Continuing Headlight Issues

[bmweerman]

At the risk of being a PIA...here's the continuing story.

 

Lost the low-beam on the 1100 RT last week. Completely took switch apart and, thanks to the advice on the board, got it back together again and everything works...except the low-beam. Pulled out the bulb and it looks ok too...

 

I am scratching my head...any thoughts?

TIA

 

Cameron

[tomk99r11]

My hi beam would not work. I used contact cleaner, etc, and the switch worked, only to intermittently not work. Sometimes the hi beam flasher would work with the bike on the centerstand, sometimes not. Found the wire barely soldered to one of the contacts. Hard to resolder such a taut wire but I did and it worked for some time. Finally replaced the switch/harness assembly. Think a new one is around $85, maybe more now. FWIW.

[Stan Walker]

and it looks ok too...

 

Yes, but does it work? Looking isn't a very reliable way to "test" a bulb.

 

I would replace the bulb first. It's the easiest thing to do first, and even if it doesn't fix it, you should have a spare bulb anyway.

 

Stan

[bmwmick]

Cameron,

Did you look closely at the brass stationary contacts? When they get dirty, they get hot, when they get hot they receed into the plastic of the switch housing and make lousey contact, then they get hot......and over and over and over.

You can clean the tip of the brass contact and add a small dab of solder to make it last long enough till your replacement switch arrives. DAMHIKT You can also just remove the low beam wire (yellow?) from the contact post and solder it directly to the 12V line. At leas you will have a solid low beam.

 

Mick

[bmweerman]

Thanks everybody for the usual great info...it did indeed turn out to be the bulb...but Jeeeeez I had fun tracking down all those tiny little parts and reassembling them

 

Just FYI if you take that switch completely apart it will explode...there's like a bunch of pins and springs in there that go all over.

 

2 Recommendations were made to me...1) take it apart inside a shoebox 2) Take it apart inside a plastic bag.

 

Anyway thanks guys

Cameron

[bmweerman]

OH Man...almost forgot

 

Thanks Mick for the link to the switch article...never would have gotten it back together without those pix!!!

[bmwmick]

You're very welcome. Glad it helped. If we knew you were going to tear it apart, we'd have recommended the freezer bag or the dry cleaning bag for 'protetion'.

 

Mick