A funny thing's been happening the last few rides...

...where I get the blue high-beam indicator coming on when I start up, even though the high-beam switch was off. So finally this last time I noticed that the left front headlight was out. After awhile the high-beam indicator went off, so I checked and sure enough the headlight was working again. Is this common when the bulbs are getting ready to fail, or is this possibly a deeper electrical problem?

As always, appreciate your collective wisdom!

It's a deeper problem but an easy fix. The left headlight connector is developing a wonky ground and going to ground back thru the high beam circuit. You might clean the three wire headlight connector female terminals and fix it or find the green ground wire is loosely crimped in the connector and needs a little loving. Finally you might have to make a new green ground wire out of the connector and take it to a dedicated ground on the left side of the frame. This particular problem gets weirder at the time when the cooling fans cycle on the headlight switches to high beam by itself.

Great timing on this question.
We were out on Friday and happened to see a postal van delivering mail in the on coming lane on a rural highway. So as we head into the next curve, I flash my high beams a few times to signal a couple of cars coming around the bend.
After a couple of flashes, I turn back to low beam and the Hi beam indicator stays on. Hit switch a couple of times and still stays on. Go a couple of miles and it goes off. A few miles later it comes on again for a minute or two and then goes back off and stayed off for the duration of the ride.
Time to check grounds and clean contacts.

Dave

Dave,
Any chance this could of happened when we changed my bulbs? I seem to have a charging issue now and the bike is showing 11.7 volts at idle. It was showing 13.8 at cruise before the new bulbs and is now down to 13.3. Think this is the same thing?

playinatwork said:

Dave,
Any chance this could of happened when we changed my bulbs? I seem to have a charging issue now and the bike is showing 11.7 volts at idle. It was showing 13.8 at cruise before the new bulbs and is now down to 13.3. Think this is the same thing?

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I can't see any correlation Tim. Low charging voltage shouldn't have anything to do with changing headlight bulbs. Does a multimeter at the battery terminals reflect the same values as the dash voltmeter?

Matman said:

...where I get the blue high-beam indicator coming on when I start up, even though the high-beam switch was off.

Click to expand...

This has come up before, specifically here in this thread.

Scroll down a few entries in the thread mentioned above, and you will fine an entry by me that includes a sketch of why the highbeam indicator is illuminating.

As Mr. dduelin has stated, the issue is a poor or intermittent ground connection at the left-hand headlamp connector. Upon inspection you may find that the ground conductor has overheated, and the insulation has melted for a few inches.

I have replaced both OEM headlamp connectors with aftermarket connectors on my motorcycle. Much easier than trying to salvage the melted connector body, the overheated terminals, and allows me to cut back the overheated conductor the few inches needed to get to clean wire.

The most difficult aspect of this repair is the confined working space, unless of course you decide to remove the body panels. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Thanks for the great info! I finally got around to pulling the connectors off the bulbs and determined that the left one is in fact partially melted. The wire doesn't look too bad, but the connector does and it's now very loose on the bulb.

You mentioned Aftermarket connectors - is there a "generic" type? for example, when I search for "3 prong headlight connectors I mostly see "H4" connectors for sale" - is that what this plug is? And if so, is it as easy as buying one, cutting off the old connector and splicing the new wires together with the old wires?

Matman said:

I mostly see "H4" connectors for sale" - is that what this plug is? And if so, is it as easy as buying one, cutting off the old connector and splicing the new wires together with the old wires?

Click to expand...

Yes.. yes...

Pulled the connector from the left light last night. Seemed a little loose like it wasn't fully seated. Cleaned and added some dielectric grease. Good to go.
Both bulbs now lit and the high beam indicator only comes on when it's supposed to.
Different story on the right socket.
Cannot get the connector to budge. Didn't want to risk damaging the spring on the bulb holder so need to come up with plan B.
Did find that by moving that wire harness I can make the headlight relay click. Headlight doesn't go out but relay is clicking. Assuming that's the bad ground that needs some attention.

That's my story.
Dave

duc916 said:

Didn't want to risk damaging the spring on the bulb holder so need to come up with plan B.

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It is possible to release the bulb spring retaining clip while the electrical connector is attached to the bulb, allowing you better access for disconnecting the electrical connector, not easy but possible. The OEM headlamp electrical connectors seem needlessly difficult to remove at the best of times, more so when an overheated ground connection has melted the connector shell. In the event that the bulb retaining spring clip does suffer some bending, it can be removed, and reconfigured easily with needle nose pliers.

I bent the bulb spring retaining clip on my motorcycle such that the bulb was rattling around in the lamp socket. I had to remove both bulb spring retaining clips, the one that was distorted, and the other as an example of what I needed to be done to the first.

duc916 said:

Pulled the connector from the left light last night. Seemed a little loose like it wasn't fully seated. Cleaned and added some dielectric grease. Good to go.
Both bulbs now lit and the high beam indicator only comes on when it's supposed to.
Different story on the right socket.
Cannot get the connector to budge. Didn't want to risk damaging the spring on the bulb holder so need to come up with plan B.
Did find that by moving that wire harness I can make the headlight relay click. Headlight doesn't go out but relay is clicking. Assuming that's the bad ground that needs some attention.

That's my story.
Dave

Click to expand...

It sounds like you fixed the acute problem of the original post by cleaning up the left connector. I don't know what the relay clicking means but it you have both lights, Hi & Lo, and the Hi beam indicator works correctly the original problem was in the left light circuit. Do you have the fairing off the bike? Access to the connectors is obviously better with the tupperware off.

I broke tab on both my headlamp bulb sockets changing bulbs. I tried to seal them and eventually had the same issue and ended up with a melted socket. I replaced with ceramic ones to handle the heat better and makes it easier to change bulbs.

Couple more questions on the bad ground symptom on the headlight.

If I understand the schematic correctly, I should be able to add a new ground to the left headlight connector harness and solve the problem of the high beam indicator coming on while the switch is on low beam setting (and the right light is out)?

If I decide to go in from the top by removing windscreen et al, will I be able to see where the headlight harness makes its ground connection? Or should I dive into right side fairing removal? I have a bad ground as I can jiggle the wire harness on the right side and make the headlight relay click and sometimes get the high beam indicator to come on with the switch in the low beam setting.

Thx,

Dave