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damn tail light bulbs..ideas?

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    damn tail light bulbs..ideas?

    ok, so i just had a crash, but still, I'm on my third tail like bulb in 3300km. what gives. I keep on blowing the 5w filliment on a 21w/5w bulb.

    Anyone use a different bulb instead?

    #2
    How hard of a crash?? could be a short broken wire due to impact or possibly the age old problem of a recitifier. Easily checked with a multimeter across the battery while running. When mine was bad I was blowing directionals and taillights.

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      #3
      see gs stories

      I've posted what happed in the gs stories. first CRASH..oops
      Do you have a great road adventure that you would like to share? How about a bike repair gone bad? Put your story here and share it with the rest of us.


      I have a new bulb in there now, and its working again..

      what would i be looking for with a multimeter?
      Last edited by Guest; 07-05-2007, 11:09 PM.

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        #4
        You should be about 14 to 15 volts while running. Anything more and you'll start poping bulbs. Mine was at 17.5 and was boiling the battery. fun stuff.

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          #5
          Check the wiriing under the rear fender for breaks and wear throughs.
          1983 GS 1100E w/ 1230 kit, .340 lift Web Cams, Ape heavy duty valve springs, 83 1100 head with 1.5mm oversized SS intake valves, 1150 crank, Vance and Hines 1150 SuperHub, Star Racing high volume oil pump gears, 36mm carebs Dynojet stage 3 jet kit, Posplayr's SSPB, Progressive rear shocks and fork springs, Dyna 2000, Dynatek green coils and Vance & Hines 4-1 exhaust.
          1985 GS1150ES stock with 85 Red E bodywork.

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            #6
            A bad ground could do it, too, especially since you're only blowing the low watt filament. A buddy of mine was blowing his taillight every 15 miles on his Sportster, took it back to the dealership many times, they'd replace the bulb and send him on his way and it'd blow. I told him to check the ground and he told the dealership to, they swore they did but still kept blowing bulbs. I found the problem in 10 minutes, the screw that held the ground wire on was finger-tight. Couple of turns with a screwdriver and he hasn't blown a bulb since.

            It's the small things that mess with you the most.

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              #7
              Sometimes the problem you refer to is caused by vibration. Especialy after a crash. It was actualy a common problem on the old ironhead sportsters.
              The trick is to secure a couple of wheel balancing weights (the stick-on kind) to the inside of the pod that houses the problematic bulb. This slows down the vibrations acting on the pod effectivly damping it. Not as common on a japanesse bike, but worth trying if your electrical tests don't reveal anything.

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                #8
                Thanks everyone.

                I'll do the checks once i get back to home base tomarrow!

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                  #9
                  I'm told the bulbs for bikes are built to handle the vibrations better than automotive bulbs. If that's the case and you're buying plain auto bulbs for replacements, then maybe that's the culprit.

                  Regardless, the wheel balancing weights are still a good idea.

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