headlight or switch, or wiring??

[squid]

well, went for a nice ride tonite, bit chilly but i survived lol,,but here is the deal,, first time i really rode in the dark, so no clue how long this has been goin on and its a real pain on country roads,,,
intermitently the low beam will go out, sometimes for 2 or 3 seconds, and sometimes for a minute or 2, high beam is fine, no problems there,, sometimes if i switch from low to high and back the low beam comes back,,
though maybe a headlight filiment, so i wacked the crap out of it,,,wont go out,,so i think the headlight is alright, but its dark out,,,i froze on the way back and  i dont have my manual, lol,,, but before i go tearing my hair out,,,anything common i should look at first?

[Sable]

There are a couple of things you can check, my first thought is to check for ground at the headlight plug, also, check the starter button. If you notice, when you press this button, it transfers power from the head light and puts it towards the starter to start the bike. Sometimes (happened 2 times to me), the spring in the switch gets worn out and there is no contact made at the switch. I am sure others will have better ideas, but this is the best I can come up with at the moment.  ;D

~Sable

[Lucky]

I've had bulbs do that to me too

[YellowJacket!]

Squid,

I have the same problem.  I traced it back to the start button.  When you press the start button, the headlight is momentarily turned off so the starter can get enough juice.  Over time, the copper plate in the button wears out and eventually loses contact.  I found at first if I jiggle the button while I'm riding the light comes back on.  However, recently that stopped working too.  My choice was to either replace the control pod on the right side bar or hardwire a switch.  Since I want to keep my bike as original as possible, I opted to replace the control pod.  Im sure that I could have soldered something on the contact plate but I was lazy and opted to replace it instead.

David

[squid]

thanks all,,,tomorrow i am going to check the connections at the headlight to start,,its easiet i think,,,but the starter button makes alot of sence,,,more i think about it, it usually acts up most on acceleration or when the front suspension get loaded and unloaded,, now how hard is it to disassemble that switch? or is it a part that is still readily available?

[Lucky]

pull the 2 screws off behind the assembly & your there.  lube the throttle cable while your there.

--Lucky

[squid]

well i think i got it lol,,,didnt have time to play today, but went for a ride anyway, so it got dark again,,but this time the low beam went out for good,,,so i know what is wrong now lol,,,,i wonder what people were calling me on the way home tonite,,,,rode 125kms with my high beams on lol,,,