high and low beam on at the same time

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dnegreiro

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Hello everyone, so I've wired up the bike from scratch and the way I've wired it the low beam and high beam are on at the same time. I think the electrical current is running "both ways" through the wire if that make sense. If I place a diode in the plan do you think that will resolve it? If so what diode do you all suggest?
 
Do you have a proper ground wire in the circuit? Is it a conventional bulb or an led type? Try unplugging the high beam indicator light and see if that makes a difference.
 
It is a conventional bulb. I think the way i wired it causes a feedback loop. If i understand correctly the diodes make it so that current only flows one direction. can anyone confirm or deny?
 
How did you wire it? The headlight power should be fed into the hi-lo switch, not run to the headlight bulb directly. The switch directs the power to the hi or lo beam depending what position it's in.
 
solo2racr said:
A diode, if it worked at all, would only be a band-aid. Clearly, there is something wrong with the wiring. Don't fix the symptom........Cure the problem.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Headlight is a very basic system. Wire it up right.... don't try to band aid it.

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dnegreiro said:
It is a conventional bulb. I think the way i wired it causes a feedback loop. If i understand correctly the diodes make it so that current only flows one direction. can anyone confirm or deny?
Click to expand...
It doesn't need a diode, If the correct terminal of the bulb socket is grounded applying voltage to one of the other two terminals will produce either high or low beam . It doesn't light up two at once unless the wrong terminal is grounded.
 
Jim said:
Agreed. Headlight is a very basic system. Wire it up right.... don't try to band aid it.

View attachment 151023
Click to expand...

Jim, is the little bulb at the bottom of your schematic the "Head" white warning light? Looks like it is supposed to be on anytime the headlight is switched on, correct?
 
No, I think that's an instrument illumination bulb.
 
Jim said:
Yeah... speedo or tach internal lighting.
Click to expand...

Well, ya'll I might have a problem. My lights work perfectly however. The white "head" lite is on anytime my head lites are on, low or high. Also the "brake" red lite come on when I hit the front or rear brake. Release the brakes and it goes back off. As I say, everything works as it should except the "Idiot" lites, but, I'm not sure of their normal operation.

Thu
 
thuban said:
Well, ya'll I might have a problem. My lights work perfectly however. The white "head" lite is on anytime my head lites are on, low or high. Also the "brake" red lite come on when I hit the front or rear brake. Release the brakes and it goes back off. As I say, everything works as it should except the "Idiot" lites, but, I'm not sure of their normal operation.

Thu
Click to expand...
Sounds like bad Light Checker and Reserve Lighting units... both of which are no longer available. If all lights work normally, the "easy" fix is to just remove the bulbs from the idiot lights.
 
Jim said:
Sounds like bad Light Checker and Reserve Lighting units... both of which are no longer available. If all lights work normally, the "easy" fix is to just remove the bulbs from the idiot lights.
Click to expand...

Sorry Jim. Was out helping a neighbor. Ok, removing the "head" lite bulb is no problem. So the red "brake" lite shouldn't be coming on either when I hit a brake?
 
thuban said:
So the red "brake" lite shouldn't be coming on either when I hit a brake?
Click to expand...
No, that's telling you the brake Light's not working. If it is, the light checker isn't working correctly. I think there's a way to jumper around it and disable it, but if I had one doing that, I'd just pull the bulb. Seems like the easiest way to me.
 
Yep, Me too Jim. That checker is buried down behind the battery box if I'm not mistaken!
 
Your model has the simple 3 wire light checker. It monitors brake light operation only. I think it's normal for it to come on when you apply the brakes. It's supposed to also come on full time I think if the brake light filament burns out. If it bothers you, you can simply unplug the light checker. Yes, it is mounted behind the battery box but it's plug sits right on top of the battery box. Here's mine unplugged with an orange jumper wire fitted. The jumper is for my voltmeter install and not needed to disable the dash light .....

7e2Hqkb.jpg


The white "Head" idiot light is part of the reserve lighting unit circuit. Yes, that unit could be bad, or it might just be doing it's job. It automatically turns the high beam on, but with reduced voltage, if the low beam burns out. So, it may appear that both your beams are working but maybe they're not. You might want to test them by applying power to each filament right at the headlight bulb plug.
 

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