Lighting Issue

[dougsey]

Hello All:

Took a ride on my 2001 K1200RS last Saturday and noticed that my headlights are out. High and low beam. The high beam indicator light does come on, however. Did a little research and found that this isn't exactly an uncommon problem and that it usually involves the ground wire in the bulb housing. Some say it can be repaired without removing the plastics and light housing...others disagree. Has anyone here had this problem that can share their experience with me?

I'll admit up front that I'm not the most tech savvy guy around and while I can do most of the basic things required to keep this bike in good running condition, I could use a little help when it comes to wiring. If anyone could spare a few minutes to show me the way at the tech day this Saturday it would be greatly appreciated (and I'll buy the beer).

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Best regards,

Doug

[RocketMan]

There will be plenty of tech help so just show up and it will get resolved. Jim has tons of connectors and wiring from what I have seen in the past, heck he could probably re-wire the whole bike for ya! (and he probably would if given half a chance!)

RM

[Unity]

Be aware that you could be stopped -- motorcycles are required to have the headlight on.

--John
(Maybe the stopper would let it go if you had a paper copy of this page showing your intent to fix it within the hour.)

[dougsey]

Thanks, John. I have PIAA's that I run at all times, so I should be alright.

[Chiba]

I have a K12RS too & the headlights are hard to get to - you may be better off taking the fairing off just to give yourself some room to work.

[henwin]

Be aware that you could be stopped -- motorcycles are required to have the headlight on.--John

According to the AMA's listing of laws, that is not the case in any of the 3 jurisdictions (MD, DC or VA). Check it out:
http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/asp/legisltn/OnHwyLawChart.pdf, which is to say that none of the 3 jurisdictions require headlight use during the day...

[Unity]

Huh. A reminder not to assume.

--John

[henwin]

Huh. A reminder not to assume. --John

Perhaps you are confusing the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that requires all motorcycles built after a certain date (1980, I think) to have their headlight(s) turn on automatically when the engine is started? I'd say, looking at the previously referenced chart, that about 1/2 of the states do not require headlights on during the daytime.

[RocketMan]

Huh. A reminder not to assume. --John

Perhaps you are confusing the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that requires all motorcycles built after a certain date (1980, I think) to have their headlight(s) turn on automatically when the engine is started? I'd say, looking at the previously referenced chart, that about 1/2 of the states do not require headlights on during the daytime.

Then again, if the headlight is not on, and pretty much everyone, including cops, knows that it should be on all the time, you could be pulled over for an infraction due to the fact it is obviously non-functional...

kind of like say.........

if you ran into a tree due to non-functional brakes...





or not.....

RM

[jcabiles]

Doug, Were you able to resolve this issue? I just recently have this same problem. 2004 R1150 RT-P. High beam indicatpor light is on, but both low and hi beam do not come on.

At first i thought it was the bulb. After much futzing around trying to access the lights, I got the high beam bulb out and discovered it was OK. After I reinstalled it and checked the function, both lights worked. It was after I was able to get the cover back on that the problem resurfaced. It seems there is a short or loose connection related to the lights. Also when I ride, the high beam indocator light varies in intensity which is another indicator of a loose connection.

If you were able to fixed the problem, can you tell me how you, and where the grounding wire is located?

Jose

[henwin]

Doug, Were you able to resolve this issue? I just recently have this same problem. 2004 R1150 RT-P. High beam indicatpor light is on, but both low and hi beam do not come on.At first i thought it was the bulb. After much futzing around trying to access the lights, I got the high beam bulb out and discovered it was OK. After I reinstalled it and checked the function, both lights worked. It was after I was able to get the cover back on that the problem resurfaced. It seems there is a short or loose connection related to the lights. Also when I ride, the high beam indocator light varies in intensity which is another indicator of a loose connection. If you were able to fixed the problem, can you tell me how you, and where the grounding wire is located?
Jose

Usually the ground wire--in BMW's case--brown instead of black, is in the headlight connector. I'm not saying that for your bike that's it, but that's where most of them are...the connector that attaches to the bulb. However, on my 2007 RT there is also a "main" connector where the incoming wiring harness attaches to the headlight housing, so there's yet another place for a bad ground. You might want to see if you can find a lighting schematic for your bike, so you can see what's where and what color the wires are... Any maintenance manual worth it's price should have a color coded schematic in it. Let us know what you find, please.

[jcabiles]

Found a wiring schematic at this site, http://bmwmc.net/Gallery/Gallery.aspx. And yes the ground wire is brown (BR). So this will help narrow my troubleshooting options. Trying to attach the schematic.

[henwin]

Be aware that you could be stopped -- motorcycles are required to have the headlight on.
--John (Maybe the stopper would let it go if you had a paper copy of this page showing your intent to fix it within the hour.)

Au Contraire, John.........

I'm no cop (and I don't play one on TV, either), but I've never seen anywhere in our area (MD, DC, or VA) where it says that a bike's headlight must be on. Don't get me wrong, there's a Federal rule that since the early 80s has made "headlights on" a requirement--in that there's no longer an on/off switch, just a high/low switch, but I've never actually read any law that requires a motorcycle's headlight to be on during the day.

I just checked a couple of different sites: http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/motorcycle-equipment/, which has overviews of laws pertaining to motorcycles in all 50 states and in MD and VA there doesn't seem to be a requirement that one's headlight be on at all times. Another site: http://www.dmv.org/md-maryland/safety-laws.php says that you must use your lights under certain conditions in MD (bad visibility), but they don't say that lights are required all the time. This is logical since before the early 80s there was no requirement at all about headlights, and there are lots of bikes on the road today, which were manufactured before that time and whose head lights are only turned on when the rider elects to turn them on..........