Anyone Replaced Stock RT Headlights with HID's?

[Nebish]

Coming of an '05 LT with the most pathetic stock headlight in creation which I upgraded by going the HID route, has anyone upgraded the RT's headlights similarly?

The stock headlights of my '08 RT are pretty impressive, so much so that I routinely get flashed at night. I now know how to adjust them thanks to recent postings here.

Since I live to farkle my bikes, I was curious if anyone had gone ahead and gone HID and whether it was worth the effort. I considered doing so mandatory on the LT. I am not so sure with the RT, especially since I am about to add Motolights.

Thanks in advance.

[Gaby]

Hello,
Is a motorcycle ever visible enough? A fair question, but IMHO, the R1200RT has one of the best headlight systems on the market.
Two 55W halogens should not only be enough to be seen in all conditions but also to see everything you need to see yourself.
Moreover, I feel that HID's give a false feeling of better visibility, eg. the light falloff is far more severe as compared to halogens.
I feel halogens are adequate in most conditions, certainly so if speed is kept within reasonably safe limits ;)
I suggest you try it for a while with the standard headlights and then decide, perhaps the money is better spent on something else
(not necessarily motorcycle associated :rolleyes: )
Gaby

[Dmilan]

Coming of an '05 LT with the most pathetic stock headlight in creation which I upgraded by going the HID route, has anyone upgraded the RT's headlights similarly?

The stock headlights of my '08 RT are pretty impressive, so much so that I routinely get flashed at night. I now know how to adjust them thanks to recent postings here.

Since I live to farkle my bikes, I was curious if anyone had gone ahead and gone HID and whether it was worth the effort. I considered doing so mandatory on the LT. I am not so sure with the RT, especially since I am about to add Motolights.

Thanks in advance.

I agree.
Owned an '04 GT, probably the same h- l as your '05LT. Terrible. PIAA 1150s under the nose did the trick.

My '05 R12 GS was not very good either. Microfloter from Wunderlich helped quite a bit.
My '08GS was, of course, SAA. It came equipped with Motolights. I upgraded to the 50 watt bulbs hoping it would improve nightime illumination. Didn't really care for them. Maybe they weren't aimed correctly. I'm sure they help with conspicuity though.

My '08 GT has xenon/hid. Good to a point, but a very sharp cut off, not very far out into the distance IMO.

All those bikes are gone... Sold/traded
Mostly bought 'em right, sold 'em right.
Done with the search for the perfect bike antics now.

Back to the point.

My '05 RT has very good stock headlamps. Best of the bunch that I've owned. Would like to add a self contained HID like the PIAA Cross Country. That would be great on dark country roads. How often am I on dark country roads??? Almost never. And, in those rare occasions, the high beam combined with cautious speed will do.

With my small business in a freefall, who knows how much I'll be riding.
Bough a Sargent last weekend.

Do what your gut tells ya. No regrets. Ride safe
My .02 / FWIW

Dmilan
R1200RT
You may want to do a search over a BMWSportouring.com for HID help with an R12RT.

[bmendenhall]

I have an 07 RT and I upgraded to the HID's and love them! The light emitted is much better than the stock lights I had. This said, my neighbor has an 08 RT and his lights seem to be much brighter than my stock 07. Not sure if a change was made or that the bulb it self was upgraded. Anyway, I LOVE my HID's and would do it again.

[Thermo-King]

Hi,
I'm considering similar modification on my 06 RT.
Did you replace both high beam and low beam?
Did you use 35w or 50w?
Where did you mount the ballasts?
Any issues with the can bus system?
Any warning lights displayed on dash?
Any problems focusing the beams afterwards?
Sorry for all the questions but I'm sure several members will benefit from your experience.

Regards,
Kieran..

[falconspirit]

Paul,
I agree with Gaby "the R1200RT has one of the best headlight systems on the market" and that "perhaps the money is better spent on something else", like an upgrade windshield that isn't so noisy or a Bakup for those long trips. I had to replace the bulbs in ME last year and looked at the HIDs, however the technician advised against it. Not worth the additional expense. He mentioned that the RT has one of the best headlight systems that BMW has produced. So save your money.

[bmendenhall]

Did you replace both high beam and low beam? Yes, I used a bluer color for the high beam, it gets much more attention than all same lights at the same color / 5000K low beams / 6000K high beam
Did you use 35w or 50w? I used the 50w, they use much less power than your stock bulbs
Where did you mount the ballasts? Just above the front wheel, on a silver frame that holds the shocks, you will see it when you look up above the wheel
Any issues with the can bus system? NONE
Any warning lights displayed on dash? NONE - had it for almost a year
Any problems focusing the beams afterwards? NONE, if you have a passenger it will shoot your beams up higher than a single rider. I always use the high beam during the day, everyone will see you coming!!! Night riding, be aware that you will blind other drivers with the high beam. You will see a huge difference with your night riding. Would not suggest that you use anything above a 5000k for your low beams (it is to blue and will not light the road properly). I would suggest you have someone that has a good understanding of vehicle electronics do your install. My son installed mine and we have never had a problem. Here is the site that I purchased my HIDs from: http://www.fashtek.com - good luck, hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

[PlaneGeek]

Saw this thread a while back: http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34800

Hope that helps :wave

[Nebish]

Thanks to all who posted in response to my original request.

Even though the stock headlight system is extremely excellent, for the $75 2 light kit that one of the members wrote about last week, I am going to go the HID route.

I am of the view that one that the more light the better, so long as it is properly aimed.

I am especially pleased to know that there should be no Canbus issues. That was a concern I had.

[hp006]

i would have to disagree. I replaced the lights on my K1200lt and gsxr to HID. I can now see where i am going of a night. Was well worth the money

[stepheg]

I replaced both low beams with HID, put in an overwattage high beam bulb (didn't replace the high beam with a HID because I did not know what the effect on flashing the highs would have on the longevity of the ballast). To supplement the high beams I added a set of Hella Micro DE HID driving lights. Spent some time aiming them properly. If I am riding with friends at night I always take the lead. I used a xenondepot light kit.

[Thermo-King]

Special Thank You To BMENDENHALL for the answers to my questions above. Will fit HIDs soon.

Regards,
Kieran.