`Cause it happens often; check that you haven't accidentally swapped some dark green and black wire connectors in the headlight bucket.
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Flat battery bike died
- Thread starter motorbikerx
- Start date
For those thinking of removing the RLU - A quick way to make a jumper is to take a female spade connector and expand it slightly with longnose pliers, trim off the crimp end, put some heat shrink over the connector and it will securely bridge the two pins on the RLU harness socket.
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
Why doesnt my bike respond to removal of the RLU ?
Must be something to do with the non hard-wiring of the headlights wouldnt you think?
Ill check that I didnt earth the little park globe in the H4 into a dark green but it looked black and it earthed the parklight cos it works.
Must be something to do with the non hard-wiring of the headlights wouldnt you think?
Ill check that I didnt earth the little park globe in the H4 into a dark green but it looked black and it earthed the parklight cos it works.
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
wish Id seen this earlier wouldve saved sipping twitching untwitching , reverting back to stock wiring to get my weak headlight back, and resoldering my reconnections, well I did jump straight in with my conception of a jumper wire being snip and join together.
Dont seem to work on my Aussie '79 Special....anyway Im off for a ride
Ill try to suss it all out later....wonders if any Aussies on here have had a similar problem
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
Ok got a fresh can of electrical contact cleaner and liberally sprayed inside both switchblock whilst working the switches. Then let dry.
Reassembled and now my blinkers work and the headlight though not brilliant is working ok and the warning lights on the dash are out except the bottom one which comes on with the high beam though the actual blue light in the tach doesnt come on for high beam.
Time to go for a ride, rains stopped, suns out
Reassembled and now my blinkers work and the headlight though not brilliant is working ok and the warning lights on the dash are out except the bottom one which comes on with the high beam though the actual blue light in the tach doesnt come on for high beam.
Time to go for a ride, rains stopped, suns out
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
Ok Im winning now...sort of...
Pulled lh switchblock apart and found a wire had come unsoldered on the blinker thinggy.
Much fiddling and cleaning and I had it ready to solder got a blob on my solderjng iron and stuck it to where I wanted the wire to go and then stuck a blob on the wire...then with my tongue held in just the right position and holding the switchblock part and the wire with my soon to be hot finger I brought in my soldering iron and touched it on the two parts and felt the heat but toughed it out long enough for the solder to cool and grip....phew!
Then I carefully reassembled all the fiddly bits and small screws.
Then gave everything a light spray of wd40 and reassembled.
As for the weak headlight looking at the wires and the wiring diagram I deduced the wires in the plug that goes into the headlight globe were in the wrong slots so I disengaged them and switched em around then put it all together too.
Test ride again and nice good s spread on low beam and good penetration and spread on high, this is my new H4 remember.
Sweet!....only one thing the hi lo switch was now in reverse push forward to dip and pull back foor high....fair enough I think I can live with that.
So Im roaring out the valleys winding tree lined road reveling in my new headlight beams
)
Switching from lo to hi and back a few times and then suddenly the hi lo switch breaks off and is in my hand!
What next!???
Ok so to stop I gotta pull the clutch in so with my left fingers I stick the switch part in my mouth so I can stop the bike without stalling.
Once stopped and in neutral I slip the broken bit into the top left pocket in my Schott Perfecto and turn the bike and head back home.
Just pulled it apart again and gonna try some JB Weld on it and leave it overnight and next day before trying it tomorrow night...
Oh yeah my blinkers work fine now too!
Getting there
Pulled lh switchblock apart and found a wire had come unsoldered on the blinker thinggy.
Much fiddling and cleaning and I had it ready to solder got a blob on my solderjng iron and stuck it to where I wanted the wire to go and then stuck a blob on the wire...then with my tongue held in just the right position and holding the switchblock part and the wire with my soon to be hot finger I brought in my soldering iron and touched it on the two parts and felt the heat but toughed it out long enough for the solder to cool and grip....phew!
Then I carefully reassembled all the fiddly bits and small screws.
Then gave everything a light spray of wd40 and reassembled.
As for the weak headlight looking at the wires and the wiring diagram I deduced the wires in the plug that goes into the headlight globe were in the wrong slots so I disengaged them and switched em around then put it all together too.
Test ride again and nice good s spread on low beam and good penetration and spread on high, this is my new H4 remember.
Sweet!....only one thing the hi lo switch was now in reverse push forward to dip and pull back foor high....fair enough I think I can live with that.
So Im roaring out the valleys winding tree lined road reveling in my new headlight beams
)Switching from lo to hi and back a few times and then suddenly the hi lo switch breaks off and is in my hand!
What next!???
Ok so to stop I gotta pull the clutch in so with my left fingers I stick the switch part in my mouth so I can stop the bike without stalling.
Once stopped and in neutral I slip the broken bit into the top left pocket in my Schott Perfecto and turn the bike and head back home.
Just pulled it apart again and gonna try some JB Weld on it and leave it overnight and next day before trying it tomorrow night...
Oh yeah my blinkers work fine now too!
Getting there
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
Fingers crossed!
Hope the JB Weld holds. Them damn switches ain't cheap.
You should lube the moving parts in that switch when you assemble it, and don't use WD40. It's mostly a cleaner and there have been reports lately that when it dries, it leaves behind a sticky residue. That may be what happened to yours and caused it to break. I use a couple different kinds of greases when I renovate a switch. The electrical contacts get lightly coated with silicone dielectric grease. The moving plastic or plastic to metal parts get white lithium grease. Metal moving parts get a normal grease .....
motorbikerx if the dip switch and the high beam indicator are backwards you need one more round of moving wires in the headlight plug.
Meddy
XS650 Addict
The exact same thing happened on my switch when I first started up the bike last month, I reckon the plastic they used for them is giving up with age and fatigue, be interesting to see how your repair goes Mbx.
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
motorbikerx if the dip switch and the high beam indicator are backwards you need one more round of moving wires in the headlight plug.
Only other wire in there is the earth so you must mean to move them back where they were before.
Ill attempt to answer everyone witbout multi quote cos I dont know how to do it .
Firstly is that little part that broke available on its own?
Jim says they aint cheap , I gather he must be taking a whole NOS or aftermarket switch?
How much is not cheap?
Anyway the JB Weld could hold as it has when I checked the oil pickup.
Yeah its not a moving part I know .
And yeah I knew I shouldnt have used WD40 but I did.
Ok gotta go puck up the Camry and fit engine mount , rack boot, tailight and other stuff to try earn some money.
Bikes gotta wait for now, let JB set harder before stressing it out.
Thanks
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
The above was written hours ago but didnt send .
Itd now 11.37 and Im gonna try reversing the headlight plug fittings again and the go hunting the lunar eclipse.
Cloudy here but I might get lucky
Itd now 11.37 and Im gonna try reversing the headlight plug fittings again and the go hunting the lunar eclipse.
Cloudy here but I might get lucky
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
12.24am cloudy and rain... but
My headlights working okay
Reversed the plug sockets back.
Sprayed contact cleaner in all the earth connections and I reckon its earthing better.
And the switch is holding.
Lubed with di electric grease.
My headlights working okay
Reversed the plug sockets back.
Sprayed contact cleaner in all the earth connections and I reckon its earthing better.
And the switch is holding.
Lubed with di electric grease.
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
ok after reporting to Jim that my charging systems great and it still is...my headlights gone dull again.
I think its an earth problem, how are things really expected to earth through the headlight shell?
thinking of running a seperate earth from the earth points inside the shell to the frame of the bike.
What say the experts?
Also we've discovered the RLU bypass dont work on my model
I think its an earth problem, how are things really expected to earth through the headlight shell?
thinking of running a seperate earth from the earth points inside the shell to the frame of the bike.
What say the experts?
Also we've discovered the RLU bypass dont work on my model
I think it's impossible to have too many earths. The more the merrier...
I'm addin' extra grounds (earths) to mine as we speak.
Chris,
does your bike have the Reserve Lighting Unit?
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
It does have an RLU yes..and you mustve replied before my edit came through I think
motorbikerx
XS650 Addict
Now I notice on your build thread theres no earth wires inside your headlight shell going to the back of your blinker stalks, was gonna comment but didnt wanna clutter your thread with my stuff
Feel free to "clutter" Chris. I run a pretty loose ship on my thread.
The stalks are just finger tight. I'm basically makin' a "ground harness" where everything will get grounded. Just haven't finished it yet...Similar threads
