ST 1300 Headight problem

Winston Lee, Winston66, from Western Australia,
A question for the Guru's.
My 2003 ST1300 has recently developed a problem with the headlight operation, It is this.
When shutting down the bike after a ride , IE stopping the motor by turning the ignition switch to the off position , the headlights stay on, it does not matter weather either the hi or low beam is selected.
If the ignition switch is left in the off position and the start button is pressed again then the headlights will turn then turn off off.
If before starting the motor when turning on the ignition the headlights light up as normal, but then if the ignition is turned off without starting the motor the lights remain on until the start button is pushed then they will go out.
I have tried searching the relevant forums but have not been able to find any posts with this problem and most write ups seem to be too complicated and or technical for me to understand,
I hope that there is a simple fix for this.
Any relevant comments and or thoughts will be appreciated
Cheers to all, Winston Lee
Winston66, Western Australia

The behavior you're seeing pretty much narrows it down to the ignition switch.

The starter button has a second pole in it that that interrupts the circuit between the ignition switch and the high/low beam switch. It may be that there's something in the ignition switch contacts that continues to conduct enough electricity to keep the headlight relays engaged after you make the on/off transition with the key but doesn't conduct enough to pull the relays back in after the circuit's been broken by pushing the starter switch.

The contacts in the ignition switch are separate from the lock mechanism, but I've never had one out and don't know if they can be disassembled for cleaning. If not, the replacement part is about US$45, probably lots higher in Australia the way these things tend to go.

I have to ask this because when I don't, it always seems to be the cause: Has your bike recently been subjected to a good hosing down, especially in the area around the ignition switch? If it was, the problem may go away after it's been subjected to some warm weather.

--Mark

Do check out the ignition switch per Blrfl's suggestion.

Also consider cleaning the start switch innards...inside the right side switch housing. There is a headlight cutout feature that turns off current to the light while the button is pushed. The usual failure mode is an open circuit causing the headlight to remain off after start. This area has been an occasional Honda trouble spot since the late 1970's.

Hi Blifl and Oldbikerfixr,
Thanks for your input, at this time I have not dismantled or attempted to clean any switches or contacts.
and now I think that There is another problem to consider.
The troublesome 2003 bike is always garaged and has only been out in the rain once which was about 12 months ago. When cleaning it I only use a damp (wrung out ) cloth for a wipe down.and it has never been hosed down in the last four years since I have had it
So I do not think that an excess of water ingress is a likely contender to my problem
As luck would have it I also have a 2006 ST1300 ex police model, as well as the a fore mentioned 2003ST. and in checking your suggestions I have discovered that with both of the bikes, that whilst the motor is being cranked via the start switch the headlights remain on and are not extinguished whilst cranking the motor.
This is the first time that I have noticed this because I do not do any riding at night and have never noticed whether the headlights are (on), operating when the starter is cranking. It never occurred to me to check this function .
I now find it quite odd that both motorcycles operate the same in this regard .
IE. the headlights remain on whilst the motor is being cranked.
This being at odds with your information.
Otherwise all other aspects of operations appear to operate as normal with both bikes.
Do you think that I now have another problem.
Please let me hear your views.
Cheers, Winston Lee, Northampton, Western Australia

winston lee said:

As luck would have it I also have a 2006 ST1300 ex police model, as well as the a fore mentioned 2003ST. and in checking your suggestions I have discovered that with both of the bikes, that whilst the motor is being cranked via the start switch the headlights remain on and are not extinguished whilst cranking the motor.

Click to expand...

Interesting. Keep in mind that Oldbikefixr and I have North American bikes which have a different headlight switch and may be wired differently. If both of your bikes don't drop the headlights while cranking, it may be that rest-of-the-world bikes behave that way. Maybe someone in Oz, Europe or elsewhere can chime and confirm that.

In any case, I wouldn't lose any sleep over that because I still think your problem is in the ignition switch. The headlights should go off when the ignition switch is turned to the off position, and that's the only variable you're changing when this happens.

--Mark

Blrfl said:

Interesting. Keep in mind that Oldbikefixr and I have North American bikes which have a different headlight switch and may be wired differently. If both of your bikes don't drop the headlights while cranking, it may be that rest-of-the-world bikes behave that way. Maybe someone in Oz, Europe or elsewhere can chime and confirm that.

In any case, I wouldn't lose any sleep over that because I still think your problem is in the ignition switch. The headlights should go off when the ignition switch is turned to the off position, and that's the only variable you're changing when this happens.
--Mark

Click to expand...

Didn't consider a possible difference in wiring! US bikes have the headlight interrupt. A different wiring scheme may have different symptoms than ours. Thanks.
Winston...Just because you don't wash your bike with a hose doesn't mean you are waterproof. Atmospheric moisture can cause conductivity issues as well...just takes longer than the hose. If your relative humidity is always very low, it may just be a wear problem. Please let us know what you find!

Thanks guys for your interest and quick replies, It is nice to have your input.
I will not be able to do anything (check),with the ST. for about another couple of days as unfortunately today there is a return trip to Perth , (our capital city) for Western Australia.a total distance of approx 1100 KLM Approx 690 of your miles.I am acting as a co=driver with one of my sons whom has a medical specialist appointment this afternoon.
This travel is necessary because there are not any adequate specialist services available in our local regional center, Geraldton, which is only 30 miles away.
Thanks again,
Cheers, Winston Lee

Just a thought; is it possible that the headlight relay (low beam or high beam) could be failing?

Blrfl said:

Interesting. Keep in mind that Oldbikefixr and I have North American bikes which have a different headlight switch and may be wired differently.

Click to expand...

Huh. In all the headlight threads I've seen in my short time here I've never noticed any mention of "yeah Yanks our headlights don't do that!". I have no clue one way or the other but it just seems that someone would have observed and said something. I've seen several mentions of that lack of position or running lights on UK/EU (?) bikes compared to US (and other countries) bikes.