Low beam not working-1996 R1100RT

[WaywardSon]

I have yet to make any sense out of the search function here, and for that I apologise...the question:

 

Jumped on the bike tonight to run an errand, and had no low beam on the headlight. High beam works fine. Both worked fine last night.

 

From the looks of the manual (Haynes),this is a single bulb...correct? Any recommendations for a replacement?

 

Looks like a simple job, but any tips or hints are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[EffBee]

Your bike takes an H4 Halogen bulb, available at your BMW dealer or at virtually any auto parts store in the land. H4 bulbs are dual-filament, thus both high and low from the same bulb.

 

Changing it is not hard, although the space is a bit tight. Just be sure not to touch the glass part of the bulb with your hand/fingers as that can leave trace elements of body oils which will create a hot spot and cause the bulb to crack. If you do touch it, clean it with alcohol and start over.

 

Chaning the bulb should take you about 10 minutes the first time you do it, and about 3 minutes every time after that.

[WaywardSon]

Thanks...checked it out with a flashlight last night & it certainly looks like the trick will be getting my hand in there to get to the bulb. It IS pretty tight. After pulling back the dust cover I couldn't see well enough to figure out how the clips come off to get the bulb out, but I am sure that will be evident in the light of day.

 

The only bulb I was able to turn up on the phone last night was the 60/55 watt bulb which I think is stock on the bike. I don't know yet what is in mine, but I do know that higher wattage bulbs are available. Any comments on whether or not they are much benefit? I would doubt that I still have the original bulb, but have always felt that the lights were pretty good.

 

Thanks...........John

[WaywardSon]

A little light of day was all it took...putting my glasses on didn't hurt either

 

Went to NAPA & picked up the 100/80 watt bulb for a little over $10.00...looking forward to seeing how much of an improvement that makes.

[bmwmick]

A little light of day was all it took...putting my glasses on didn't hurt either

 

Went to NAPA & picked up the 100/80 watt bulb for a little over $10.00...looking forward to seeing how much of an improvement that makes.

 

One suggestion, install headlamp relays if you are going to run that 100W lamp. It WILL eventually destroy your Hi/Lo switch. Jim Davis makes a nice kit http://easternbeaver.com/ or you can make one yourself.

 

Mick

[Parrothead]

I second what mick says, I have a 96 also and used the 80/100 and cooked my wiring harness...........I no longer use that bulb!

[WaywardSon]

NOW you tell me Looks like the easiest thing to do is just go back to the standard bulb. I'm not interested in cooking any wiring or switches...and like I said earlier, the stock setup is pretty good.

 

Thanks for all the comments.

[bmwmick]

NOW you tell me Looks like the easiest thing to do is just go back to the standard bulb. I'm not interested in cooking any wiring or switches...and like I said earlier, the stock setup is pretty good.

 

Thanks for all the comments.

 

 

You will be amazed at how much more light output you will get with relays installed.

 

Mick

[Tipover_Bob]

My K75C had a rear tail light that was extra bright. It burnt out (melted) the reflector. I replaced the whole assembly and made sure to put a standard bulb in it.

 

Later I put a relay kit in for the front headlight. It appeared to make the headlight significantly brighter. I later added fog lights to the relay and they worked fine too. Check with easternbeaver.com. Their relay kits were very nice.

Tipover Bob

[BUSTED]

I've been running 100/80 H4's for 12 years in my RT's. Never had a problem.

[milesandmiles]

My RT lowbeam recently went out as well. Turned out to be the lowbeam switch. Highbeam still worked fine though. I spent $$ at the dealer for a new sw assy then found used ones on ebay for a lot less. It's probably better to have gotten a new one though, that's what I tell myself.

[WaywardSon]

Will have to wait until tonight to run mine and see what difference the 100/80 bulb makes. If it is not dramatic, I will probably go back to the stock bulb rather than spend another $50 on relays.

 

Again, thank you all for your comments.

[smiller]

I've been running 100/80 H4's for 12 years in my RT's. Never had a problem.

Same here, 11 years, 90k miles, no problems. Not contesting anything else said in the thread, just reporting my experience.

[wolcott]

WayWardson: You can get a $20 H4 like a Sylvania Silverstar of factory wattage at Autozone, I know. Other auto part stores will stock it. I installed just a stock Silverstar along with the eastern beaver relay harness and I could not belive the difference at first. If you are going to keep the bike, it's worth it to put the relay harness on your bike.

[Mark K]

WayWardson: You can get a $20 H4 like a Sylvania Silverstar of factory wattage at Autozone, I know. Other auto part stores will stock it. I installed just a stock Silverstar along with the eastern beaver relay harness and I could not belive the difference at first. If you are going to keep the bike, it's worth it to put the relay harness on your bike.

 

 

I agree. I didn't use a Silverstar, but it was not just a different level of brightness, but a different color of light as well. Huge difference!

[WaywardSon]

Rode for a bit tonight to check it out, no question that it is an improvement over the stock bulb.

 

If I understand correctly, some of you are saying that a relay kit will further improve matters and allow me to get more light out of the same bulb??

[Boffin]

Rode for a bit tonight to check it out, no question that it is an improvement over the stock bulb.

 

If I understand correctly, some of you are saying that a relay kit will further improve matters and allow me to get more light out of the same bulb??

 

You surely can, because the stock wiring is too thin - it is just barely capable of running the stock bulbs. This also applies to the 1150.

 

For a bit more detail, I have stolen the data below from Ebbo's web-site (Sorry Ebbo!)

Testing:

 

Below are some voltage reading taken directly from the bulb terminals of my R1100RT, battery voltage with the engine running was 13.86v

 

 

 

55/60w bulb without relays: 12.5/12.3v

 

55/60w bulb with relays: 13.6/13.4v

 

 

 

80/100 bulb without relays: 12.4/12.0v

 

80/100 bulb with relays: 13.5/13.3v

 

 

 

As you can see from the figures above, using relays and heavier than stock wiring can increase the voltage to the bulb by between 1 and 1.3v. That doesn't sound very much, but it makes a big difference to the light output because at 12.82v the light output of a Halogen bulb drops by more than 15%; at 12.1v it drops by a third!

 

 

For the full story look at Ebbo's relay page.

 

Whilst there, take a look round - Ebbo has loads of good info for RT owners.

 

Andy

[WaywardSon]

It would be difficult to find someone less knowledgeble or adept at things electrical than myself. I did have another look around at Eastern Beaver though, and the guy certainly has a lot of interesting stuff. I will have to have something to do this winter...may have to add an electrical upgrade to my list of projects. Anything is better than wallpapering