Well its a bit of a bugger that you guys have had such a problem with your HID's. I must say that after over 30000k's of long distance riding with HID headlights and HID spotties with a fair amount of night riding, I still find that they are so much better than the OEM or the blue tip bulbs. I believe that there is a large support group of ST1100 riders overseas and other riders here in Australia that are using them without the issues you have had.
I have not had the problems that you have described (touch wood)
We all have our likes and dislikes, the standard type globe just does not give me the clarity for the night time riding I do, so I won't be taking mine out in a hurry.
It is good to hear that you now have the lights in that suit you
and thanks for sharing your experiences with the rest of us