| Author | Message | ||
     Bkreng |
Thought I would share my experience with a recent problem where I was blowing low-beam headlamps on my 2005 XB9SX. I have seen several postings suggesting the voltage regulator as the potential culprit. This may be a problem in some cases but as it turns out the root cause of my problem was much simpler. Problem Description: My low-beam blew after about two years of normal use so I replaced the blown bulb with a new one. The next evening I rode about 10-15 miles and it blew again. Fortunately I was able to ride home using my high-beam. Figuring it might have been a defective bulb I replaced the blown bulb once again. The next evening I covered about 10-12 miles before it blew again. That is two blown bulbs in less than 30 miles! Again I rode home using my high-beam. Since the high-beam lamp was working consistently throughout I suspected it was something associated with low-beam wiring. So I inspected the low-beam connector that plugs into the blades on the back of the lamp. Nothing visually apparent but as I pressed the connector onto the bulb I noticed that the connector slid on quite easily without much resistance. Suspecting it might be a weak mechanical connection I bent the leads slightly on the female connector so that it seated more firmly with the lamp blades. Success! Several weeks and about 400 hundred miles later I am happy to report that my low-beam bulb is working reliably without issue. Morale of the story: A weak mechanical connection (to the low-beam in my case) along with engine vibration can result in an intermittent electrical connection and blow your headlamp. Check your electrical connections and make sure your have adequate mechanical pressure between the contacts on your connectors. Happy biking..... | ||
| Ducbsa |
Typical electrical engineer, blaming it on mechanical features!  Seriously, that is good advise; my first bike, a BSA, suffered from many poor electrical connections and I was too green to methodically go through each one and make it right. |
