Over the weekend I dropped in an HID conversion kit into my PC800. The installation was pretty straight forward. I bought the kit from here. The kit’s harness needs some minor modifications (lengthen the ground and positive leads, change out the fuse holder for one that is sealed, etc) but works well. The bulb and bulb housing drop right into a PC800’s headlight. Yes, it is true that this is not a full HID conversion with projector housing and angel eye but it is pretty darn good for not having to modify the headlight housing.
In the photo above you can see a toggle switch complete with red LED at the end that I added to my PC800 in order to turn on and off the headlight circuit. This is so that I don’t over-stress the HID bulb and ballast at initial bike start-up. On my PC800, the headlight turns on as soon as the key is turned. It turns off when the starter is engaged and turns back on once the starter is released. Putting this switch in allows me to turn off the headlight circuit prior to turning on the key and only turn the headlight on after the bike is running. This would also be beneficial for a situation where the charging system goes out on the bike and you need to make a few extra miles to get home. Switch the headlight off and you extend your range. Note that this is illegal in most places but it would be effective.
The switch and its wiring fit nicely into the plastic handlebar covers. I do believe that I might add more switches and indicators on the handlebars considering how much extra space is available.
I spliced into the wires that go to the headlight switch. The middle wire on the switch plug is +12v. If you put a switch on that, you can kill the headlight when you desire such things.
This is all of the HID wiring jammed into the front of the meter panel. There is a surprising amount of room in this space. I zip tied the ballast to the frame just to the left behind the plastics. There are also a few extraneous parts in this photo from my full LED conversion on the bike.
The end result is quite nice. The headlight is much brighter and changing from low to high beam is almost instantaneous. This kit uses a solenoid to drive the bulb forward or back into position for high or low. I bought a yellow bulb but I might change it in the future for a more blue bulb. My original intention was to try to maintain a stock headlight color profile but it turned out more green than I was expecting. The blue bulbs light up the road better but as a driver I HATE seeing them approach me. There must be a good middle point somewhere…
All in all I would recommend this upgrade. It doesn’t cost much, is an easy installation, and provides a good benefit. It also consumes less power than the standard incandescent bulb. That is a win all the way around!
I saw your list of mods. The HID headlight sounds like a good mod. Is there good instruction for the hot wire mod for the 1989 PC800. The instructions that I read got flakey when it talked about the ’89. I am good at following instructions. I installed the Cruise Control with the great instructions and pictures.
Hi Bob,
I haven’t done the hotwire mod for my ’89 yet but it is on the “to-do” list. The G (green, ground) and R/W (red/white, +12) wires at the plug that connects to the R/R are the ones that you want to route straight to the battery. Be sure to put in an appropriately sized fuse and you should be all set.
Which cruise control module did you install? I want to put one on my bike someday but it will have to wait until after I have put the fuel injection system on.
Cheers!
Douglas
Doug,
Please forgive my ignorance but, what do you mean by: “this is not a full HID conversion with projector housing and angel eye”? I’m very interested in the HID conversion–my night eyesight is not what it used to be–but I’m not at all up to speed on the technology. What are an “angel eye” and a “projector housing”? How would a “full HID conversion” differ from yours in form and function?
Thanks,
George
Hi George,
The “angel eye” is a cold cathode tube or cluster of LEDs that is oriented around the HID bulb. You might have seen some newer BMWs and other high end cars with a “halo” around the central headlight bulb area. It’s more for aesthetic reasons than anything else but it does look cool 🙂
The HID bulbs are designed to be inside of projector housings. These housings are specifically designed for HID bulbs to put out the proper amount of light onto the road in the proper locations at both high and low beam settings. They are shaped differently than normal headlight housings on most cars and motorcycles. A projector housing can be retrofitted into a normal headlight housing with some work. I got a bulb and reflector system that drops into the stock PC800 headlight housing. It works but isn’t as good as if it was a full projector system.
Does that help explain the differences a little?
Cheers!
Douglas
Yeah, it does, thanks. I lost interest in cars as anything other than utilitarian transportation long before things like V-8 engines passed out of vogue, so I’m truly ignorant of most current automotive technology. I’m eager to hear how well your HID bulb works in the stock PC800 lamp housing. Having finally bought my dream bike, I’m discovering all sorts of accessories and upgrades I can’t live without…
George,
I never was really interested in cars or anything with an internal combustion engine until I got a PC800 motorcycle. Now I absolutely love learning about the different bikes I own, tinkering with them, performing modifications, rebuilding different parts, etc… In the future I want to design and build my own tube frame car and get it street legal. It is all a wonderful learning opportunity!
Hopefully tomorrow or Friday I will get the chance to take the PC800 out at night. From what some other people on the IPCRC report, the HID bulb in the stock PC800 lamp housing makes a BIG difference at night.
Have you seen the full list of modifications, farkles, and maintenance procedures I have put together? It is located at: http://www.douglasvanbossuyt.com/personal/hobbies/motorcycle/honda-pacific-coast-pc800-links-and-information/ Prepare to start buying lots of things on the internet for your beloved motorcycle! 🙂
Cheers!
Douglas
I actually began visiting your website some time ago and have read all it’s PC content. The Pacific Coast has long been a dream of mine. I was about to buy one in 2003 when a friend gave me a Goldwing instead. Last week I made the long-deferred purchase; a 1994 Pacific Coast. I’ve already drawn up a long list of desired mods, more light and better wind protection topping the list. I’d also like to look into air shocks. it seems that Honda really blew it when they designed the bike with a 369lb useful load. No two members of my family can ride together without the machine being significantly overweight, and the tail really sags when the bike is heavy. I look forward to your report on the results of your HID conversion.
My PC800 has upgraded rear shocks. I believe they are Works brand. A previous owner installed them and I haven’t had to mess with them. A previous owner also upgraded the springs in the front forks. There are still quite a few options for upgrading the suspension on the bikes.
Tonight I hope to test the headlight!
Hey Doug,
Now that your defense is behind you (congratulations!) how about a report on the performance of your new HID conversion? I’m dying to know how it worked out. I took my new PC for only the second night ride yesterday; the stock headlamp actually scared me at times.
Also, what is the hot wire mod mentioned above? I’ve searched the web board but haven’t found a post that really explains what it is or why it is beneficial. Is this merely a direct line from the battery to the headlight to increase voltage at the bulb?
Hi George,
I have not had the chance to compare the HID next to the standard bulb on my two PC800s yet but I have ridden the PC800 with the HID bulb at night and can say that it performs beautifully. I think in the future I will change the “color” of the bulb to be more toward white but for the time being the slightly yellow/green color is fine. The illumination it provides on the road is far superior to what I remember of the incandescent setup.
The hotwire mod involves running wires from the output pins of the R/R to the battery terminals or the main fuse/relay. It takes out several connectors that are in between the R/R and battery on the harness and people have reported getting an extra ~ 0.5 volts from the charging system. The only word of caution is to make sure you put the proper size of fuse in the wires.
When I installed my HID setup, I ran new wires from the battery directly to the voltage inputs on the HID ballast. It was necessary based upon how the wiring of the HID kit is setup.
Cheers!
Dr. Douglas
Douglas, I only have one question. When I click on the go to here for HID conversions it takes me right there but I don’t know what conversion to order. I have a 1989 PC800. Is it 35 watt or 55 watt?? I think I’m missing something. Help please. Thanks
Hi Brooks,
I believe I ordered the 35 watt version because I was trying to reduce power consumption on the bike.
Cheers!
Douglas
Thank you very much for your prompt reply. That took care of the confusion.
Brooks
Douglas,
I was thinking about the HID update and was bothered by the manual switch.
I, for better or worse, have enough knowledge to be dangerous so I want to present an idea for your consideration and comment.
I am not sure above your level of expertise in electronics but it is higher that mine…
Here goes:
Test engine RPM
If RPM is high enough to indicate reliable idle then
trigger a ten second delay (long enough to indicate reliable idle) that will latch output high.
IF
timer output is high
AND
switched 12V (ignition is on) is on
THEN
energize Normally Open, SPST, 12v, 30 amp relay which in turn energizes HID ballast, etc.
The AND is needed here so that if the engine stalls BUT ignition stays on Headlights turn off to conserve battery.
The drawback being that you can not turn on headlights without engine running (barring a manual override switch)
The electronics is powered through the switched power (ignition power) so that the battery is not drained. May be it is a good after thought to install a discreetly placed override switch (direct power to HID via relay) to be able to turn on headlights if electronics fail.
Also see attached PDF with a messy, high level, missing details, ‘schematic’. I know there is a bunch of driver electronics, et. al. missing… (under separate cover via email)
In any case I trust that this makes some sense and wonder what your thoughts are.
Digitronically yours,
Albert
Hi Albert,
That plan should work. I went with the manual switch so that I can have easy manual control of the HID circuit. There are some timer relays for automotive applications and I’ve also seen a few circuits for sale that look at engine RPM before triggering a relay. It shouldn’t be too hard to implement. I think I’ve seen an automotive-grade Arduino recently that could also be used for more nuanced control.
Would you like me to post the PDF on my website for others to use?
Cheers!
Douglas
Doug,
Thanks for your reply.
I would happy to have the pdf shared…
If you find any links the the gadgets you mentioned it would excellent to see them posted… there is nothing more frustrating than duplicated research…
Best Regards,
Albert.