Bright then Dim headlight

[TBucket32]

Hi folks.

Towards the end of the 2006 riding season, I noticed the headlight on my '83 GS550ES was starting to get really bright, then rapidly dim as I rode. This usually happened for the first 10 miles of riding, then I didn't notice it after (maybe because the sun was coming up by that point). The bike had a new battary in mid season of 2006. This started all of a sudden too.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[wharrah]

Hi folks.

Towards the end of the 2006 riding season, I noticed the headlight on my '83 GS550ES was starting to get really bright, then rapidly dim as I rode. This usually happened for the first 10 miles of riding, then I didn't notice it after (maybe because the sun was coming up by that point). The bike had a new battary in mid season of 2006. This started all of a sudden too.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

A shift in brightness/dimness of the headlight is almost ALWAYS a problem with the headlight GROUND connection. Bolts connecting the headlight bucket to the forks, and any wires that are tied to ground anywhere near the headlight bucket should be checked to ensure they are not dirty or 'intermittent'... That's where I'd look first. If anyone has any better ideas they may speak up.

But any time you get BRIGHT then DIM then BRIGHT indicates a ground problem (or an alternator problem with intermittent charging, which is another can of worms....)

Good luck.

[8trackmind]

My 550 did that once. The negetive battery cable had come loose from the frame.

[chef1366]

I'd check the charging system for a possible problems with your R/R and stator. Or a simple fix could be a bad ground.
Check out the stator papers.

http://www.thegsresources.com/gs_garage.htm

[tomcat24551]

...any time you get BRIGHT then DIM then BRIGHT indicates a ground problem (or an alternator problem with intermittent charging, which is another can of worms....)

If the problem seems to occur on High Beam but not Low Beam, do you still think its a bad ground problem? My '79 850 is doing this.

Tomcat

[78GS750]

If the problem seems to occur on High Beam but not Low Beam, do you still think its a bad ground problem? My '79 850 is doing this.

Tomcat

Sure. More current is being puled on high beam. Listen to the folks here. 95% it's a bad ground.

[SqDancerLynn1]

I had problems with my 79GS850 too. Headlight would dim when any load was placed on the electrical system. TAKE a close look at the ign switch

[Steve]

The reason it happens on high beam is that without a ground, it ALWAYS tries to go through the low beam. When you have low beam selected, no problem. When you have high beam selected, it is trying to go through BOTH of them, and the extra draw is just a bit too much.

Just a quick rule of thumb for electrical problems...

If it is doing really strange stuff...IT'S A BAD GROUND. 8-[


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