Topic: what headlights are best for my sohc

[TwoTired]

not so sure the oncoming cars will think the same... 

Glad you are thinking of oncoming cars.  There are some that think nothing about blinding the driver of a vehicle approaching their vehicle.  Nothing like giving them an excuse to veer into your lane.

[Bamboozler]

 

There is one thing I can say about the Hi/Low beam that may help to reduce the blinding of the oncoming cars.  When I took a look at the bulb itself after opening the box I noticed that the glass element itself that was protruding from the base of the bulb was A) loose and diverged at around a 15° angle from the center line axis of the bulb, and B) was loose and could be moved back to the center line axis by pushing on it (not with my greasy finger, shouldn't touch the bulb itself yada yada ). 

After powering the system I found out what this was all about. Instead of just a reduction of output from the bulb itself there is a mechanical action (magnetic I assume, you could hear it click similar to a relay) that actually pulls the glass rod itself (the gas tube) from this 15° or so angle to the center line when flipping from "Low" to Hi".  I shot the beam about 50 yards and it moved the point of impact about 10-12 yards or so; enough to shift the focus point out of oncoming cars eyes.  Still bright and annoying I'm sure, but thought it was neat to see that feature.

[bistromath]

Even with the Hi/Lo switch, you stand a good chance of blinding oncoming traffic with an HID setup. I'm a big fan of them in principle, but the HID kits that fit into an H4 reflector just aren't set up properly. There's a reason most OEM HID bulbs on cars and motorcycles are of the projector type, and that's because they can much more effectively control the beam spread. That's the reason it's illegal to use them on the road, and the reason your kit says "FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY".

If you want to read all the gory details, here: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/octqtr/49cfr571.108.htm

[Bamboozler]

Even with the Hi/Lo switch, you stand a good chance of blinding oncoming traffic with an HID setup. I'm a big fan of them in principle, but the HID kits that fit into an H4 reflector just aren't set up properly. There's a reason most OEM HID bulbs on cars and motorcycles are of the projector type, and that's because they can much more effectively control the beam spread. That's the reason it's illegal to use them on the road, and the reason your kit says "FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY".

If you want to read all the gory details, here: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/octqtr/49cfr571.108.htm

Excellent point to bring up bistromath.  To reiterate, these are for off-road use only and are illegal to install unless the install is DOT approve (good luck).  Installing a HID kit is at your risk of prosecution and could impair oncoming drivers vision, especially if not adjusted properly.