For a few weeks been having intermittent trouble with headlight and found problem with the starter button.
I read online that the starter button is two actions in one switch, when depressed it cuts off headlight and spins starter. Check.
When released it should turn on headlight and stop spinning starter. The problem come here, the headlight doesn't like to come back on.
Pulling and wiggling the starter button would often turn headlight back on but one night recently I was unable to turn on the headlight no matter how much trying with anything I could think of. The next morning I tried to duplicate the problem so I could find a real solution, but headlight was stubbornly working. I decided I need a back-up for the moments when starter switch is playing games I can't beat.
Today, I just made a new wire and put positive from battery terminal to a switch, then from switch to the blue w/ white stripe wire that connects the hi/lo switch to the rest of the world. I took off that fairing weight, but there wasn't enough visibility or space for me to work there. That tube of wires coming from the left edge of handlebar seemed to run to the very back and very bottom of the nest of wires behind that fairing weight. I'll admit I gave up, went a few inches up the left handlebar, and cut a slit through the underside of that sleeve holding about a half dozen and this blue w/ white stripe wire.
I (shamefully) used one of those quick splicers because I didn't want to cut original wiring or disable normal operation. It tucked 99% of the way back inside with the quick splice on. Matches up great with previous owners' work that way. :good: I should have just cut it, stripped ends, and used butt connector, it would have closed up all the way and still been effectively wired the same. Next time.
There is a ten amp fuse there in-line at the battery. I used from battery because I also needed constant power for my fancy stereo. There is a smaller inline fuse at the stereo end.
I probably should have used ignition-hot wire instead of always-hot wire for this headlight fix, but it's in now. The only problem I can think of is that I will have to remember to turn it back off if I ever need to use this "emergency headlight ON switch."
Just for fun, with the key OFF, I pulled the headlight fuse from fusebox while testing 'emergency headlight ON switch,' headlight stayed on.
Headlight is still intermittent with key ON, emergency switch OFF. Reliable with key on and emergency switch ON.
I say big improvement though. Gonna be keeping the presets on my stereo, and though no real solution came up for the headlight problem, there is a plan B ready and waiting.
I read online that the starter button is two actions in one switch, when depressed it cuts off headlight and spins starter. Check.
When released it should turn on headlight and stop spinning starter. The problem come here, the headlight doesn't like to come back on.
Pulling and wiggling the starter button would often turn headlight back on but one night recently I was unable to turn on the headlight no matter how much trying with anything I could think of. The next morning I tried to duplicate the problem so I could find a real solution, but headlight was stubbornly working. I decided I need a back-up for the moments when starter switch is playing games I can't beat.
Today, I just made a new wire and put positive from battery terminal to a switch, then from switch to the blue w/ white stripe wire that connects the hi/lo switch to the rest of the world. I took off that fairing weight, but there wasn't enough visibility or space for me to work there. That tube of wires coming from the left edge of handlebar seemed to run to the very back and very bottom of the nest of wires behind that fairing weight. I'll admit I gave up, went a few inches up the left handlebar, and cut a slit through the underside of that sleeve holding about a half dozen and this blue w/ white stripe wire.
I (shamefully) used one of those quick splicers because I didn't want to cut original wiring or disable normal operation. It tucked 99% of the way back inside with the quick splice on. Matches up great with previous owners' work that way. :good: I should have just cut it, stripped ends, and used butt connector, it would have closed up all the way and still been effectively wired the same. Next time.
There is a ten amp fuse there in-line at the battery. I used from battery because I also needed constant power for my fancy stereo. There is a smaller inline fuse at the stereo end.
I probably should have used ignition-hot wire instead of always-hot wire for this headlight fix, but it's in now. The only problem I can think of is that I will have to remember to turn it back off if I ever need to use this "emergency headlight ON switch."
Just for fun, with the key OFF, I pulled the headlight fuse from fusebox while testing 'emergency headlight ON switch,' headlight stayed on.
Headlight is still intermittent with key ON, emergency switch OFF. Reliable with key on and emergency switch ON.
I say big improvement though. Gonna be keeping the presets on my stereo, and though no real solution came up for the headlight problem, there is a plan B ready and waiting.
