Real Quick....

[CA]

My headlamp switch stoped working in the brights position a number of months ago...being too lazy to fix it i let it be. Last night my bulb must have blown because i have no headlamp. What bulb do i need...and I just pop out the headlamp?

Thanks....the xs1100 is my only vehicle right now rain or shine!

[DiverRay]

ANY H4 bulb will work. Pull the two screws at the edge of the headlight, pull the bulb, unplug the wires, remove the rubber cover and release the wire that holds the bulb in. reverse to reinsert.REMEMBER, DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASS PART OF THE NEW BULB!!!! It WILL blow out shortly if you do!

[fredintoon]

My headlamp switch stopped working in the brights position a number of months ago...being too lazy to fix it i let it be. Last night my bulb must have blown because i have no headlamp. What bulb do i need...and I just pop out the headlamp? - - -

Hi CA,
like Diver Ray said, an H4 bulb and keep yer fingers off it.
BUT, when your brights quit did it switch to low beam and light up the headlight warning light as it should have?
If not, perhaps it's not the bulb, or perhaps not only the bulb, that needs attention.

[CA]

you may be right

No no warning or anything I just came outside and no light. Well a week or two ago the light went off and on a few times and gave me a real scare...but nothing happened. What else could it be a fuse? Most everything else is working...yet come to think of it I dont know if my gauge lights were on...i do not believe they were...

and to add insult to injury. today my right triangle piece covering my fuses flew off on the interstate...and half my yamaha on the left side of the tank came off too...whats next!!! haha


QUOTE=fredintoon;235056]Hi CA,
like Diver Ray said, an H4 bulb and keep yer fingers off it.
BUT, when your brights quit did it switch to low beam and light up the headlight warning light as it should have?
If not, perhaps it's not the bulb, or perhaps not only the bulb, that needs attention.[/QUOTE]

[latexeses]

Perhaps the switch quit in the high beam position because the low beam had quit and the high beam was switched on as the failsafe light.Maybe?

[CA]

Well

Well the switch for the brights stopped switching....and it was in the bright position. Im starting to feel as it may be something to do fuse or something...because i never got a warning light thing...

[Crazcnuk]

Does the red warning light come on when you turn on the key?

If not, the bulb may be toast in the warning light too.

[CatatonicBug]

Does the red warning light come on when you turn on the key?

If not, the bulb may be toast in the warning light too.

Mine is a White warning light. It only comes on if I unplug the headlight. It never comes on otherwise. I unplugged the headlight recently, just to be sure it was working.

[CA]

Here it is

Ok I have no Gauges light, and no headlamp. The headlamp white warning light is not on yet when i turn my key my red brake light warning light comes on and goes away when its supposed to...help!

I need a light, I can't go anywhere at night!

[TomRodgers]

get a good flashlight.....maybe two of them, and duct tape them in place.
my brother did that one night after running his bike into the garage too fast and under a set of shelves.....it worked to get him back and forth to work in the short amount of time he had to ride just before sunrise!!!

[CatatonicBug]

Ok I have no Gauges light, and no headlamp. The headlamp white warning light is not on yet when i turn my key my red brake light warning light comes on and goes away when its supposed to...help!

I need a light, I can't go anywhere at night!

The red light is the Oil Pressure light. Has nothing to do with brakes.

I don't know about the laws there, but I thought this was universal - we have to have a working headlight, even in the daylight! Not a good idea to ride without one during the day.

[bikerphil]

my red brake light warning light comes on and goes away when its supposed to

The 79 Specials share a common red light for oil pressure and burnt out tail lite indicator. Your headlight relay might have bit the dust, I know both of mine did. Simple bypass: Unplug the relay under the tank and jump the red/yel and blu/ blk wires in the harness plug together. You should have headlight when the key is turned on. If it still doesn't light, it might be a problem such as a broken wire in the left switch. Hopefully you did thoroughly check the fuses.

[CA]

Checked the fuses, and they all look fine, but my fuse boxe thing is pretty nasty...that will be another weekend project one day....

I guess it may be the relay, but would that account for no gauge lights?

[bikerphil]

Checked the fuses, and they all look fine

Not a reliable test. If they are glass fuses, check them with an ohm meter. The gauge lights get their power from the reserve lighting unit (RLU). These units can go bad also and can be bypassed easily by unplugging the unit and jumping the blu/blk and the blu/yel together at the harness plug.

[CA]

Curious...

Ok well since my new issues with carbs, this will be on the back burner, but an update is I was driving the other day and the lights came on for about 15 minutes then cut back off. Both the headlamp light and gauges came on then went off. So perhaps its just the fuse and not the relay?