headlight gone

[geniusloerts]

So on the ride home yesterday i lost my headlight,low and high beam..... ichecked the fuses, everything is good, bulb is good.....i got the volt meter out and to the wiring harness where the headlight hooks up i have 10.7 votls. i am thinking that the headlight draws so much that it is tripping something that makes it not come on.......oh yeah, i do have tail lights and blinkers..


what do you all think?

I read the posts about bypassing some diode so that the headlight comes on when the ignition turns on, but mine does that already. but wasent bypassed from what i know.

[bikerphil]

no headlight

Check your charging system for 14+ volts at 2500 RPM. If alternator isn't working, headlight will not come on. Also, if your tach isn't working, this is a tell-tale sign of alt/regulator problems or corroded connections. HTH

[geniusloerts]

bikerphil,

My tach had never worked.....I tried to trace down the error and found a melted conector under the fuse block....fixed that. but still no tach. when i checked the charging it was putting out the acceptable amount of volts.

I will check it again tho.

[Ivan]

If you have voltage at the connector, you need to check your ground. Easiest way would be to back probe the connector with the light installed and provide a good ground. If the light comes on, then you know where to start looking.

Also, checking electrical components with an ohm meter is not a good test. ohm meters run on microamps and measure minute amounts of resistance across a shunt, so they don't check circuits under a load.

If you check the voltage from the ground terminal to the battery negative with the circuit in operation you should have less than 1 volt, anymore means resistance on the ground. Usually a perfect 0 means an open ground.

[geniusloerts]

I am going to pick up a new relay tonight on the way home from work...and try that out. the last time i checked my charging system when i first got the bike it seemed to be ok, I checked it because the tach wasn't working. I wouldn't be surprised if something has changed tho......it seems like my bike likes to throw something at me ever 2 weeks or so.

[geniusloerts]

ok, well changed the relay out, still no headlight....... found a blown fuse, changed it bt still no headlight......I ran a jumper ground and no luck there hoping it was a bad ground .


any more thoughts?

[xsilerating]

Try this...

Carefully check the wiring harness and all connections inside the headlight housing. I had a very similar problem with my MNS and found that one of the wires had broke INSIDE the sheathing. To check if this can be the problem, with the ignition 'on' (start the engine and either keep it running or, shut it down using the engine 'kill' switch) carefully manipulate - one by one - each wire emanating from the headlight electrical connector and running into the harness, all the while watching for any illumination of the headlight.

Also check the headlight electrical connector itself. There may be a rusted, loose or broken connection inside any one of the slots. Another possibility may rest with the 'Reserve Lighting Unit' itself, as this is relative to the headlight only and not to any other light on the bike. (If defective, it must be replaced as it is not a serviceable/repairable component.)

These bikes are OLD and, as such, it is NOT uncommon to find defects with the wiring as over time, it becomes dry and brittle and, can easily crack or break and not be visible to the naked eye.

On another note, with respect to your tach not working, have you checked the 'stator' leads from the alternator? Electrical impulses are required from here for the tach to work. (From what I understand, inconsistent impulses can also result in fluctuations with the tach readings (needle jumping around).)

Just a few suggestions for your consideration should you deem them warranted.

[geniusloerts]

YEAH!!!! I can see!!!

welp after much head scratching and such, I finally tracked down the problem, there was a conection in the hand control switch wiring harness that was loose, it was one that controls the blinkers.....and that caused the headlight to go.....weird eh?

any ways here is a pic with the new bar end mirrors on.

ENJOY!!!!