Dim Headlight

[ultra6xlt]

Hello,

I have had a dim light since I bought my 1980 XS1100 Special. I have purchased a new headlight (hallogen) and a new bulb housing. I installed it on the bike, and it still is dim when on low. I am getting 12V at the connector, and put a new connector on just to make sure. Any ideas on why my low is so dim? I need to ride with the hi-beams on at night to see anything. It would be nice to get it bright enough to see at night. Thanks all!

[John]

A couple of things to look at are the ground for the headlight, and the headlight reserve unit. Is the "Headlamp" warning light illuminated? The system will turn on the high beam, at a decreased brightness if there should happen to be a problem in the low beam circuit.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Ultra6xlt,

What type and where did you get the bulb housing from? Also, the bulb, what's its wattage rating? The special's bulb is supposed to be a 55/60 low/high beam bulb. They sell stronger ones in JCW/DK, like 80/100watt!? I found my old OEM reflector/bulb housing not too bright, even with a new halogen bulb. I then bought a new clear front lens reflector housing, got rid of all of that old style prism/diffusor stuff that is on the old style housing.

Also, that is why several folks put extra auxillary lights on their bikes, to better illuminate the road at night. But with our weak charging systems, you have to be careful what and how many you add, and only run them when your rpms are over 4k! I added two 55watt halogens, but I also converted all my tail/brake/turn signals to LED so I had some wattage/amperage to spare!!

You could run a test power lead directly from your battery or the AUX post to the headlight and ground and see if it looks brighter than going thru your regular circuit? If so, then there's something in the wiring, like John said, bad/poor ground, and even though you're getting 12volts, might not be pulling the required/needed amps thru!? Just a thought!?
T.C.

[ultra6xlt]

Thank you both for your reply. Sorry I haven't responded. Out of town for a while. The warning light in the column does come on. Is that the warning light for the headlight? Where is the reserve unit located? The housing and bulb are brand new from the factory. I think it might be the ground. I get 12V at the headlight clip, but not too bright. Should I look over the ground for the headlight? I will also try the bypass method to see if it makes a difference. Thanks!

- Matt

[Upright]

I love this forum. It seems like anytime I have a question/problem with my XS, someone else has already been talking about it!

My dad and I each bought H4 conversion kits from JCW for our bikes...mine's a '79 XS11F and his is a '72 Honda CB750. We both have Windjammer fairings. When compared side-by-side at night shining on a wall, his headlight appears to be about 25% brighter than mine. Are the charging systems on our bikes really that much weaker?

[beechfront]

agreed

mine just started doing this exact same thing a couple of weeks ago. it occasionally does work properly though, so has to be a connection somewhere.

[skids]

When you rev it above idle, it should be as bright. I had a 110w H4 in my conversion and it warmed-up like a toaster coil. I switched to a Sylvania silverstar buld and that is MUCH better at 60W/55W! Bigger watts does not mean brighter illumination in the XS1100...

Originally posted by Upright

My dad and I each bought H4 conversion kits from JCW for our bikes...mine's a '79 XS11F and his is a '72 Honda CB750. We both have Windjammer fairings. When compared side-by-side at night shining on a wall, his headlight appears to be about 25% brighter than mine. Are the charging systems on our bikes really that much weaker?

[Ken Talbot]

Could be that your headlight wiring connector block looks like the one in this article .

[Dennyz]

I defeted the RLU (Reserve Lighting Unit). It reduced the dimming at idle in low beam, it also turns both elements on in high-beam.

It is very easy to do and is not a distructive mod.

[beechfront]

i have not had a chance to look at mine yet -- but just thought i would add this bit of info.


with switch on low beam - the headlamp indicator is on. this morning when starting the bike, when the motorcycle died the tach then shot up to about 4500. when i switched it to high beam it went back down to zero.

when bike started again, tach operated normally on both high & low beam.

[graybird78]

headlight

I had similar problems with my 80sg. couple of things to check.make sure the headlight is plugged in all the way. I found on mine that it was not plugged in all the way.the wires kept backing out in the connector when plugging in the light. if you have a fairing check the connection at the fairing. mine was corroded somewhat and loose fitting. use a small pick to carefully spread the male or bullet shaped connectors. I also converted my lights to leds. replaced headlight with a cool blue light. made a world of difference for me. I also have aux driving lights.

is the reflector good in your headlight. should be shiney not flat colored. it isn't peeling or such. is charging system working good. check and clean all connections.even a little corrosion will wreak havoc.

[ultra6xlt]

This forum makes diagnosing a problem so much easier. What is the RLU and where is it located? What does the headlight warning light signify? I still have a really dim low beam. I usually drive with my brights on at night. I am not sure where to look first. I changed several housings and bulbs. I now have a new housing and a new bulb (not sealed beam). It is still dim and the headlight warning light is on when it is on low. It wasn't when I first installed the bulb. Do I look at the ground wire? It seems to be dim all the time and not intermitent. Should I look at bypassing the RLU? I did notice that the previous owner bypassed the main fuse. They simply crimped the wires together. Should I put in a new main fuse? I am worried that something might burn our without a fuse. Thank you all! This is the best forum and XS1100 owners are great! Thanks for sharing all the ideas. It makes the headache go away.

[nashville_bill]

The symptoms of a very dim low beam and headlamp warning on would normally tell you that your low beam filament of your headlamp bulb is burned out. The RLU sees the burned out filament and puts a low voltage through the high beam filament so you have some light. IMHO, you either have a bad bulb, a bad connection going to the low beam filament or a bad RLU.

Good luck!

[graybird78]

rlu

RLU= reserve lighting unit. location is under gas tank to the left of the vr= voltage regulator . the white light on the dash if on bright means that the low beam element of headlight is out .rlu automatically switches to high beam but at reduced brightness. yes you should replace the main fuse. the main is 30amp. my white dash light is on but very dim. can't see it unless it is dark. have no problems with headlight. you could try bypassing rlu to see if defective. look at dennyz post to see how to bypass.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Ultra6xlt,

After replacing the main fuse, have several spares on hand, cause the P.O. may have bypassed it because it was blowing them!! This may mean that you have a short to ground somewhere....fun tracing it down!! The RLU may be messed up, a fellow Xsive had similar problems, is replacing his with another one!

If mine goes, it's going....will be yanked out! I can switch to high beams if the low one goes out, people will just have to suffer till I can get a new bulb! As Graybird said, you can try bypassing it without actually cutting it all out! Then, if the headlight is brighter, then you have a choice, to try to get a replacement, or just permanently bypass it!

If your NEW low beam filament is actually still good, then sounds like a flaky RLU!
T.C.