DDM HIDs stay on after turned off

Thats right, I forgot there are some HID harnesses/setups which supply the ballasts from the stock wiring only. The risk is that these are the type that are prone to causing the stock light connector/wiring to melt.

Without referring to the specs, I believe the in-rush currents on these newer digital ballasts is limited to 6 amp each, which then reduces as the ballasts approach their steady-state.

 

I don't mean to thread jack but the points you guys are bringing up is concerning for my application. The lights on a motorcycle come on with the key so the lights come on before the bike is started and stay on while trying to start the bike. Is the initial draw that substantial? The reason I ask is I may have to put a delay on it so it's not trying to draw for the HID's as well as the starter.

 

Halogen bulbs are powered at between 55-85W, so they need roughly 4.5-7 amp of current continuously, not taking cold temperature conditions, lumen output/current usage/heat generation, surging or age into consideration. As long as your maximum initial current draw is within that range, you should be ok with your bike. However, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to put in a time delay relay to avoid having your lights come on twice every time you start the bike, as there probably is an unpublished rating as to how many times the ballasts can be powered on/off.

 

Thanks! They don't come on twice, just once when you turn the key on, then when you push the starter button, the lights stay on but you can see they are obviously getting power surges while the starter cranks the engine. Once it's up and running, they get a fairly even supply of power but will still surge a bit when at a stop light. I'll look into a time delay and I'll have to wait and see how long they last on the bike! Thanks for the help!

 

Well I've checked all my wiring, and I can't find anything wrong with it. I think I'm just going to keep an eye on it until I can save up for a proper retrofit.