Headlight Question

[TheRev]

Hello All

I have a question about my headlight. I installed a LED Headlight from TrukLite. It looks great, however when start the bike the low beam and high beam light up. The switch does not turn off the high beam. However, when the bike is not running the headlight works as intended, with low and high. What do you think the problem is. Could it be the reserve light relay has gone bad? Or do you think it has something to do with the low draw LED? Thanks

[IanDMacDonald]

I'd say either bad wiring within the headlight bucket, or bad RLU.

[BA80]

You've got the plug shorted somehow. Sounds kinda like you have the low beam and high beam plugs backwards.

[TheRev]

I will check those things. But why would it work correctly when the bike is not running?

[TheRev]

Ian

How does your headlight work? I would think mine would work the same as yours. The strange thing is it works as intended when the bike isn't running. As soon as I start the bike the high beam comes on and stays on.

I'd say either bad wiring within the headlight bucket, or bad RLU.

[TheRev]

I was thinking. If the LED draws less power perhaps my problem is that the RLU thinks my low beam is blown thus switching to the high beam. So perhaps I need to bypass the RLU. What do you all think.

[3Phase]

Off the top of my head, Rev, unless you do some modifications to add resistance to the headlight circuit the RLU doesn't play well with anything except incandescent lamps.

Adding resistance to fool the RLU kind of defeats the purpose of putting in the high-tech low-current lighting so bypass the RLU and run the headlight straight from the Blue/Black wire after the Headlight Relay. If that fixes the problem then you can decide what to do from there.

.

[natemoen]

I was thinking. If the LED draws less power perhaps my problem is that the RLU thinks my low beam is blown thus switching to the high beam. So perhaps I need to bypass the RLU. What do you all think.

I would think this is the answer. Ditch the RLU.

[IanDMacDonald]

Hey Rev- Yes, my headlight works fine. I believe my RLU is bypassed.

[bikerphil]

Wiring Bypass:

Reserve Lighting Unit: Unplug unit and connect blu/blk and blu/yel together at the harness plug.

[donebysunday]

Wiring Bypass:

Reserve Lighting Unit: Unplug unit and connect blu/blk and blu/yel together at the harness plug.

This sounds like the way to go.
Over the years I've only had 1 bike that the low or was it high beam (does not matter) burned out, at night. The light that was emitted by the alternate filament was not enough to see the road, so instantly I switched the switch gear control to the to the light that was just glowing and on it came.
This was a situation that could have been real bad if I had been running the curves out in the sticks on the mountain !!!!!
That RLU is only there so you won't be ticketed for not having any light on, not to light your way.
What say you all ?

[3Phase]

Kawasaki put a RLD (Reserve Lighting Device) on my '81 KZ750 and the automatic headlight filament switcher thing saved my butt when I lived up in Oakhurst. Almost everyone lives off the paved road, third pine tree on the right, that kind of thing and riding off-road dramatically shortens the life of the sealed beam halogen headlight. You know it's going to fail, you just don't know when.

Now, having dated Murphy's daughter in High School he's never forgotten me so, naturally, the high beam winked out as I was tooling around Bass Lake one night at my usual safe and sane rate of speed on a narrow, twisty, two lane road going around the moonlit lake and the low beam instantly switched on.

The important part is that I stayed out of the lake that night so some fisherman didn't snag his hook on me or the bike the next day.

RLU: it's what's for dinner instead of you!

[jpilk99]

Head light "out" but no RLU indicator or low beam on my '81

As I read this thread, I'm wondering what might be going on with my bike. The headlight just stopped all together, (no warning light that I'm told would come on from RLU - and no low beam either).

I check resistance on the bulb and it seems fine. I guess next test is to see if it's getting volts.

Any initial thoughts here are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Jay

[bikerphil]

Someone may have bypassed the RLU, it is located under the fuel tank just in front of the voltage regulator. The RLU may also be bad. Have you checked the headlight fuse?

[jpilk99]

Thanks, I will check.