Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

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Hoof
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Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by Hoof »

Any ideas most gratefully accepted....
High Beam Headlight is fine, so are the side lights but I don’t seem to be able to find Low Beam Headlight anywhere.
Checked the bulb; both filaments work & everything else seems to be OK but with ignition on and after starting engine the Low Beam does not operate.
As there isn’t a fuse is this something to do with the Load Relief Relay?
Also the Number plate light (new bulb) is not lit which may be a clue beyond my comprehension!


(I recall not so many years ago the simple task of wiring up a motorcycle, no fuses, no indicators, no relays, no wiring diagrams, no soldering, no heat shrink, no wire strippers. Just a roll of tape and some bullet connectors…..worked fine.)

Thanks everyone - Hoof
kirby
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by kirby »

You can eliminate the relay by swapping them. I think the black ones are the same, check the part # on the relay.
First thought, swetmark will be along!

Facing forward the left side of the fuse/relay box the first relay is the starter, the next one is the load relief. Swap with the next one(horn) and see what happens. You could just do the swap and try the horn.
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sweatmark
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by sweatmark »

Hoof wrote:...High Beam Headlight is fine, so are the side lights but I don’t seem to be able to find Low Beam Headlight anywhere.
Checked the bulb; both filaments work & everything else seems to be OK but with ignition on and after starting engine the Low Beam does not operate.
As there isn’t a fuse is this something to do with the Load Relief Relay?
Also the Number plate light (new bulb) is not lit...
2003 was R1150R transition year (build year or model year). For USA bike version:
(a) 2001-2003 the Roadster lights had no fuses; wiring logic was, well, illogical.
(b) 2003-2006 the Roadster (and Rockster) lights had fuses and better engineering <edit - plus crappy thin gauge wire and too-tight zip ties everywhere>

Roadster had headlight relay all years, while Rockster did not. The relay turns off the low/dip circuit when high beam circuit is on.

For the latter Roadster version, your symptoms suggest Fuse 8 has failed (supplies both low/dip beam and plate bulb, plus instrument lights). Replace 7.5A fuse and find reason for the short, or vice versa.

For earlier Roadster, your symptoms suggest heavy drinking as first step in troubleshooting, before digging into wiring harness.
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Hoof
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by Hoof »

This was so helpful thanks to all - I started on the no. 8 fuse - the diagram I have of the fuses indicates that fuse 8 was only for the radio if fitted and was consequently empty......I put a fuse in the space and it works fine - Low Beam on ignition which cuts on starting then returns once the engine is running.

SO IT LOOKS AS IF I NEED A 2002 FUSE DIAGRAM (any ideas where there is one?) - THE ONE I HAVE IS INCORRECT AND THE HAYNES IS ALSO WRONG

Still got to fix the rear license plate light but I'll wait to see if tyhere's any other surprises when I find the appropriate fuse / relay diagram.

R1150R registered 8th Jan 2003 so probably made in 2002 so I guess that fits with the illogical wiring but it includes the "crappy thin gauge wire and too-tight zip ties"

Best wishes and thanks to all -- Hoof
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by kirby »

Ah the lic plate light! I have burned only one tail light in 14 years and it was recent while on a trip..but that lic light..ugh. Went to LED, keeping my fingers crossed.
I think they have a hard life back there with vibration?
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Hoof
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by Hoof »

Had a look this morning - the Lic. plate unit has hardly any room to check anything - well and truly attached to very short wires...the bulb was OK but not enough room to check the holder...perhaps the whole unit detaches but seems to be very tightly held by those wires with very little slack!
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by sweatmark »

Hoof wrote:Had a look this morning - the Lic. plate unit has hardly any room to check anything - well and truly attached to very short wires...the bulb was OK but not enough room to check the holder...perhaps the whole unit detaches but seems to be very tightly held by those wires with very little slack!
Plate light is simple assembly - remove the screws and wiggle the plastic "box" down and out. Rear wire harness attaches via spade connectors.

I tried a crap LED replacement years ago, which lasted maybe 1 month. Went back to the pricey but functional OE part. LED bulbs have come a long way since, so there's likely a decent replacement part.
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kirby
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by kirby »

Fingers crossed. Been changing to LED for instrument lights.
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by sweatmark »

kirby wrote:Fingers crossed. Been changing to LED for instrument lights.
I changed instrument lights to LED also (except for alternator bulb, of course) and they worked great, still working fine for my brother as new owner.

Will do same to my Rockster2 eventually, although the cool effect I got on white Edition 80 tach using blue LED background illumination (low RPM section) and red LED (high RPMs) might not work as well for the regular Rockster's tach.
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Sunbeemer
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by Sunbeemer »

I changed instrument lights to LED also (except for alternator bulb, of course)
Why not change out the alternator bulb, too?
Last edited by Sunbeemer on Sat Dec 08, 2018 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
Rich
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Hoof
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by Hoof »

Armed with the assurance of Sweatmark that the Licence Plate light:-

" is a simple assembly - remove the screws and wiggle the plastic "box" down and out. Rear wire harness attaches via spade connectors"

I heaved and waggled out the unit which had corroded at the spade terminals which I levered apart. It came out in pieces which surprisingly fitted back together again and after wire brushing the oxides; I replaced the unit which now works fine. Had the wiring been just an inch longer the job would have been simple.

All Ignition and lighting problems fixed - grateful thanks for the time saved

Best wishes - Hoof
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by kirby »

As a note to this caper..I have found the product "Deoxit" to be superior in corrosion prevention. Once a year I do "heavy" maintence on my machine and use this product on the fuses and some of the plugs..good stuff!
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by sweatmark »

Sunbeemer wrote:
I changed instrument lights to LED also (except for alternator bulb, of course)
Why not change out the alternator bulb, too?
At start, alternator needs +VDC at terminal D1+ to energize coils and begin generating 3-phase AC power. That +VDC is sourced from battery >> ignition key switch >> Fuse 1 >> ALT (charging) bulb >> alternator. When the alternator is charging battery, the ALT bulb "sees" same +VDC (nominal 14 volts charging) at both of its contacts, so there is no current through bulb and it doesn't light up. If the bike's charging system (alternator/rectifier/regulator) stopped working, then ALT bulb lights up because it sees +VDC via Fuse 1 and a -VDC (battery ground) condition at alternator.

Incandescent bulb is the simplest solution for ALT (charging) dummy light. The old school bulb has built-in resistance and doesn't care which terminal is +VDC or -VDC.

You could use LED but would need in-line resistors and diodes... too complicated for a warning light that operates for only a few seconds during each ride.
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Sunbeemer
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by Sunbeemer »

Thanks Sweatmark. That's interesting.
If I understand correctly, the alternator field needs to be flashed by current through the bulb. So,does that mean if the bulb burned out the alternator wouldn't generate, and because the bulb was burned out you might not realize it until the battery went dead in BFN? That's NG!

Sorry to OP for this hijack.
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sweatmark
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by sweatmark »

Sunbeemer wrote:... So,does that mean if the bulb burned out the alternator wouldn't generate, and because the bulb was burned out you might not realize it until the battery went dead in BFN? That's NG!
If anything in that charging lamp circuit was broken (bulb, wires, connector etc), then bulb would not illuminate when you turned key switch to ON... you would immediately know there's a problem. A really dead battery or blown Fuse 1 would do the same thing. A weak battery should result in dim dummy light.

The R1150** charging system is one of the bike's big strengths. Simple system and robust. Troubleshooting and field repairs in BFN very possible. And I don't remember hearing of any alternator failures, ever.
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Photoguy
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by Photoguy »

sweatmark wrote: And I don't remember hearing of any alternator failures, ever.
The previous owner of my bike supposedly replaced the alternator but I don't really know what the situation was and IIRC, he said the replacement might have been an aftermarket or a rebuilt one? I'd have to dbl check my notes to be sure.

As an aside, I have a slight chirping from the alternator area on a cold start up that goes away when the bike is up to temp. When I have the time I'll take the front cover off to take a look to see if it's really coming from there...or just my imagination.
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Re: Help Please - Ignition & Lighting 2003 R1150R

Post by Sunbeemer »

I have a slight chirping from the alternator area on a cold start up that goes away when the bike is up to temp
Sounds like the alternator belt maybe just a tad loose. That's easily fixed using the adjuster bolt on the clutch-hand side of the alternator bracket after loosening the other two bolts that hold that bracket so it can slide as you tighten the adjuster bolt (which is more easily done by double-nutting the end of the bolt you can get to from the front rather than trying to get to its head under the tank).
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