Headlight issues [Archive] - Kiwi Biker forums

2nd2last1

13th December 2009, 22:21

Ok I came off my bike a few weeks ago and smashed my headlight. Have now replaced the healight and have tried to hook everything up the way it was but the light wont bloody go. The light still worked after the accident as it was just the surround that was damaged. Now that i've replaced the headlight the bloody thing wont fire up and because of that new law with the light thing means my bike is unrideable till I get it fixed. I'm truely stumped as all I did was disconnect the old headlight and insert the new one and now neither of em go!
My bike is a Zuki GS500e

Cheers guys!

paddy

13th December 2009, 22:55

I'm not familiar with your specific bike, but probably the best place to start would be to determine if there is power reaching the connector that you plug onto the back of the bulb (I presume it's not a HID). Do you have a multimeter or automotive test light?

If you don't, you might like to have a hunt around and see if there is a separate fuse for the headlight. Fuses are easy to visually inspect. Does the tail light work? You might also have a look for any relays and give them a bit of a tap. Perhaps wiggle various parts of the wiring loom to see if it has any effect. Also, are you sure the bulb works?

It will be much quicker to narrow down with a multimeter. Go grab a cheap $20 one from a hardware store/The Warehouse if you don't have one.

hayd3n

13th December 2009, 23:04

are you certain the bulb is inserted in the correct way + have you tested the bulb?

CookMySock

14th December 2009, 05:19

Most likely the bulb is rewted, but yeah follow others' suggestions and check the fuses and then trace the fault (lack of power) back from the bulb connector.

It's much quicker and easier to use a test lamp than a multimeter.

Build one ;
http://www.electronics-tutorials.com/test-equip/led-test-lamp.htm

Or Buy one ;
http://www.sulco.co.nz/Product?Action=View&Product_id=1167

You might think it is better value for money buying the multimeter, since it has many more functions for the same price, but reality is more like the multimeter is very inconvenient to use in comparison to a simple circuit tester, and you will get pissed off with it pretty quickly. The multimeter is also a high-impedance device, leading to all sorts of misunderstandings in automotive circuits.

Steve

YellowDog

14th December 2009, 05:26

Yep, lights are easy 'cos they shine bright when you get the power to them.

It can only be:

1. Fuse
2. Cable
3. Bulb
4. Switch

I'd start by running a cable from the battery to the bulb to see if it lights up your life.

Good luck.

2nd2last1

14th December 2009, 11:08

ok thanks guys. Yip I'm sure the bulb has life as it was going before I disconnected it. Now it wont go at all. Yes it is hooked up right becuse I hooked it up exactly how I disonnected it. Yip all other lights are fine, indicators, dash light, tail light just the headlight wont go. Okay, my old mans got a multimeter so ill go for a ride to visit him and see whats the deal. Where are the fuse boxes usually located? I cant see it anywhere? is it hidden under the tank or something?

YellowDog

14th December 2009, 11:24

Fuse board is usually easy to find under the seat (to keep dry) and close to the battery.

paddy

14th December 2009, 17:57

. . .Yip I'm sure the bulb has life as it was going before I disconnected it. Now it wont go at all. . .

Don't let that lead you up the garden path. It is still quite possible that the bulb has blown. After all, it has to blow at some point. Why not now. :-)

Don't touch the envelope of the bulb (the glass bit). The oils on your skin will damage the quartz and dramatically shorten the life of the bulb.

CookMySock

14th December 2009, 18:28

Often when a bulb is knocked hard that will eff it.

Steve

2nd2last1

15th December 2009, 09:52

true true.... Whats the easiest way to test the bulb then?

breakaway

15th December 2009, 13:03

Visually inspect the element in the bulb - are they intact?

kwaka_crasher

15th December 2009, 15:28

Bulbs may appear intact but actually be faulty.

You're not going to be able to actually check anything without at least SOME gear. Either get a test light or a multimeter - I'd go for the latter - they start at $11.90 at Jaycar (http://tinyurl.com/ydusxcu).

Buy or borrow. They're not expensive. If you think you'll never use them again I'm not sure why you're even here asking. Just take the bike to someone.

2nd2last1

15th December 2009, 23:59

Buy or borrow. They're not expensive. If you think you'll never use them again I'm not sure why you're even here asking. Just take the bike to someone.

My old mans got one but just gotta go for a ride to visit him so will do that on Friday.
I'm asking on here because I'm trying to do it myself to save a few bucks coz bike shops charge the earth and I just a poor part timer just outta school! lol

CookMySock

16th December 2009, 05:28

Just get the test light or meter, and rip in to it. It's easy, fun, and rewarding. Once you get going with your tester, ask here if you have problems, or google some basic electrical circuit stuff.

But really, all you do is clip one end of the tester to a shiney part of the bike frame, test the tip to the battery positive (always test a tester before you start using it) and then turn the lights on and start tracing back from the headlight unit.

Steve

hayd3n

16th December 2009, 06:40

true true.... Whats the easiest way to test the bulb then?

2 wires one on each side of the bulb to the battery
test high and low beams
also check to see if your your switchblock its set to on

FROSTY

20th December 2009, 16:32

Um the light cutout solenoid isn't buggered is it?

jimichelle

20th December 2009, 20:47

wonder why?

gammaguy

20th December 2009, 22:06

no one has mentioned the earth wonder why?

Earth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the planet. For other uses, see Earth (disambiguation).
This article is semi-protected indefinitely in response to an ongoing high risk of vandalism.
Earth Astronomical symbol of Earth A color image of Earth, as seen from Apollo 17
Famous "Blue Marble" photograph of Earth, taken from Apollo 17
Designations
Pronunciation /ˈɜrθ/ ( listen)[1]
Adjective earthly, tellurian, telluric, terran, terrestrial.
Orbital characteristics
Epoch J2000.0[note 1]
Aphelion 152,097,701 km
1.0167103335 AU
Perihelion 147,098,074 km
0.9832898912 AU
Semi-major axis 149,597,887.5 km
1.0000001124 AU
Eccentricity 0.016710219
Orbital period 365.256366 days
1.0000175 yr
Average orbital speed 29.783 km/s
107,218 km/h
Inclination 1.57869°[2]
to Invariable plane
Longitude of ascending node 348.73936°
Argument of perihelion 114.20783°
Satellites 1 (the Moon)
Physical characteristics
Mean radius 6,371.0 km[3]
Equatorial radius 6,378.1 km[4]
Polar radius 6,356.8 km[5]
Flattening 0.0033528[4]
Circumference 40,075.02 km (equatorial)
40,007.86 km (meridional)
40,041.47 km (mean)
Surface area 510,072,000 km²[6][7][note 2]

148,940,000 km² land (29.2 %)
361,132,000 km² water (70.8 %)
Volume 1.0832073 × 1012 km3
Mass 5.9736 × 1024 kg[8]
Mean density 5.5153 g/cm3
Equatorial surface gravity 9.780327 m/s²[9]
0.99732 g
Escape velocity 11.186 km/s
Sidereal rotation
period 0.99726968 d[10]
23h 56m 4.100s
Equatorial rotation velocity 1,674.4 km/h (465.1 m/s)
Axial tilt 23.439281°
Albedo 0.367[8]
Surface temp.
Kelvin
Celsius
min mean max
184 K 287 K 331 K
−89 °C 14 °C 57.7 °C
Atmosphere
Surface pressure 101.3 kPa (MSL)
Composition 78.08% Nitrogen (N2)
20.95% Oxygen (O2)
0.93% Argon
0.038% Carbon dioxide
About 1% water vapor (varies with climate)[8]

Earth (or the Earth) is the third planet from the Sun, and the fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest, most massive, and densest of the Solar System's four terrestrial (or rocky) planets. It is sometimes referred to as the World, the Blue Planet,[note 3] or Terra.[note 4]

Home to millions of species,[11] including humans, Earth is the only place in the universe where life is known to exist. The planet formed 4.54 billion years ago,[12] and life appeared on its surface within a billion years. Since then, Earth's biosphere has significantly altered the atmosphere and other abiotic conditions on the planet, enabling the proliferation of aerobic organisms as well as the formation of the ozone layer which, together with Earth's magnetic field, blocks harmful radiation, permitting life on land.[13] The physical properties of the Earth, as well as its geological history and orbit, allowed life to persist during this period. The world is expected to continue supporting life for another 1.5 billion years, after which the rising luminosity of the Sun will eliminate the biosphere.[14]

Earth's outer surface is divided into several rigid segments, or tectonic plates, that gradually migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years. About 71% of the surface is covered with salt-water oceans, the remainder consisting of continents and islands; liquid water, necessary for all known life, is not known to exist on any other planet's surface.[note 5][note 6] Earth's interior remains active, with a thick layer of relatively solid mantle, a liquid outer core that generates a magnetic field, and a solid iron inner core.

Earth interacts with other objects in outer space, including the Sun and the Moon. At present, Earth orbits the Sun once for every roughly 366.26 times it rotates about its axis. This length of time is a sidereal year, which is equal to 365.26 solar days.[note 7] The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.4° away from the perpendicular to its orbital plane,[15] producing seasonal variations on the planet's surface with a period of one tropical year (365.24 solar days). Earth's only known natural satellite, the Moon, which began orbiting it about 4.53 billion years ago, provides ocean tides, stabilizes the axial tilt and gradually slows the planet's rotation. Between approximately 4.1 and 3.8 billion years ago, asteroid impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment caused significant changes to the surface environment.

Both the mineral resources of the planet, as well as the products of the biosphere, contribute resources that are used to support a global human population. The inhabitants are grouped into about 200 independent sovereign states, which interact through diplomacy, travel, trade and military action. Human cultures have developed many views of the planet, including personification as a deity, a belief in a flat Earth or in Earth being the center of the universe, and a modern perspective of the world as an integrated environment that requires stewardship.

ok now?:rockon:

2nd2last1

21st December 2009, 02:12

Earth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the planet. For other uses, see Earth (disambiguation).
This article is semi-protected indefinitely in response to an ongoing high risk of vandalism.
Earth Astronomical symbol of Earth A color image of Earth, as seen from Apollo 17
Famous "Blue Marble" photograph of Earth, taken from Apollo 17
Designations
Pronunciation /ˈɜrθ/ ( listen)[1]
Adjective earthly, tellurian, telluric, terran, terrestrial.
Orbital characteristics
Epoch J2000.0[note 1]
Aphelion 152,097,701 km
1.0167103335 AU
Perihelion 147,098,074 km
0.9832898912 AU
Semi-major axis 149,597,887.5 km
1.0000001124 AU
Eccentricity 0.016710219
Orbital period 365.256366 days
1.0000175 yr
Average orbital speed 29.783 km/s
107,218 km/h
Inclination 1.57869°[2]
to Invariable plane
Longitude of ascending node 348.73936°
Argument of perihelion 114.20783°
Satellites 1 (the Moon)
Physical characteristics
Mean radius 6,371.0 km[3]
Equatorial radius 6,378.1 km[4]
Polar radius 6,356.8 km[5]
Flattening 0.0033528[4]
Circumference 40,075.02 km (equatorial)
40,007.86 km (meridional)
40,041.47 km (mean)
Surface area 510,072,000 km²[6][7][note 2]

148,940,000 km² land (29.2 %)
361,132,000 km² water (70.8 %)
Volume 1.0832073 × 1012 km3
Mass 5.9736 × 1024 kg[8]
Mean density 5.5153 g/cm3
Equatorial surface gravity 9.780327 m/s²[9]
0.99732 g
Escape velocity 11.186 km/s
Sidereal rotation
period 0.99726968 d[10]
23h 56m 4.100s
Equatorial rotation velocity 1,674.4 km/h (465.1 m/s)
Axial tilt 23.439281°
Albedo 0.367[8]
Surface temp.
Kelvin
Celsius
min mean max
184 K 287 K 331 K
−89 °C 14 °C 57.7 °C
Atmosphere
Surface pressure 101.3 kPa (MSL)
Composition 78.08% Nitrogen (N2)
20.95% Oxygen (O2)
0.93% Argon
0.038% Carbon dioxide
About 1% water vapor (varies with climate)[8]

Earth (or the Earth) is the third planet from the Sun, and the fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest, most massive, and densest of the Solar System's four terrestrial (or rocky) planets. It is sometimes referred to as the World, the Blue Planet,[note 3] or Terra.[note 4]

Home to millions of species,[11] including humans, Earth is the only place in the universe where life is known to exist. The planet formed 4.54 billion years ago,[12] and life appeared on its surface within a billion years. Since then, Earth's biosphere has significantly altered the atmosphere and other abiotic conditions on the planet, enabling the proliferation of aerobic organisms as well as the formation of the ozone layer which, together with Earth's magnetic field, blocks harmful radiation, permitting life on land.[13] The physical properties of the Earth, as well as its geological history and orbit, allowed life to persist during this period. The world is expected to continue supporting life for another 1.5 billion years, after which the rising luminosity of the Sun will eliminate the biosphere.[14]

Earth's outer surface is divided into several rigid segments, or tectonic plates, that gradually migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years. About 71% of the surface is covered with salt-water oceans, the remainder consisting of continents and islands; liquid water, necessary for all known life, is not known to exist on any other planet's surface.[note 5][note 6] Earth's interior remains active, with a thick layer of relatively solid mantle, a liquid outer core that generates a magnetic field, and a solid iron inner core.

Earth interacts with other objects in outer space, including the Sun and the Moon. At present, Earth orbits the Sun once for every roughly 366.26 times it rotates about its axis. This length of time is a sidereal year, which is equal to 365.26 solar days.[note 7] The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.4° away from the perpendicular to its orbital plane,[15] producing seasonal variations on the planet's surface with a period of one tropical year (365.24 solar days). Earth's only known natural satellite, the Moon, which began orbiting it about 4.53 billion years ago, provides ocean tides, stabilizes the axial tilt and gradually slows the planet's rotation. Between approximately 4.1 and 3.8 billion years ago, asteroid impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment caused significant changes to the surface environment.

Both the mineral resources of the planet, as well as the products of the biosphere, contribute resources that are used to support a global human population. The inhabitants are grouped into about 200 independent sovereign states, which interact through diplomacy, travel, trade and military action. Human cultures have developed many views of the planet, including personification as a deity, a belief in a flat Earth or in Earth being the center of the universe, and a modern perspective of the world as an integrated environment that requires stewardship.

ok now?:rockon:

:gob:hrrmmm... and how the fuck do I hook that up to my light???

2nd2last1

26th December 2009, 21:06

FROSTY

27th December 2009, 15:12

p.dath

27th December 2009, 15:32

Merry Christmas Guys!!!

ok so I got my headlight working... FINALLY!!! turns out the was a wire i must of accidentally cut while hooking my light up. So I put it all together and tested it one last time before I put it all together but then everything stopped working as I put the wires back on the headlight... arrrghhh... what next??? anyone got any ideas??? I reckon its a fuse but have no idea where the fuse box is. It aint under the seat.. ya reckon its under the tank???

I'm not quite sure what your asking. Are you saying you fixed the problem, or you fixed the cut wire and now there is a new problem because "everything stopped working"? What is "everything"?

What actually is not working, specifically? e,g. You turn on the ignition key, head light turns on, you press the starter button, hear it turn over, but the engine fails to start.

2nd2last1

28th December 2009, 11:38

I'm not quite sure what your asking. Are you saying you fixed the problem, or you fixed the cut wire and now there is a new problem because "everything stopped working"? What is "everything"?

What actually is not working, specifically? e,g. You turn on the ignition key, head light turns on, you press the starter button, hear it turn over, but the engine fails to start.

ok... Yes there is a new problem... EVERYTHING HAS STOPPED WORKING. No dashlight, no power to tick her over, no headlight, no indicators.. NOTHING! I can crash start though then everything comes to life. Might just take her to the bike hospital I think!

Hamish Carlson

24th January 2010, 10:37

If it's a twin gs500, I may be wrong, but I believe you mighta shorted a wire somewhere and blew the main or ignition fuse. The fuse box is most likely down on the left hand side under the skirting fairing just below the seat. If it doesn't actually have a box, it will have the main fuse sitting next to the solenoid/cdi, around that area. I think it may have shorted to earth on one of the wires possibly being pinched in behind the headlight. Check all the wires behind it are insulated and connections are in the right places. Just a theory, happy to be proved wrong. If it keeps blowing fuses and you're sure it's something to do with the headlight, put everything together except actual light (as in leave the black plastic holder on, but dis the front part that holds the light) take batter terminal off and test resistance to earth on the high and low beam wires, that will say if your headlight is shorting enough power to blow a fuse, but not enough to stop the bike running when it actually starts. PM me if you want a hand, just have a multi meter there. There's also a bloke in dinsdale kb name Warr - he's pretty damn on to it as far as bike electrics go.