[-Tom-]

I don't know if I posted it, but this year service was a big one, rear shock change to Nitron, front fork rebuild, valves, and fixed the cracked nose cone fairing so while they were at it, they suggested it would be best to repaint all the fairings so that was done too.

Now I'm just sorting bits out before MOT and I noticed one annoying issue that I can't solve.

High beam doesn't work, the high beam relay doesn't click. Since the bike was off for the whole winter, I figured maybe the contacts or something were corroded, I opened both handlebar switches, took them apart, cleaned it with isoprop and contact cleaner, greased the sliding parts, assembled it together by the books, and since the windshield and speedo is currently off, I even sprayed a bit on the handlebar switch connector, just in case.

Now this happened few days ago so I might be mixing up the events but I believe that I tried to test the switches before cleaning them and the "passing" button that flashes the high beam worked but intermittently, sporadically, and then after I tried for few times it stopped working all together.

Then I went cleaning everything up, tested the continuity of the contacts in the switch and it all seems good. But what happens is as follows;

Main light switch (on the throttle side) - left position
Low beam - on
Position - on
High beam switch and flashing button don't work, and relay doesn't make any sounds (tried using another relay as well)

Main switch in the middle
Low beam - off
Position - on
High beam switch and flashing button dead

Main switch to the right
Low beam off
Position off
High beam switch does nothing
Flashing button pulses the LOW beam so I can flash it

I don't know if this is how it's supposed to work - I presume no. So how to I track this down and what might be causing this.

 

[fizzy]

When the starter button is pressed, the lights are momentarily turned off. If this switch/button is faulty you will have no end of trouble with the lights. Also, you may have the headlights connected backwards. The high beam is the lower one.
What year is it?

Edit, Are they standard bulbs or HID, LED?

 

[-Tom-]

I haven't turned the bike on yet, fuel tank is empty and kill switch is on so it doesn't prime when I test the lights.

I haven't mixed up the lights the top bulb is LOW BEAM that's what I meant so when I turn the lights off with the sliding switch on the throttle side, pressing the Passing button flashes the top bulb, aka low beam. Bulbs are LED and they worked normally before the "service" episode

BUT - I do have to say, I did notice, prior to taking the bike for service, after being dormant, parked in the garage for 3 months without any riding, the buttons were sticky. Could be dust and all. So that's how I took it to the service and now it's back and I'm trying to sort this quirk out.

Looking at this...

BU/W connects to the throttle-side light switch and the low beam bulb itself...so maybe flashing the low beam when everything's off is normal?

 

[leighb]

Are you sure the shop didn't switch the cables on the lights when the nose cone was off for repair and repaint?

The flasher should flash the high beam only. A least mine does. But in Australia we don't have a switch for lights on RHS ... low beam is permanently on.

 

[fizzy]

You say low beam, I say high beam?
Low beam is one that shoots light directly in front of the bike. High beam shoots light into the distance.


Note: your description of functionality does not jive with the wiring diagram. Maybe this is not the correct diagram?

Do this: Turn the lights on. Push starter button. Lights should go off, then come back on upon release. This is a test for starter button switch only.

 

[-Tom-]

Are you sure the shop didn't switch the cables on the lights when the nose cone was off for repair and repaint?

I've checked this, unplugged both bulb sockets, and tested only one socket with low beam switch being in left position, so that I'm sure it lights up the correct bulb, the one on top of the headlight.

Tomorrow I'll do more diagnostics.

 

[-Tom-]

Spent the entire afternoon tinkering around and here's the report;

• battery voltage 11.5V (bought it new last year, been in the bike for few months, bike's made 0.0001 miles since)
• tested the voltage on the H7 sockets
• low beam (main light) socket - 11.45V when the lights on, 1.6 when I slide the switch to off
• high beam socket - 0.8V when high beam switch is pushed, 1.6V when not

- headlight relay connector power pins - 11.4V when main light is on, 10.9V when the high beam switch is pushed (but the bulb is off)

- jumped the relay power pins with wire - high beam is on

• disconnected the main harness that splits "front part" of the bike with the relay/battery section and tested for continuity
• high beam wire from handlebar switch to harness connector pin - continuity
• headlight relay signal pin from relay connector to the harness - no continuity

Doused the entire connector with contact cleaner few times, plugged it back together......and now the PASSING switch clicks the relay, but the light doesn't come on. It only comes on if I jump the relay.


Question for the initiated ones - can I remove the top cowl / headlight without any other fairing removal? Currently the bike is without mirrors, windscreen and speedo...so can I remove the headlight cowl without taking apart the entire front of the bike?

 

[fizzy]

No, but why would you need to? Sounds like trouble with the relay. Exchange headlight relay with the other relay and see what happens.

Note, if you have the windshield and speedometer off then there is a fair amount of room to work. There is a multipin + some others behind the front cowl. Clean/inspect them all.

 

[-Tom-]

I had another round of testing today but I'm a bit confused, I'm trying to figure it out and watch a lot of youtube videos about diagnostics of this type but not having 100% solid fundamentals trip me over so....well here goes what I've found today. Battery today was 11.51V

First thing I tested was how much current the main (dipped) bulb gets, with multimeter neg probe on the battery neg terminal

10.7V

Don't know if this is good, bad, how much drop from 11.5V should there be...so then I went figuring out the situation on the left side handlebar switch, since the high beam / passing buttons there don't work properly. When I press the passing button I hear the click from the relay, but no light. The "high beam" switch doesn't even click the relay and also no light, of course. Bulb itself is a good one, I know it works.

So I tested few scenarios on the connector terminals of the high beam relay, with multimeter neg probe on the neg battery terminal. Here's a colored schematic if anyone wants to follow along

High beam switch in "dipped / low beam" position;

Coil side

• G (ground) - 0.027V
• Bu (blue) - 1.09V

Power side

• Bl/R (black red wire from the fusebox, headlight fuse) - 10.62V
• Bu/Bl (blue-black wire that goes to the high beam bulb socket) - 0.55V and slowly dropping down

***

High beam switch pressed, active position;

Coil side

• G (ground) - 0.027V
• Bu (blue) - 10.42V

Power side

• Bl/R (black red wire from the fusebox, headlight fuse) - 10.62V
• Bu/Bl (blue-black wire that goes to the high beam bulb socket) - 0.75V and slowly dropping down

So...I guess the blue-black wire is a problem? Looking at the schematic, that wire goes from the power pin on the relay to the high beam socket and the high beam LED indicator on the speedo. That's it. So how can that wire go wrong, where do I look?

I unplugged the main harness connector and tested for continuity, turned out ok. So where else should I look, what could be the issue here?

 

[fizzy]

I was wrong to say that your starter switch interrupts the lights. Based on above diagram they do not.

Your battery needs charging but is ok to test the lights, however, LED bulbs may require full 12v. Recommend you perform tests with the original incandescent bulbs or a fully charged battery.

You may have a ground problem. Ground wires (mostly) go thru main connectors, thru the "problem" junction box aka loom fix and then to ground.
Make sure the ground wires are good where they connect to the chassis, clearly visible when you lift the tank.
Simple test: Temporarily add a ground wire to the green wire at the headlight connector

 

[-Tom-]

Temporarily add a ground wire to the green wire at the headlight connector

This is what separates a blind monkey (me) and someone with experience. Didn't think of this!! Will try this first thing tomorrow. And I'll get the regular bulbs before the trickle charger arrives.

 

[-Tom-]

One thing I forgot about the way lights work on the Bird - can someone tell me if all the lights on the bike are off, throttle-side switch on the right, no position light or anything - does the Passing button work on the high beam?

Because, if I'm interpreting the schematic right....if all lights on the bike are turned off, the Passing switch should flash the dipped (low beam) light in this scenario, if someone can test it on the bike do let me know

 

[Birds' Harbour]

One thing I forgot about the way lights work on the Bird - can someone tell me if all the lights on the bike are off, throttle-side switch on the right, no position light or anything - does the Passing button work on the high beam?

Hi, Tom
Seems struggling tough...

Passing button is independent. It always works everytime you pull the trigger, regardless of the light switch position(; Right, Center, Left).
Of course it's the talking after turning on the main key switch though

 

[-Tom-]

I just revisited the schematic - you're indeed correct, I made a blunder. I'm trying to get a better overview of the situation so I sketched out only the bulb side of the schematic

PASSING pushbutton does click the relay, HIGH BEAM switch doesn't. So that should mean that the W/G and Bu wires are good since they make a circuit and trigger the coil in the relay.

So the Bu wire that goes to the relay is fine I guess? However, High Beam switch does not click the relay though, so that would mean the Bu/W wire is problematic?

One thing I have to double check if it happens but I'm 99% it does - with all lights on the bike OFF, pressing the PASSING button flashes the LOW (dipped) beam.

 

[-Tom-]

Back from the underground, with a fresh batch of confusing results.

Battery today was 11.24V haha, just getting worse, but I did test a lot yesterday and had the headlight on so...maybe that was it.

• Bu/W wire tested at the connector in the nose cowl (9 pin one), 10.38V comes thru it when the main light switch is on
• jumped the Bu/W with Bu and W/G with Bu pins in the dashboard connector (9 pin) to check if I can click the relay from there - relay clicks
• connected it back together and now both PASSING and HIGH BEAM switches click the relay
• still no high beam

Checked if the Bu/Bl wire is good - jumped the Bu/Bl pin in the relay connector with probe from battery positive terminal and the high beam turned on.

 

[fizzy]

Maybe you need a bigger hammer?

 

[Para045]

I Thor one recently that may work 😝

 

[-Tom-]

New battery in today, 12.5V - but I just did a quick test since I didn't have much time.

Bottom line;

• Passing button flashes the LOW BEAM bulb
• headlight relay clicks when Passing button is pressed
• headlight relay doesn't click when left handlebar switch "Low / High beam" button is pressed

So I figured to check the Bu/Bl wire, which is the power wire that should get the power when the headlight relay gets switched. I tested for continuity.

• from Bu/Bl relay connector pin to high beam socket - no continuity
• from Bu/Bl relay connector pin its male harness pin - continuity
• from Bu/Bl female harness pin to high beam socket - continuity

I don't get it.

 

[fizzy]

Presumably you have a voltmeter with a continuity setting, giving a beep or a light and the tester has thin spiked probes.
Connect all of the connectors in this circuit shown. Test for continuity by using the spike to touch the back of each connector in situ to isolate the break.
Also, you may have a broken wire, broken under the covering.

 

[-Tom-]

You're right, I have to test between connectors while they're connected, and probe them with some thin needle to reach the contacts if possible, I'll look around for some thin wire or needle to do it.

Also for the first time in a long long time I fired up the bike, works normal, started up immidiately as if it ran a minute ago, idles steadily, revs normally, fan comes on at 100'C as its supposed to...so at least that seems to be ok.

But I need to sort out this wire, it's driving me mad.