Whats going on with my high beam?

[foggonthetyne]

This has me scratching my head but maybe one of you kind gents can give me some advice......my high beam on my R1150R has stopped working, but the blue warning light is OK and indicates that the beam IS working. I changed the bulb but its still no good. I flicked the light switch about 30-40 times just in case it had got dirty inside but again still no good. So I am left wondering, what could the answer be to make the high beam work again?

[CycleRob]

Because the blue indicator comes on, I see 2 possibilities, listed in order of decreasing likelihood.

1--Broken wire in the front wire harness that moves with the steering.
2--New bulb is also bad.

The fixes are:
1--Turn on key and high beam then wiggle massage both exposed wire harnesses.
2--Try another new bulb -OR- test for 12V between the white and brown bulb plug wires with key + Hi beam on.

.

[foggonthetyne]

Thank you cyclerob - i will try your suggestions and let you know how it goes. i do appreciate your help

[foggonthetyne]

The electrical gremlins are back.....I tried a new bulb - the 2nd one - but still no luck. I have wiggled the wires and still nothing. Now my left indicator has stopped working and my hazard flashers also. Sometimes the indicator light for the hazard flashers comes on, sometimes not, and sometimes it 'flickers' on and off as i go along. Its getting to the stage where I am going to trade her in especially as my 'local' dealer is a 80 mile round trip and I only have a Saturday of each week to play with.....Grrrr......

[johno]

Yep, I would trade it in if I were you. You obviously dont deserve a BMW, so go get some Jap bike, and then when that has a problem that gets too hard, trade that too

My dealer is 300 mile away, so dont grizzle about that either.

Now, get off your sorry butt, and have a good look at the wiring around the front of the bike, near the head stem area, and make sure that the dreaded tie straps havent cut the wiring.
Pull out the headlight, get a test light, and check to see if you have power for high beam.
If you dont have the knowledge to do the job, any decent auto electrician will find the problem in 2 seconds.

These bikes have electrical issues, but so does everything else. Spend some time getting to know your bike, and the rewards will come. These are great bikes to ride, so dont throw the towel in so easy.

Aahh, now I feel better.

[foggonthetyne]

Johno,

Thank you for your informed reply, and your time to post it. I do not however, thank you for your totally uncalled for disparaging remarks. I am happy to say that I have now fixed this issue and wish all readers on this forum a happy christmas.

[NoRRmad]

What was wrong? Headstock wiring ties too tight?

(And, no need to take johno too seriously... )

[foggonthetyne]

The wiring at the back of the headlamp has been ziptied - but the ziptie was (you guessed it) tight and in a place that was under stress if you removed the headlamp (as i did on a few occasions) to fit or remove a windshield. This over time caused the ziptie to cut into the wiring beneath and create the problem. Cyclerob and Johno know about this stuff better than me and i am grateful for their 'nod' toward the problem, I have to say that whoever ziptied those wires that tight and in that location needs to have a re-think.

[b12bandit]

They're all like that. If you look back a few pages you'll see a post entitled 'REV COUNTER NOT WORKING. INTERMITTENTLY' or similar. Exactly the same problem. Over enthusiastic use of cable ties cuts into the wiring loom.

We have same problems with brand new police BMW's.