing is not type approved (does that even make it illegal) it needn't necessarily invalidate your insurance. Yes your insurance company may retrospectively withdraw cover should something relevant come to light after the fact that should have been declared earlier but just 'cause you fit the former does not necessarily lead to the latter.
As long as you have declared all modifications (yes including stickers for one particular insurer) and the insurance company are prepared to take on the risk then you are covered. Think of all those non e marked exhausts out there that are on peoples policies.
I also believe and understand that ant illegal item would have to be contributory to the incident. So if you had fitted colonel bogey horns and someone ran into you then that would have no bearing on the payout (apart from a reduction for poor taste) whereas if you had a bald tyre and ran up the back of the car in front in the wet then rightly the insurance company would baulk somewhat.
Unless of course you declared you had bald tyres and the insurance company accepted the risk.
outrunner
Well-Known Member
I was always led to believe that you have to keep your vehicle in a roadworthy condition according to the insurance small print. If your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition then by default it is legal. The fitting of HID lights which are illegal because a vehicle with them fitted should by law have a self levelling capability and a wash facility would seem to me to also make said vehicle illegal, but then I could be wrong...................it's not unknown. 
Andy.
Andy.
we've been round this dozens of times before,
all of the stuff quoted re. HIDs is for cars, there's nothing specifically documented for bikes that I have found and even then the wording is that they are 'Considered to be illegal' rather than actually being illegal.
I told Carole Nash I had fitted them and they didn't complain
all of the stuff quoted re. HIDs is for cars, there's nothing specifically documented for bikes that I have found and even then the wording is that they are 'Considered to be illegal' rather than actually being illegal.
I told Carole Nash I had fitted them and they didn't complain
Philwhiskeydrinker
Well-Known Member
Whealie said:
Speeding is illegal. Does that invalidate your insurance?
Been on plenty of 'spirited' xrv rideouts & it doesn't stop people straying above the law.
Even you Chris [emoji3]
Phil
sent from my 'phone
If you have told your insurer you have fitted HID and you have evidence of that then they cannot refuse to pay, but all I spoke to said they would not insure a bike with an illegal modification. HID lights require levelling that is not possible on a bike. Definitely illegal on the road.
Whealie said:
have you seen some documented evidence of this Chris as everything I have seen so far relates to cars and not bikes
Whealie said:
So by this reasoning if you were TP&T or TP only then you might as well not bother telling the insurance company about anything that might boost your premium such as previous bans, points etc.as you (personally) are protected against third party claims so in essence it makes little difference.
Even if you get stopped by the law you are legal on paper so as far as the former drunk driver is concerned its a no brainer.
Ian Porter said:
Not so. The BMW K1300GT came with an optional HID upgrade (BMW refer to it as Zenon but is it is a HID). The same lights were also fitted on the SE as standard. In saying that the headlight units would have been type approved for HID lighting (but other headlights may also have been as I've never seen a register anywhere) but to say they need self levelling and washers on a motorcycle is plain wrong.
See http://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/media/pdf ... GT_GBE.pdf And yes its the UK spec
DFT notice: "In the Department for Transport's (DfT) view it is not legal to sell or use after market HID lighting kits, for converting conventional Halogen headlamps to HID Xenon. If a customer wants to convert his vehicle to Xenon HID he must purchase completely new Xenon HID headlamps. The reason for this is that the existing lens and reflector are designed around a Halogen filament bulb, working to very precise tolerances. If one places a HID "burner" (bulb) in the headlamp, the beam pattern will not be correct, there will be glare in some places and not enough light in other places within the beam pattern.
"Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.
In summary: it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above."
The specific bit that makes it impossible for bikes is:
"Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam."
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j& ... G4&cad=rja
There are no HID units for bikes.
"Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not legal.
In summary: it is not permitted to convert an existing halogen headlamp unit for use with HID bulbs. The entire headlamp unit must be replaced with one designed and approved for use with HID bulbs and it must be installed in accordance with the rules stated above."
The specific bit that makes it impossible for bikes is:
"Once fitted to the vehicle it must have headlamp cleaning and self-levelling (which can be for the headlamp or can be in the vehicle suspension - some expensive estate cars have "self-levelling suspension" and that is adequate). Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam."
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j& ... G4&cad=rja
There are no HID units for bikes.
Boris said:
If you did that you would not only have your insurance repudiated but you would be prosecuted for fraud. The insurer will also have the right to sue you for the money it has paid out.
In most cases the insurer stuck with the vehicle will pay out for the TPO liabilities because if they don't the the MIB pays and out that is funded by the insurers anyway, so to make life easier they just swallow the fact that they underwrote badly, possibly by not spotting a fraudulent person buying cover or buy not asking the right questions to identify the modification made.