19-01-17, 11:25 PM (This post was last modified: 20-01-17, 07:27 AM by darrsi.)
Last few days i've had an annoying issue of my high beam display light flashing on/off at random intervals.
The left switch is never touched and stays in the low beam position.
Today i cleaned inside left and right switches with Isopropyl Alcohol spray then again with a lube contact cleaner spray, around lunchtime.
After work i turned ignition on and the high beam display stayed on this time.
Ever since i've had this bike, about 8yrs, whenever i've used high beam for a little while it literally kills my battery! Never known why but as i don't really use it it's not been an issue since, but yesterday morning the new battery barely had any power in it so had to get a jump start, due to the high beam going on and off.
So just using my new spotlights i went to work and the battery was all good again by the time i'd got there and has been since.
Firstly, anyone got any ideas why high beam would kill my battery? Even after a motorway run, if high beam was on, i'd switch off then the battery would be dead.
But a bump start would revive it, then once the high beam was switched off and i ran the bike for another 10-15mins it would all be okay again, and start fine on the button.
Secondly, i'm gonna take a chance with a used left switch housing, but just noticed after paying that it has no choke lever.
Is this just a simple swap over from my old one, or is it not that straightforward?
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.
20-01-17, 12:13 AM (This post was last modified: 20-01-17, 12:16 AM by Bretty.)
I changed my left cluster after my indicator switch snapped off. I easily transferred the choke lever from my old one to the new one. As you undo the housing it literally falls out. It just floats captive between the housing and the bar.
No idea why high beam kills your battery, what bulb have you got in there?
20-01-17, 07:05 AM (This post was last modified: 20-01-17, 07:11 AM by darrsi.)
(20-01-17, 12:25 AM)Bretty link Wrote: You've confused me a bit. High Beam 'switch' is on the right. High beam flash 'trigger' is on the left.
RIGHT SWITCH:
right = lights off
middle = the small bulb in the front right side of light housing on (sitting on bike)
left = both main lights on - H1 on & H4 low beam on (mod done)
LEFT SWITCH:
down = low beam
up = high beam on H4
Also, in down position the pass button lights up the upper H4,
plus my switch has a hazard lights button on as well.
RIGHT
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.
(20-01-17, 12:13 AM)Bretty link Wrote: I changed my left cluster after my indicator switch snapped off. I easily transferred the choke lever from my old one to the new one. As you undo the housing it literally falls out. It just floats captive between the housing and the bar.
No idea why high beam kills your battery, what bulb have you got in there?
I've tried different lamps over the years to try and better the poor lighting, but right now i'm using Phillips Xtreme.
Can't be a bulb thing 'cos they've always been the right spec for the bike, and it's not like the bulbs have been blowing at all.
Last two days on the way home in the dark i've turned on that little light bulb, in the middle position on the right switch, with the main bulbs off, just so that i appear to have some sort of headlight on, but the new spotlights are fortunately about 5 times brighter than the headlights anyway and light up the road for me so at least i can rely on them until it's sorted out.
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.
I guess that you have a short somewhere in the high beam circuit, it's causing more current to pass through the fault than the bike can supply, hence the battery is being used to make up the shortfall. (No pun intended.) If changing your switch assembly doesn't fix it (It stands a good chance judging from your first post fault description) then it's a case of tracing the high beam circuit back to source to find the fault(s).
So on high beam you have both lights on and just one on low beam or both on low? Can you measure the current being drawn from the battery with the engine off? It should be about 5 amps per bulb,so I would expect 10A with both bulbs on. Obviously you're going to have more than this but if it's close to a multiple of 5A then your headlight might not be turning off the low beam when you switch to high. If the new switch doesn't cure it (and I'd try to measure the current before and after the switch change) then you're going to have to trace it through.
I agree that a switchgear or wiring problem must be causing the mysterious issue with main beam coming on of its own accord, hopefully changing the l/h cluster will sort that.
Even if there was a short in the switchgear that meant the high beam was on without you noticing, the alternator ought to cope OK even with the spots and heated grips. A short to ground should blow a fuse.
Are you sure you've not been sold 100W bulbs? If that's not the cause then I'd guess the alternator or reg/rectifier are faulty and not supplying enough current. If the battery's been killed a couple of times it may not be as healthy as it should be… these modern high CCA ones are a bit less robust in that respect.
(20-01-17, 12:13 PM)Fazerider link Wrote: I agree that a switchgear or wiring problem must be causing the mysterious issue with main beam coming on of its own accord, hopefully changing the l/h cluster will sort that.
Even if there was a short in the switchgear that meant the high beam was on without you noticing, the alternator ought to cope OK even with the spots and heated grips. A short to ground should blow a fuse.
Are you sure you've not been sold 100W bulbs? If that's not the cause then I'd guess the alternator or reg/rectifier are faulty and not supplying enough current. If the battery's been killed a couple of times it may not be as healthy as it should be… these modern high CCA ones are a bit less robust in that respect.
No, as said the high beam issue has been there for years, but as i'll only occasionally flash the pass light it's never really been much of a big deal.
Bulbs have always been 55w.
The fact the high beam light stayed on constantly for a short while after using contact cleaner on it would suggest that i've hit the spot, i just hope i've chosen the correct side for the switch.
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.
(20-01-17, 09:45 AM)crickleymal link Wrote: Wot Bludclot said.
So on high beam you have both lights on and just one on low beam or both on low? Can you measure the current being drawn from the battery with the engine off? It should be about 5 amps per bulb,so I would expect 10A with both bulbs on. Obviously you're going to have more than this but if it's close to a multiple of 5A then your headlight might not be turning off the low beam when you switch to high. If the new switch doesn't cure it (and I'd try to measure the current before and after the switch change) then you're going to have to trace it through.
When the r/hand side is switched fully to the left my H1 single filament bulb would be on (as standard), but as i've had the mod done the lower filament of the H4 would be on too.
When reversing the bike down my alleyway between two houses i could see the upper/high beam light flashing on, along with the high beam dash display light, anything between a split second or a few seconds, then it'll go off again.
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.
Check the mod. Specifically, check to see if you have any arcing happening between the original connector spade on the back of the RHS bulb and the additional connector the mod added.
(20-01-17, 02:38 PM)BBROWN1664 link Wrote: Check the mod. Specifically, check to see if you have any arcing happening between the original connector spade on the back of the RHS bulb and the additional connector the mod added.
Yeah, i was wondering if i should maybe even replace the mod wiring.
An electronics engineer done the mod for me years ago at work, but i was called away to do a job if i remember correctly so never actually saw what he did, i need to look into it more.
Me and electrics though......not good.
I plug things in all day at work, but wiring and being slightly colour blind has never really been a great combination for me. :lol
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.
(20-01-17, 02:26 PM)darrsi link Wrote: When reversing the bike down my alleyway between two houses i could see the upper/high beam light flashing on, along with the high beam dash display light, anything between a split second or a few seconds, then it'll go off again.
Was the lower filament in the bulb going off? Mind you as someone else said, the alternator should be able to cope with that.
20-01-17, 05:03 PM (This post was last modified: 20-01-17, 06:11 PM by darrsi.)
(20-01-17, 04:15 PM)BBROWN1664 link Wrote: :agree
the bulb could be failing and shorting internally as you go over bumps causing the high beam filament to illuminate.
The H4 bulb is only a few months old, I changed it late summer, so I would hope it wasn't that, i'll bear it in mind though.
I don't think the lower filament was going off, but to be honest it's difficult to tell with the spotlights on at the same time.
I did buy a pair of bulbs so I do have one to hand if the switch doesn't work though.
I'm still clinging on to the fact that as the high beam display light stayed on for a while after spraying the switch housings I'm hoping that it's the left switch that's iffy.
I just spoke to my electronics engineer at work and he thinks the left side as well, as that is what controls the low/high beam, whereas the right switch unit turns it all off without any problems.
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.
Sorry Darrsi - I'm an idiot.
heavily medicated at the moment with pneumonia. Ofcourse there's a high switch on the left, I was looking at the wiring diagram in the Haynes manual and manage to confuse myself. Good luck sorting it.
(20-01-17, 11:26 PM)Bretty link Wrote: Sorry Darrsi - I'm an idiot.
heavily medicated at the moment with pneumonia. Ofcourse there's a high switch on the left, I was looking at the wiring diagram in the Haynes manual and manage to confuse myself. Good luck sorting it.
No worries matey, get well soon.
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.
