Head and tail lights stopped working

[doggscube]

81 GS450S. I haven't checked to see if the tail light illuminates in the park setting (should've searched the forum last night). I'm just hoping for a sequence of what to check on the bike.

I was going to start with the mess of wires in the headlight housing (and hopefully figure out how to check for voltage from the headlight switch [it has on/off, not just low/high]) then take apart the switch to see if it is gummed up. I already had to clean up the front brake handle switch.

The instrument panel illuminates when the ignition switch is on: neutral, turn, gear indicators. The high beam indicator does not, and it did previously even when the high beam went out in the headlamp. Does the headlight on/off switch also turn off the taillight?

Thanks,
Jeff

[thewiz]

Simple things first. Check all fuses or replace them, sometimes they look good but are not. Clean all electrical connections, especially grounds. Then go from there. Good Luck!

[koolaid_kid]

Headlight on/off switch? I am a bit puzzled, as I thought all 81s did not have this feature. But if it does, then yes, turning off the headlight will also turn off the taillight.

[emjay]

As I found out, you can have good fuses and the problem may still be there - corroded fuse connectors on the fuse block.

[doggscube]

The wiring diagrams for the '81s all show headlight switches. The diagram doesn't show any fuses other than the main one.

Looking at Clymer's diagram, I see a number of connections to check, but I suspect I'll be getting to either the on/off switch or the high/low selector. Hopefully it's as easy to take apart (and put back together) as the brake switch.

Jeff

[doggscube]

I was right, it was the headlight on/off switch. The orange wire had broken loose from its connection. I soldered it back on carefully so as not to melt the plastic, seems solid. I also cleaned up the clutch switch so I don't get stranded when it quits working like the front brake switch did.

Jeff

[koolaid_kid]

Excellent. You must live outside the US, or have a non-US bike?

[doggscube]

The Clymer diagram and the standard microfiche diagrams show an on/off switch. I have no idea where the bike came from, but the switch seems to be standard.

#18 in this picture:

http://alpha-sports.com/spst/1981%20GS450S/35.gif

Jeff

[koolaid_kid]

Not trying to argue, you have what you have. But the US bikes were changed to not allow turning off the lights. In the early days, they used a plastic stopper to prevent the off position from being used. The original switches were still used (parts surplus?) but you could not access the off position. My KZ has this non-feature.
I have heard of riders simply filing off the stopper to allow the headlight to be turned off. You may have one of these bikes.

[doggscube]

Interesting. My plastic switch handle (the actual #18 in that picture) is missing, and when I had it apart there wasn't evidence of modification of the inside to allow the off position to be used.

Jeff

[koolaid_kid]

That's not a bad thing. Sounds like your bike was modified correctly. Sure makes starting easier. Just make sure that you turn it on before you get going.
kk

[petelardo]

Interesting. My plastic switch handle (the actual #18 in that picture) is missing, and when I had it apart there wasn't evidence of modification of the inside to allow the off position to be used.

Jeff

Man, this thread has brought back long-forgotten memories... Though I owned an '80 GS450E, a friend of mine bought an '81 model, and was not happy that he couldn't turn off his headlight. I removed the switch housing, removed part # 18 (listed as the "Stopper Knob" for an obvious reason), and put the switch back together. I then handed him the stupid thing, and told him to keep it in his toolkit if he couldn't think of anything else to do with it, then congratulated him on his first successful modification!

IOW, removing that obnoxious little white blob is all you have to do to make the headlight ON / OFF switch fully functional. I was amazed to later learn that some people actually took the time to file / grind off the little nub on the bottom of the blob, then put it back into the switch housing! My only question is, WHY??? Just REMOVE it and be done with it; it probably weighs about 1/28 of a gram! That is sprung weight you don't need!

Anyway, it is part number 37414-45602, if anyone feels the need to order a new one to DISABLE their headlight ON / OFF switch, and the MRCycles website sells it for $3.34, while BikeBandit sells it for $2.62. Obviously, neither price includes shipping charges, or taxes...

OK, I'll stop goofing around here, and tell you that someone saved you the trouble, and threw it away for you... Good to know that you found the problem and were able to fix it so quickly...

[doggscube]

Heh, I just bought that part #18 on eBay, as my switch is missing the plastic knob. I hope it doesn't keep me from turning off the headlamp. I had to this morning to get it to start after all the diagnostics on Thursday to fix the switch.

There's nothing internal to keep the switch from operating, so I'm assuming it's OK.

Jeff