ST1300 Headlight Aim Motor Issues

[Joe_mamma]

The Headlight Aim motor for my 2004 Honda ST1300 will continuously run from the time I start the bike to the time I turn the bike off. This happens only about 90% of the time however. My goal is to fix the issue but I'm unsure if I should go ahead and replace the whole headlight aim motor or if it is an electrical problem other than the headlight motor.

One option I've considered is just disconnecting the headlight motor. Does anyone know if by doing that it will also disconnect my headlight bulbs? Or are they two separate connections?

Below is a youtube link to the issue I'm having.

 

[JohnK]

Id open up the cowling and find the connector to the motor or the switch. and pull it. the headlights operate of a separate fused circuit. That maybe a bad control switch or just full of debris and moisture but im thinking you have a exposed wire somewhere in line that is contacting.

 

[Igofar]

Once they start hunting, they are toast. You will have to replace the unit.

 

[Joe_mamma]

Once they start hunting, they are toast. You will have to replace the unit.

Is this true even if it doesn't happen every time I turn the ignition? I just tore into the inner cowling and got to the headlight aim motor and turned the key on... now it isn't doing it anymore even after cycling the key a couple times. Seems to have a mind of its own. This morning when I turned the key on it was doing it, now its not.

 

[jfheath]

There are a number of places to look for this. The motor itself is working. It drives a thread / helix which turns in or out the angle at which the reflector is aimed.
The electronic adjustment doesn't allow the full range of operation - so you can remove the motor unit, turn the screw manually and put it back. That will give the same degree of movement - but between top and bottom positions.

It sounds like the thread isn't engaging with the screw - so perhaps the screw itself has reached the end of its limit - with the motor still turning.

Sorry - I don't have any pictures of this - but I took mine off because the beam would not raise high enough and I had a good look at how it operates. There are no switches to turn it off when it reaches a certain position - it relies on the electronics to restrict the number of turns and for the adjuster to be set so that the range is below the top and above the bottom. You'll see what I mean if you take it off and detach it. See how the motor behaves when it isn't attached to the headlight. Oh - but take a photo of it before you undo it. I thought it was obvious but it turned out to be a puzzle.

That may be ths issue - but it may be something else entirely - eg the electronics are suppose to shut off the motor and if that noise goes on forever than that clearly isn't happening. In which case I refer you to @Igofar's comment.

Just seen your reply while I was typing and hunting for non-existent photos. Maybe water ingress - completing a path to earth that shouldn't be there ??

 

[Grand Rouge]

Both of my St1300 machines exhibited same behavior as Joe mamma describes. Both machines:

Run Away up down aiming. Intermittent.

Faulty Motor

Excellent How To....

Article [13] - ST1300 - How to install Headlight Adjusting Motor | ST1300 Articles

The Headlight Adjusting motor can be replaced without removing all the bike parts that are described in the shop manual.I removed and replaced the motor in two hours including taking the pictures required for this article. However, I had removed it once before. This was to check the connector...

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