I wired mine with a relay. Can I wire the timer right into the relay I've already run?

You could make it work, using the timer relay's output to power the other relay's trigger coil - but it would be relatively messy & give you twice the connections/components for potential failure. Also, the timer relay is solid state (transistor doing the switching), so I think its lifespan & reliability is probably much better than a mechanical relay. Since it just uses std. spade terminals, it should be easy to just replace your current one.

hmm.........$26

1) extend the life of a ~$75 battery for ? longer,
2) extend the life of a $54 HID kit, w/ a lifetime warranty
3) intro another elec. component $26 that could fail and iif system should fail i would have to "take to" to deduce the problem

K.I.S.S.

To avoid overloading the headlight switch/circuit (due to much higher inrush, not operating current), it should be powered thru a relay regardless. Given that, why not use a device which maximizes the life of the system?

lets assume it's a 30amp or even 20a fuse for the lighting.

in rush is 8-9amps max.......no biggie to the system.

personally i like the HIDS to draw straight off the battery myself. and have done 2 cars like this. but w/ bikes an limited space....

yes it'll maximize the sytem, it'll also add another component that could fail in a harsh env. like a bike.......so one could consider it a draw.......

still haven't ruled it out, honestly haven't even started the bike after installing the kit(yes i tested if it lights up)....the baby woke up an, and it was me and the kid in the garage , so i didn't want to make the noise.

Come on, you know that I'm just fucking with Trip! IO don't care if people delay their headlights or not... Shit in a way, if he is right, then we should all delay the headlights until the bike is started period although considering that the stator's out put and the fact that it costs more than a battery, maybe putting the HID warmup cycle on the battery is a better option....:lol:


In all seriousness, he got his HIDs and had a bad experience, I got mine and had a good experience. What's the real difference? From a technical aspect I'm sure that Trip is right but like Racer said, who knows exactly how long this will extend the battery's life? How do we know that this isn't just a Honda problem? Anyway, I've gotten away with it this long, so I'm not changing mine. Hey Racer, I don't feel like it, call DDM and ask them what they think. They probably sell a delay....

naw they have a wiring harness for car, and i guess you could use 1 for bikes.....but no relay

this is what they say in the info about the harness though

"HIDs require 6 amps of current in an instantaneous draw"

WOW!!! That's a fucking shit ton!!!!:lol:

I don't understand why it would have Imax=15A (presumably per side, so 30A total?) on the case sticker then. :shrug:

I have been considering a set of the H4 hi/low for my VFR for a while now, so I went ahead & called DDM and talked with one of their tech guys. He said that he didn't know the actual max. current draw, but did state that though direct battery connection was best, it wasn't necessary & many customers have powered theirs directly from the headlight circuit with no problems (doesn't mean that some haven't had problems, however). He also said that a time delay wasn't necessary, though it couldn't hurt to reduce the cycling, as long as you didn't turn them on/off repeatedly in a short time. Seems like my info/assumptions are old and/or pertains to retrofitting OE Phillips ballasts (I looked into that about 3 years ago). My speculation is that the DDM units 'choke' the inrush current to eliminate/minimize the resulting problems? I think I may go ahead with a H4 hi/low kit (which includes a battery harness/relay), and I'll probably still install a timer, just 'cus that's what seems 'right' & best to me. :lol:

You know most sportbikes use the same batteries from Yuasa right? You're argument about gilles is now completely gone to shit and yet you consider arguing about another topic which you have a complete lack of knowledge. Basically if you want to be like tigger and spend a fortunate on shit and not worry about the cost vs quality. Than do what you want. If you plan on keeping your bike more than a year, it would be beneficial to you to protect your battery and bulb.