Sean, the HID conversion CAN BE really nice! There are a few drawbacks though, so do some research. Notably;
1) Not all reflectors are made the same; some housings seem to through the new HID light well, others not as much.
2) You won’t have the ability to dim the bulb; there is no hi/lo. There ARE kits with a small servo motor that “directs” the light onto different points of the reflector to help control how the light is thrown from the housing, but the effectiveness is questionable, as are the long term reliability of them.
3) While most kits are “plug and play”, I would recommend AT LEAST running a new, higher gauge ground wire. Ground is notoriously the weak link on most systems.
4) You’ll need to adjust the angle of your light much lower. If you have an easily adjustable headlight, then Bob’s your uncle. Otherwise, you’ll have to find the happy medium.
If you go that route, go with the lowest KV number available. The lower number= the most white light, which gives the greatest vision for you…and (from what I understand) draws the least number of unwanted questions by the cops.
Even with all of this, I haven’t heard the first person tell me it wasn’t one of the best upgrades they done for night riding/visibility.
HTH…