H.I.D. Lights became illegal in British Columbia, Canada

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by 34468 Randy, Dec 31, 2015.

  1. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Well it has come here in BC. HID lights have become illegal in this province. Where else I am wondering? Usually, in Canada and the USA, our traffic laws tend to align themselves with each other with some exceptions like Lane Sharing. So, Maybe we are late in arriving at this point. Maybe it is coming to your area. Maybe you have it already.

    I was in to a shop with my truck a week ago. This is a trusted long time (since around 1940's) family run larger automotive shop. They have recently been licensed by the province to do vehicle safety inspections. The senior fellow there spotted my lights and warned me that the truck would fail inspection if I was ordered in for one. That means, off the road until rectified. If you get caught driving the vehicle after the order was made, and it has not been corrected, it gets towed and impounded right then and there. You and your passengers and baggage are on your own regardless of where you are.

    The guy told me the reason for this declaration of the lights is that the prisms in the head light are not designed for the type of light the HID emits. I have heard this comment before. He told me that at this time, PIAAs lights are allowed and he did not see where those would be deemed illegal any time soon.

    So. If this were to come your way, and you had to change form your HID to something else, what would you do, and what's your rational?

    1. Go back to OEM incandescent lamps.
    2. PIAAs light bulbs
    3. PIAAs LED lights
     
  2. nookiaz

    nookiaz New Member

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    The use of HID light bubs that did not come originally installed in vehicles is illegal. The original reflector housing was meant for halogen bulbs, not for HID bulbs because they can't properly reflect the light source onto the road.
     
  3. sunofwolf

    sunofwolf New Member

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    theses lights are very good and should pass inspection P1010242.jpg
     
  4. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Yup. That's the reason but not all provinces and states are. Well maybe they are but it is a provincial/state matter. It just became illegal here very recently.
     
  5. NormK

    NormK New Member

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    Randy, out here I have no idea about the HID's but probably similar, we get issued with a "canary" which is a big yellow sticker on the windscreen and you dare not drive with that on the car, not sure where they stick it on a motorcycle, can't say I have heard of one being fitted, guess they would put it across the headlight. You have seven days to get a RWC or the registration is suspended
     
  6. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Did you buy these? Are they for your bike or are these just from research you did? If you bought them and used them on unlit roads, were they as good as the OEM, which really are not bad at all. How much?

    Thanks.
     
  7. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Here we are issued with a Notice and Order. (I used to issue them cause I was a guddam cop) With this Notice and Order, you have a certain amount of time to comply, but it is not permission for you to continue to drive with them. Common sense would say you could drive the thing home. But your vehicle plate number, and the VIN gets entered on our National Police Computer so if someone was to run your plate, it would spit out that your vehicle is under a notice and order. That would stay on the computer until it was fixed or the insurance and registration expired. Then the vehicle would be identified as having a defect and no plates and insurance would be issued until the defect was fixed.

    Police hands in Canada are not tied as much as they are down in the USA. Something as simple as crossing a lane dividing line, or driving really slow, failing to signal lane change or turn, allows police to stop and investigate what caused that. All those are offenses under our Motor Vehicle Act, and are ticketable. Not saying every time someone crosses a line you get pulled over, We didn't have time for that. But we could.
     
  8. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    The solution would be to just nuke B.C.

    In CA, WA and OR all of those above are legit moving violations. The LEOs here have discretion too. Any two oot of three should call for a stop IMO, bike or car. Severity comes into play too. In CA, years back if ya got pulled over by The CHP you got cited, the caveat being that this is what the officer observed at the time.

    Much the same deal in OR when applying for new plates or stickers. Insurance a/o proof of liability must be provided.
     
  9. Arnzinator

    Arnzinator New Member

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    This is very common in a lot of states. Any alteration from OE as far as lighting goes is illegal. Enforcement is usually left up to whoever is doing the annual safety inspection of the vehicle if you live in a state that does such inspections. Any accessory lighting has to function properly as well. For example if you add fog lights and you go for an inspection with a bad bulb, you'll fail. Even though those lights weren't OE. In most cases at least in my state, inspectors look the other way. Really it gives the cops a legitimate reason to pull you over if necessary.

    Another reason aftermarket HID units are illegal is the aftermarket units don't have to comply with any crash test standards. Here's a pic of Denso unit from a Toyota or a Lexus. Notice the steel braiding around the high voltage wiring. Also any vehicle equipped with HID's has the "high voltage" warning labels on or around the lights.

    Toyota-Allion-Headlamps-oem-Xenon-Ballast-Control-Unit.jpg
     
  10. Jeff_Barrett

    Jeff_Barrett Member

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  11. sunofwolf

    sunofwolf New Member

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    No problems here with HID lights usually, some go way above that with light bars-those would be illegal driving with them on but not in the woods
    I am very happy with my new blubs not HID but maybe 55% brighter just enough to see really good
    I think the stock lights are not good enough- Rabbit might still be here if his lights were Brighter-.
     
  12. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    Never tried any of those Ukranian or Chinese tires. Do they have those bulbs to fit my mach 1 91 and a shitload of other ST's and Wings? I'd Email them but my Ukrainian is rusty and my Chinese is even worse.
     
  13. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    SOW being brighter anytime is not gonna happen.
     
  14. RobVG

    RobVG Member

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    Funny, other than home built trailers, i'm not aware of any vehicle safety inspections in the states. Requirements like the UK MOT are just a way to fatten to the coffers.

    But I bet Cali has one though.
     
  15. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    I bet Pliskin can find one in Joisey... and how bout the dude with the HD trailer rig to carry harleydoods to their final long long ride?
     
  16. TOE CUTTER

    TOE CUTTER Mullet Man

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    Here is a link with a map of states that inspect.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_inspection_in_the_United_States


    As an American I think it is bullshit, as a mechanic I look at shit on the road that people ask me to look at and it blows my mind they continue to operate said pile of shit. I have people bring bikes to me that I will not ride at all but insist they must continue to commute to work on it because they can't afford a rear sprocket with half the teeth missing on a chain that boggles the mind that it has not snapped.
     
  17. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    I moved from Houston to Seattle with four bikes. Three of them required physical inspection before getting them registered.

    Part of being aware is looking shit up.

    Emission testing where required can also include the tech noticing and logging in that the vehicle is a POS. A savvy DOT certifier (there are some) for a MC ticket can also be a form of "safety inspector" . Saw a dude roll in on (Yes!) a Harley with a front end aboot three yards from the assend and not even get to do the cone boogie..
     
  18. Scubalong

    Scubalong Official Greeter?

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    As far as I know those after market HID are illegal every where not just BC
    The Leo have other important thing to do rather pull you over for a fix ticket.
     
  19. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Some will. A very small number of them. There are idiots in the ranks. I know this. Normally, here, a vehicle would be getting checked for something else and the cop starts seeing defects. Rather than spending a lot of valuable time crawling about in iniform on the roadside, they just send it in for an inspection to a government licenced inspection station where someone, likely far more qualified for safety inspections, to complete the inspection. They must report all deficiencies. Thats where they catch the unauthorized lights, including those fancy cloured lights under the fairings.
     
  20. sunofwolf

    sunofwolf New Member

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    SOW is brighter than 99% of the motorcycles out there with four headlights with 50% more power over the stock Blubs.
     
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