Headlight VERY dim **PICTURES**

[Motodeficient]

The headlight on my 98 220 is very very dim. I would do better at night if i rode backwards and let my tail light show the way. I don't know much about this... I'm hoping its not the stator.... is it possible the bulb could be bad? ususally bulbs just die though instead of getting dim.

[Green Hornet]

I use an LED in the rear. Picked that up at Auto Zone... Keeps the HL Bright even when it is at near idle.

[Indawoods]

May be a bad ground....

[quailchaser]

If the bike runs good with the lights on and the tail lamp seems ok, I'd second Inda's suggestion.

[Motodeficient]

Yeah the bike runs great with the headlight on or off. the taillight seems nice and bright. I guess I will go through the electrical connections and make sure they are all clean and tight

[canyncarvr]

Check the bulb socket, too.

Mine had to be 'fixed' a few times.

Oh..and any connector having to do with the headlight.

Good luck!

[Motodeficient]

What do you mean about the bulb socket being fixed? What should I check?

[Colorado Mike]

I don't follow the logic about the bike running well so it must not be the lighting coil. I thought the ignition and lighting coils were seperate. Anyway, I would follow the electrical diagram in the manual and check the outputs from the coil up to the regulator and the socket.

The reference to checking the socket means clean the contacts and make sure you're getting a good connection. The parts can oxidize and make a resistive connection, which means less juice for lighting.


Personally, I bet some of your lighting windings shorted, causing low boltage.

[canyncarvr]

Re: 'I don't follow the logic about the bike running well so it must not be the lighting coil.'

I edited that part out in my head 'cuz I didn't follow it either...

Anyway..if everything is clean contact-wise..a volt meter is certainly in order.

Note: The system is AC, not DC. The output of the lighting coil will exceed 100VAC on the yellow wire with the lights switched OFF. That's 'cuz the output is not regulated in that situation. The headlight takes about three times as much current as the tail..so it's possible to have a low output from the coil and still have the tail good. Although..if the headlight sucks enough power from a lo-output coil to make it dim..the tail should be likewise dim. If it's a matter of dim headlight and just fine tail..that indicates a wiring problem with only the headlight.

When you switch the lights on, you also switch the regulator 'on'. At that point you should see an AC output that is (obviously) regulated...meaning it won't go above a reasonable (what is the regulated VAC...about 14?) regardless of the revs of the bike.

BTW...a resistive connection makes heat, so you lose available current heating the faulty connection which leaves less current for what needs to be done (lighting things).

The output of the KDX coil is barely sufficient as it is. Any unintentional loss is too much loss.

BTW..you said, 'IS dim..' That is different from 'GOT dim'?

Has it always been that way, or it used to work, now it don't?

Bike new to you...or you bought it new?

What's the wattage of the headlight bulb in your bike?

Is this an OEM headlight shell?

[Motodeficient]

I got the bike this spring, the headlight was dim like this when I got it. I think its the OEM headlight shell, the taillight appears to be UFO. THe taillight is definetly the proper brightness. i don't know what wattage bulb is in the headlight. what wattage should it be? i haven't dug into anything yet with this, I'm going to check the connections and everythign this weekend

[canyncarvr]

You know what the OEM shell looks like...right? An aftermarket shell doesn't look anything like this:




How does the tail 'appear' to be a UFO piece?

Do you have and know how to use a meter?

How 'bout a pic?

The front light on an 'H' KDX is 30 watts.

Here's a btw...but the OEM bulb has two filaments in it..but only ONE is wired. IF...'fer instance....something was shorting the two bulb nubbins together and the bike was trying to light'm BOTH..well that would certainly be a dim bulb!!

But...the tail would be dim, too.

But...if it's not an OEM tail..maybe is an LED tail, then it could still be fine.

Need to know more stuff.

[canyncarvr]

Well?

[Motodeficient]

Well i took the headlight apart and I am very confused, there are TWO bulbs in there? In the picture above, bulb 92069 definetly does NOT light up, so that is the problem.... but the bulb below it, a small cylinder shape, does light up? I don't even see that bulb in the above schematic

[Indawoods]

Pics would help here.....

[Motodeficient]

I was just doing that! The light on the bottom does light up while the bike is on, but the big bulb in the top does not. maybe just a dead bulb? But why the small bulb, what is the point of it. its so dim.

[Indawoods]

Have tried swapping the 2 leads?

[Motodeficient]

Nope, I was thinking maybe the big bulb was just dead. whats the point of the smaller bulb though, and why isn't it in the schematic for the bike? Should both lights be hooked up?

[Indawoods]

Judging by the taps... I'd say no. The other one may be a "limp home" feature. I haven't torn mine apart in over a year.... so it may be a factory thing but I don't know.

[Colorado Mike]

That's not the factory light socket, and whoever spliced it in there did a sloppy job. I still don't see where you metered the bulb for continuity or the socket for boltage. You need to do that. Just looking at wires or components seldom tells you anything in the electrical world, unless something has gone violently wrong. Got a meter?

[saddletramp]

Right, thats the UFO headlight. I just hooked mine up but also did a sloppy job. Like Inda said switch your leads I was able to make both bulbs come on by trial and error. I also put a LED in the tail, made the headlight very bright.