No low beams

Can someone check this out for me, because I never noticed. Turn the key on, don't start it, and flip the high beams on.... Do they work without the bike running? I started my bike last night and the head lights(low beams) didn't come on when I started it?!! The high beams did come on when I flipped the switch. SO I adjusted them down and rode home that way.

The question is: they are on the same fuse right?, so other than the high low switch, there must be a relay for the lows because they don't come on til the bike starts... Anyone know which relay I need to check, and where is it located. I should be able to track down the problem from there.

I know its Friday so try to stay focused please....

You were likely down to one headlight, and may not of noticed. These bikes have an annoying trait-burn one headlight bulb out, the second will follow within 2-3 hours and/or a couple starts.

I won't discount that as a possible, but the other part of the question, do your high beams work if you flip the high low switch without the bike running, I never noticed if they did or not before, never had a reason to check. If that's normal I will pull the bulbs out, if it is ab-normal I think I have a relay issues

radman said:

burn one headlight bulb out, the second will follow within 2-3 hours and/or a couple starts.

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While entirely possible, that has not been my experience. Due to traveling, I have ridden with one headlight burned out (lowbeam) for thousands of miles. And I only replace one at a time. After now replacing many headlight bulbs, I have seen no correlation between one going, and then another going shortly thereafter. Still, if all else fails, it can't hurt to check both bulbs.

Sounds to me like it could be the headlight relay #2 that controls the high/low beam. Can you hear it click when operating the switch?

Go into diagnostic mode, I know there is a test for Headlight relay #1 - the on/off with the ignition relay. You can at least eliminate that one as the source of your trouble.

Edit: No! The highs don't come on without engine running. Headlight relay #1 prevents that.

BTW dude, what have you done to piss off the electrical Gods?

I haven't checked that in the diagnostic mode but I know I can't hear anything when I flip the switch so I will check the relay out then the bulbs, maybe its loose, ill have to figure it out when I get home. Thankfully I had highs last night when I was leaving work last night or if of been screwed.

Dude, your low beams are burnt out. Happened to me more than once.

Jay

'04 FJR 1300

I have some ongoing electrical issues so don't over simplify this. Bulbs are simple to check and change so I will do it but I'm just getting the feelers out for when it turns out to be more.

Noone has answered the high beams working with the bike not running question? The lows don't come on til the bike starts so I am surprised that I can turn the highs on I just never checked it before.

DailyCommuter said:

Noone has answered the high beams working with the bike not running question? The lows don't come on til the bike starts so I am surprised that I can turn the highs on I just never checked it before.

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Skooter answered it (tho' maybe his edit came after your post). Just to confirm: No. Your high beams should not do that.

The exception: If you stabbed the starter button for a couple of seconds without starting the engine, the headlights would come on because that would activate the relay.

The headlights come on only after the engine is started. But they'll stay on until the key is switched off. If you stop the engine with the kill switch, the sidestand, or you just stall it, the headlights will stay on until the key is switched off.

There are two headlight relays. One turns on the power to the headlights -- it's controlled by the computer. The other relay switches between high and low beams -- low beams when the relay is off, high beams when the relay is triggered on by the rocker switch.

Ok I got a relay problem then, maybe as a safety if it fails you still get highs,

And I have no idea what I did to piss off the electric gods but I'm going to have to sacrifice some jught bulbs or something to please them!

Thanks for the reply's

, I will post my findings later.

If the high/low relay coil or associated control circuit failed you'd only have low beams. The relay and rocker switch circuit have to be working properly to get high beams.

The low beam elements in your lamps are likely bad.

Then why do my high beams work with the key on and the bike not running, if they aren't supposed to? Seems to me there is something else going on here besides the low beam elements.

You don't have the french fjr version do ya? Them frenchies can be some odd puppies.

Are you the original owner? Maybe a previous owner rigged up a lighting system and had to bypass a relay for some reason, left it like that when he removed whatever and sold the bike to you. A separate realy on a hot ciruit would be easy to rig up to the high beams, and if he destroyed something else in an erroneous installation, such a rig might have even been required to get lights at all.

As for no lows, and highs OK, they are spearate filaments in the bulbs, and you can blow the low filament by itself. I rode with one low beam for who knows how long before I noticed it out in the reflection of a car in front.

SkooterG said:

radman said:

burn one headlight bulb out, the second will follow within 2-3 hours and/or a couple starts.

Click to expand...

While entirely possible, that has not been my experience. Due to traveling, I have ridden with one headlight burned out (lowbeam) for thousands of miles. And I only replace one at a time.

Click to expand...

The out-at-the-same-time theory is predicated on bulbs reaching end of life near the same time. I personally have found it to be more like 20 or 30 operational hours. It's not that when one goes out it sends poison volts and kills the other one.

This would apply to a new bike and through the first cycle of bulbs...and subsequent cycles if they replaced both bulbs at the same time.

If you get out of synch....like you clearly have with 140,000 miles and many bulbs.....then the theory wouldn't apply to your situation. ....unless you pushed the reset button and replaced both bulbs at the same time again.

...and this is IMO. I don't have the energy this Friday to try and find a link to bolster talking out of my ass.

SkooterG said:

I have... one headlight out...

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Yes, we all know that.

But, I concur with Skooter. Sadly enough. :huh:

wfooshee said:

Are you the original owner? Maybe a previous owner rigged up a lighting system and had to bypass a relay for some reason, left it like that when he removed whatever and sold the bike to you. A separate realy on a hot ciruit would be easy to rig up to the high beams, and if he destroyed something else in an erroneous installation, such a rig might have even been required to get lights at all.
As for no lows, and highs OK, they are spearate filaments in the bulbs, and you can blow the low filament by itself. I rode with one low beam for who knows how long before I noticed it out in the reflection of a car in front.

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Original owner, bought it last August, no auxilliary lights. And believe me tell you I Am totally ANAL enough that I would notice imediately if 1 light was out. Every where I park has something vertical in front of me. It would be easy. To spot. They were working when I parked it. Both of them.

DailyCommuter said:

Ok I got a relay problem then, maybe as a safety if it fails you still get highs,
And I have no idea what I did to piss off the electric gods but I'm going to have to sacrifice some jught bulbs or something to please them!

Thanks for the reply's

, I will post my findings later.

Click to expand...

I'm going to guess with Scooter about it being a relay problem and look forward to hearing what you actually find.

As to how you/we piss off the electrical gods, lessee... With your forum name and location, I'm going to hazard a wild-ass guess that you commute in an area with a lot of rain and even run-off in the spring that has winter's de-icing salt. We have the same problem in DC and it's why I keep after the electric connections.

Bob

I do ride in the rain a bit, like whenever it rains for example , I think what he was referring to though was this problem in combination with last weeks electrical problem, code 12....

I knew something was coming a couple weeks back when I posted a thread about electric controls in the rain, that's what caused me to start that thread, I started getting the slightest hesitation when I hit the starter button, like maybe a half to three quarters of a second before it would crank over. But then it would crank over nice and strong. And run perfect. I notice everything. If it buzz's the handlebars at 52 MPH. Instead of 54 MPH on my way home, I notice it! I just thought I had a case of slight corrosion in my starter button. I didn't think that I was about to be plagued by the electrical germlin. Ill get to the bottom of it tonite and tommorow when I'm on my off time, and I'm going to exterminate that little germlin bastard so I can get on with loving the feej, and riding the hell out of it. 16,547 miles since I bought it last August, and that's without riding it from end of November, til early April more than just a few times for a quick winter buzz. Not much miles compared to some of you here, but I'm proud of 'em!