Headlight Dimming
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,376
Likes: 36
From: Round Rock, TX
Headlight Dimming
As I headed home from the ROT Rally last night, I found my headlight was very dim. Sort of one candle power. I stopped and cycled the ignition a couple of times and it came on normally. When I turned on the passing lamps, they wouldn't come on, and the headlight dimmed again. Took what seemed like an eternity of random fiddling to get it back on so I could get home. (Didn't touch any more damn switches!)
Here's all of the symptoms: All the way home, the high beam indicator was lit very dimly, even though the light was not on high. If I used the turn signals, the headlight would pulse with them. The instrument lights and the tail lights, including stop and turn showed no symptoms at any time.
I'm thinking a bad ground in the harness to the fairing area. Any other ideas? Have to find this gremlin today or I have to be home by dark. That ain't a whole lot of fun......
Here's all of the symptoms: All the way home, the high beam indicator was lit very dimly, even though the light was not on high. If I used the turn signals, the headlight would pulse with them. The instrument lights and the tail lights, including stop and turn showed no symptoms at any time.
I'm thinking a bad ground in the harness to the fairing area. Any other ideas? Have to find this gremlin today or I have to be home by dark. That ain't a whole lot of fun......
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
From: California
Grounds suck to find. I had a similar deal, I rode home by the light of my flashers one night. Found that the malfunction was where the wire connection was crimped had broken all the way through. Might not be a ground but a break at one of those crimps ready to go all the way...
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 386
Likes: 3
From: Easley, South Carolina
Greetings Owtlaw
Headlight Dimming while on the road.
I stopped and cycled the ignition a couple of times and it came on normally.
You have a ground affecting your lighting, either in your (switch) or (wire) going to your light.
You have to determine which one by using a volt meter to troubleshoot.
Headlight Dimming while on the road.
I stopped and cycled the ignition a couple of times and it came on normally.
You have a ground affecting your lighting, either in your (switch) or (wire) going to your light.
You have to determine which one by using a volt meter to troubleshoot.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,376
Likes: 36
From: Round Rock, TX
I may start somewhere other than the switch, only because a switch fault would affect all lights, correct? The rears and instrument lights are fine. And the instrument cluster has a dandy ground of it's own via the frame. Only the lights mounted in the fiberglass are a problem.
Dirt don't hurt
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 21,065
Likes: 4,561
From: Haslet Texas
You are correct. A switch problem affects all the lights.
I guess I didn't read your initial post good enough. OOPS
As for the the headlight only I would check to make sure the wires didn't rub themselves on something and that the connectors didn't build up corrosion.
I guess I didn't read your initial post good enough. OOPS
As for the the headlight only I would check to make sure the wires didn't rub themselves on something and that the connectors didn't build up corrosion.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,705
Likes: 22,718
From: Farmington ,MS
I just had this happen to me...my headlight dimmed at idle on a couple of rides...then like turning off a switch... the battery went completely dead...would not charge at all...was putting out less than a volt. It was a Harley brand sealed battery....the guy the part store said it was common for those type battery's to fail like that ...work one minute...next minute completely dead.
Edit: Guess I didn't read your post completely either but, my battery failure seemed to effect only the headlight also... but all my other lights are LED so I thought that was why, but who knows
Edit: Guess I didn't read your post completely either but, my battery failure seemed to effect only the headlight also... but all my other lights are LED so I thought that was why, but who knows
Last edited by Tom84FXST; Jun 8, 2012 at 04:17 PM.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,376
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From: Round Rock, TX
Resolution:
Wiring diagram showed an unlabeled part that is probably a grounding block that is in turn grounded to a screw on the triple clamp. I had no grounding block. The only thing grounded on the clamp was the cluster. All the other grounds in the fairing went to the fairing bracket. I made a ground wire to go from the screw on the fairing bracket to the screw on the triple clamp. Lights all work like they should with no flickering or pulsing. Had to pull the fairing to do this. Great fun.....
Took her down to the rally and got her dyno tuned. Fattened up the main a tick and advanced the timing some. Pulled 78.31 HP. All in all, a pretty good day.
Wiring diagram showed an unlabeled part that is probably a grounding block that is in turn grounded to a screw on the triple clamp. I had no grounding block. The only thing grounded on the clamp was the cluster. All the other grounds in the fairing went to the fairing bracket. I made a ground wire to go from the screw on the fairing bracket to the screw on the triple clamp. Lights all work like they should with no flickering or pulsing. Had to pull the fairing to do this. Great fun.....
Took her down to the rally and got her dyno tuned. Fattened up the main a tick and advanced the timing some. Pulled 78.31 HP. All in all, a pretty good day.
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