HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. These lights are much brighter that conventional halogen bulbs. To convert to HID I needed to buy 2 ballasts and 2 Xenon bulbs. Actually the H4 is a dual fillament halogen, so I needed to pay more to get a Bi-Xenon bulb for that side. Waiting for the order to arrive so I can go on with the installation.Most people that completed this mod on the FZ6 say that while the H7 (low beam side) works well with HID bulbs, the high beam side does not reflect lighting well. The light is not focused on the road ahead, so the extra light is not usable. A xenon bulb disperses light in a different way than a halogen bulb, and the housing/reflector of the FZ is designed for the halogen bulb pattern. There are 2 ways of getting around this problem. Modify the position and slope of the Xenon bulb in the housing to find the best reflection possible, or install some projectors (known as retrofit). The second option is undoubtedly the way to go, but it is expensive, time consuming and needs skills.
I'll see how I can get around the problem and post an update when I am done.
NOTE: Some people advise on getting higher wattage halogen bulbs because it's a cheaper mod. I suggest you don't, it may overload the motorcycle's electrical system, causing a lot of damage. Use bulbs of up to 55W only.
UPDATE (28 May 2008):
Installed the first kit to replace the H4 hallogen bulb. The left side of the inner fairing was already full of wires, so installation was a but irritating. I am sure that the installation of the kit for the right headlight (H7) will be a breeze though. Plenty of space there to attach the ballast and relay. Connecting the kit itself was a 5 minute task. Lift the tank, red wire to battery positive, black wire to battery negative. Connect all connectors and you are done.
Installed the first kit to replace the H4 hallogen bulb. The left side of the inner fairing was already full of wires, so installation was a but irritating. I am sure that the installation of the kit for the right headlight (H7) will be a breeze though. Plenty of space there to attach the ballast and relay. Connecting the kit itself was a 5 minute task. Lift the tank, red wire to battery positive, black wire to battery negative. Connect all connectors and you are done.
Went out for a ride and tested the headlight. I am very pleased with the difference. Low beam of the H4 is not as focused as the hallogen and the light is a bit scattered, but the light is still more and usefull. No glare was blinding oncoming traffic.
Here are some pics after the installation. The other headlight (the low beam side) is disconnected so the pics show the lighting from the Bi-Xenon only. BTW the color temp of the bulb is 4300k
