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frequent headlight blowing
Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 11:45 pm
by Ron Pringle
Hi Guys,
I'm having a problem with my A-14. It's blowing headlight bulbs at
an alarming pace. They only last a few weeks. I can't figure out if
its cheap bulbs, excessive vibration, or possibly something wrong with
the electrical system.
I bought a better bulb $10.00 instead of the usual $5.00 bulb, and
it blew just the same.
The vibration from the bike is the same as it always was, so I'm
slowly coming to the realization that it could really be something
with the charging system. I just don't know what to look at next.
Any Ideas would be welcome. Thanks a lot,
Ron Pringle
Kensington, CA
A-14
frequent headlight blowing
Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 6:34 am
by Spike55
My brother's bike (not a KLR) was having the same problem and he
found out that the plug to the rectifier was loose. Somehow this
allowed 100 Volts AC to spike into the DC side of the system,
thereby, blowing out his lights.
Don R100, A6F
--- In
DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Ron Pringle"
wrote:
>
> Hi Guys,
>
> I'm having a problem with my A-14. It's blowing headlight bulbs at
> an alarming pace. They only last a few weeks. I can't figure out if
> its cheap bulbs, excessive vibration, or possibly something wrong
with
> the electrical system.
>
> I bought a better bulb $10.00 instead of the usual $5.00 bulb,
and
> it blew just the same.
>
> The vibration from the bike is the same as it always was, so I'm
> slowly coming to the realization that it could really be something
> with the charging system. I just don't know what to look at next.
>
> Any Ideas would be welcome. Thanks a lot,
>
> Ron Pringle
> Kensington, CA
> A-14
>
frequent headlight blowing
Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 8:15 am
by Doug Herr
On Wed, 23 May 2007, Ron Pringle wrote:
> Hi Guys,
>
> I'm having a problem with my A-14. It's blowing headlight bulbs at
> an alarming pace. They only last a few weeks. I can't figure out if
> its cheap bulbs, excessive vibration, or possibly something wrong with
> the electrical system.
>
> I bought a better bulb $10.00 instead of the usual $5.00 bulb, and
> it blew just the same.
>
> The vibration from the bike is the same as it always was, so I'm
> slowly coming to the realization that it could really be something
> with the charging system. I just don't know what to look at next.
>
> Any Ideas would be welcome. Thanks a lot,
I bet you have already done this, but you did not mention, so for
the sake of "those what don't know"...
The FAQ has:
Headlight fuse tends to blow:
If the headlight switch pauses between "hi" and "lo," it is
possible for both filaments to be on at the same time. This will
overload the 10A fuse. This can be fixed by upgrading the fuse
to 15A.
--
Doug Herr
doug@...
A16 in Oakland, California
frequent headlight blowing
Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 9:06 am
by Ronald Criswell
You might check your plug and the wires leading into it. I was having
similar problems and noticed my plug was melted badly and the wires
were hanging on in shreds. This was the result of running much higher
wattage bulbs for brighter illumination. I know some on the list has
gotten by running higher bulbs with no problems, but I have since
been told by sources I respect that you can not do this unless you
replace the plug with a good Bakelight one. One guy told me a
particular BMW plug is a good replacement. I haven't bothered to do
this as I don't ride much at night (for a lot of safety reasons).
CRISWELL
On May 22, 2007, at 11:40 PM, Ron Pringle wrote:
> Hi Guys,
>
> I'm having a problem with my A-14. It's blowing headlight bulbs at
> an alarming pace. They only last a few weeks. I can't figure out if
> its cheap bulbs, excessive vibration, or possibly something wrong with
> the electrical system.
>
> I bought a better bulb $10.00 instead of the usual $5.00 bulb, and
> it blew just the same.
>
> The vibration from the bike is the same as it always was, so I'm
> slowly coming to the realization that it could really be something
> with the charging system. I just don't know what to look at next.
>
> Any Ideas would be welcome. Thanks a lot,
>
> Ron Pringle
> Kensington, CA
> A-14
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
frequent headlight blowing
Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 10:02 am
by Jeff Saline
On Wed, 23 May 2007 04:40:27 -0000 "Ron Pringle"
writes:
> Hi Guys,
>
> I'm having a problem with my A-14. It's blowing headlight bulbs
> at
> an alarming pace. They only last a few weeks. I can't figure out if
> its cheap bulbs, excessive vibration, or possibly something wrong
> with
> the electrical system.
>
> I bought a better bulb $10.00 instead of the usual $5.00 bulb,
> and
> it blew just the same.
>
> The vibration from the bike is the same as it always was, so I'm
> slowly coming to the realization that it could really be something
> with the charging system. I just don't know what to look at next.
>
> Any Ideas would be welcome. Thanks a lot,
>
> Ron Pringle
> Kensington, CA
> A-14
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><><>
Ron,
Sounds to me like it's time for a good visual inspection of the headlight
electrical connector. Next I'd put a multimeter on the wiring and see
what kind of voltage you're getting when running the engine with a fully
charged battery. I'd probably also be testing for voltage drops at the
headlight and figuring out a plan of action based on the results of the
tests.
Not much I can do long distance without some hard facts.
Best,
Jeff Saline
ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal
Airheads Beemer Club
www.airheads.org
The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota
75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT
wtb klr650 in ohio
Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 6:20 pm
by e_daume2
After hemming and hawing for the last many years (and buying many other
bikes during that time), I've decided it's time to join the KLR ranks.
Anyone have one in (preferably Central) Ohio they're looking to unload?
I could think about a part trade for my V strom 650, if that adds any
interest.
I'm just hoping for something more off road worthy than the Strom, more
crashable than my old F650GS, easier to find parts for than my old
Transalp...
I'd prefer a '96-'00, but I'm open about that.
Thanks,
Eric
Dublin, OH