St1100 headlight problem.

Burny

Joined
Jul 2, 2012
Messages
55
Location
North Yorkshire
Bike
1991 st1100
Hi all.
my headlight has decided to stop working. At first it was just a bit lazy to come on, having a delay of anywhere between half a second to a couple of seconds before it came on after operating the switch. All of the dash lights and the rear lights are on but I have no front sidelight or headlight. If lights are switched on and I select high beam, the high beam indicator on the dash does not illuminate but if I use the high beam flash it does come on. Reading previous threads I suspect the relay which kicks in when the starter is pressed. Anyone know where it is and how to test it? Any other suggestion would be gratefully received if I'm way off the mark.
 
I would suggest you take apart the H/light dip switch and the main switch on the right h/s and give the contacts a good clean and maybe some Dialactic [sp?] grease - often the problem with 1100's.
If that doesn't help give all the connections [ including the bulb connection] a clean and spray with some kind of water dispersent.
If nothing has worked so far then I guess will be the relays - I would change them.

I'm sure someone will have a better suggestion or something more specific but these would be my first look.

Hope it helps

p
 
Poacher said:
I would suggest you take apart the H/light dip switch and the main switch on the right h/s and give the contacts a good clean and maybe some Dialactic [sp?] grease
Click to expand...
+1 on this, according to the symptoms...

As quick 'first aid' it also helps to simply flick that switch a couple of times to clean the contacts; same on the kill switch BTW (err, not while on the move! ;-)).

...often the problem with 1100's.
Click to expand...
Objection on the term 'often' in this...
Its more a combination of slight neglection, combined with outside parking and/or pressure wash.
If you check on them like once a year, they work perfectly for decades...
 
ST1100Y said:
...often the problem with 1100's.
Objection on the term 'often' in this...
Click to expand...

I stand corrected ......[s******s softly]

I should have qualified and said that the older ST's which have not been serviced on a regular basis ..... yes I would inspect once a year at least - I do.

p
 
Poacher said:
I stand corrected ......[s******s softly]
Click to expand...

I didn't know that to 's n i g g e r' was rude .... as in a sly chuckle?

Ah! spotted the problem - it contains a bad word of ethnic origin

My Bad - sorry.
 
My dips had stopped working last week,I opened the left handlebar switch and sprayed it with contact cleaner,then some acf50 and it's working like new again,
fantastic stuff,I thought i was going to have to buy a new switch.
 
ST1100Y said:
LOL! No offence intended, but you gave it such a negative touch there, like its an epidemic-error ;-)
Click to expand...

That's why I chuckled after

No offence taken - my bad chioce of words - there are very few problems that any make news

p
 
Poacher said:
...there are very few problems that any make news
Click to expand...
It are the small things, like a not fully retracting side stand or jammed shifter linkage...

HIGH/LOW and KILL switch don't get used very often; I've opened switch assys where actually cobwebs had accumulated ;-) (seriously, found small nests in there)

After my very first KILL switch fooley (yep, BTDI years ago ;-) ), I'd made it my bizarre practice to operate them prior every start...
click-click, ignition, veeh-veeh-vroom... 'kowing' folks remark that this looks like starting an old prop aircraft :-D
 
I didn't know that to 's n i g g e r' was rude .... as in a sly chuckle?

Ah! spotted the problem - it contains a bad word of ethnic origin

My Bad - sorry.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you could have used the word "snickers".

snick?er/ˈsnɪkər
verb (used without object)
1. to laugh in a half-suppressed, indecorous or disrespectful manner.
verb (used with object)
2. to utter with a snicker.
noun
3. a snickering laugh.

Another test is to flood the H/L switch and/or the red on/off switch on the right grip with WD40. Use the red tube to get the WD40 into the housing. Hold a rag or paper towels to catch the over flow. Operate the switch a few times. If it works you'll know where the problem is and let it go at that point. Or you can take it apart, clean, lubricate, and re-assemble.
 
Ron said:
Another test is to flood the H/L switch and/or the red on/off switch on the right grip with WD40.
Click to expand...
Might be good for a quich, emergency shot, but personally I'm not too happy with WD40, fearing that some of its ingredients might cause the plastic bits/housing getting brittle (besides that it'll make the switch assy plus your gloves stink like an old 2-stroke motorcycle ;-))
There other, plastic tollerate contact cleaners and lubricants avail.
 
+1

I always dob some dia-watsit [I can't say it let alone spell it!!] grease to cover the contacts to keep the cr4p out.

WD40 is fine for lucas connectors and such or the majic ACF550 spray.

p
 
Well, that ACF-50 truly is some snake oil...
Not only perfect for conserving engine parts, yet even everything in the whole engine bay, frame tubes, aluminum parts (like the footrest plates) or any other metal,
I've successfully threated the contact array of my GPS cradle, the contacts of my detachable Sony car stero front, the 5-pin connectors of the Autocom headset leads...
But I don't know if it has sufficient lubrication abillities for things like the switch mechanic.

When servicing an old/not maintained switchset, I actually take everthing apart (just watch out for all the small springs and balls who really like to bail out there), clean the crud out, apply some marine grease on all the mechanical things and whipe the contacts with a Q-tip soaked in mentioned ACF-50... but that's a 1 hour task for each side.


The only thing I really like WD-40 is for removing adhesive remains or heavy tar spots ;-)
 
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Update

Thanks for all of the suggestions folks. I have had the switches apart and cleaned them to within an inch of their lives and sprayed them with contact cleaner. All of the swiches are now working much better than they were but still no lights. One further piece of info is that the headlight flash only works when the lights are switched on and set to high beam. If the lights are not switched on or high beam is not selected the blue high beam indicator on the dash lights up but not the lights themselves.
 
Burny said:
One further piece of info is that the headlight flash only works when the lights are switched on and set to high beam. If the lights are not switched on or high beam is not selected the blue high beam indicator on the dash lights up but not the lights themselves.
Click to expand...
Something seems seriously off there...

Sitting over the wiring diagrams right now... might help to know which model & year you have, as there some significant differences...
Like on pre '95 models the high beam indicator lamp gets powered from the high beam relay feed, on post '96 ABS-II/CBS the control light gets its power from the high-feed of the high tap on the head light bulb...

On pre '95 models the mains lights (tail and front) are switched directly from the RHS handlebar switch and only HIGH operated by relay, on post '96 models low and high beams are operated by independend relays, their coil feed is altered by the LHS HIGH/LOW switch.

Has anything been altered in the wiring? Any damages nnoticeable?
 
It's a 91 and it has the police RHS switch gear although I'm not convinced it was ever a police bike. Many thanks for your assistance.
 
I would assume Gremlins in the wiring... (BTW have you obtained/installed the police switch recently? Are taillights and dash illu working? Is fuse C OK?)

On a '91 the high beam control light has a common feed with the relay for the high beams (blue wire) comming from the left switchset.
The common wire for the LOW beams (blue/white wire) is comming from the right switch; so as long as this isn't ON, neither control light nor the relay for the high beams could get power??

The HIGH/LOW in the left switch mentioned blue/white feed changes-over either directly to the LOW beam, or to the relay for the HIGH beams.
The PASS switch runs paralell to this and powers the relay together with the low beam.
 
The police switchgear was already on the bike when I bought it and all of the dash lights and taillights and dash illumination lights are ok. I have not checked the fuse yet but I will when I replace the main fuse which I have managed to blow whilst messing about with the electrics.
 
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