Intermittant Tail Light Problem

[turboferret]

Got back from Brazil on Thursday after 3 months, and was delighted that the S fired up first go, even with a Datatool alarm draining the battery in my absence

However, on first glance, the tail light bulb had blown, but a replacement hasn't fixed the problem - the brake light works fine, but the normal running light only comes on very occasionally - I'm assuming that I have a dodgy contact, or a partially broken wire in the loom heading back to the lights - also, the number plate light doesn't seem to be doing it's thing either

Just wondering if this was something that other trixers had encountered, and if there's a typical problem area where the wiring is a little vulnerable?

I'll have to have a go through the wiring a fine tooth comb, or a multi-meter at any rate, but without a wiring diagram, thought I'd ask you guys first.

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers, Rich

[Jason M]

Got back from Brazil on Thursday after 3 months, and was delighted that the S fired up first go, even with a Datatool alarm draining the battery in my absence

However, on first glance, the tail light bulb had blown, but a replacement hasn't fixed the problem - the brake light works fine, but the normal running light only comes on very occasionally - I'm assuming that I have a dodgy contact, or a partially broken wire in the loom heading back to the lights - also, the number plate light doesn't seem to be doing it's thing either

Just wondering if this was something that other trixers had encountered, and if there's a typical problem area where the wiring is a little vulnerable?

I'll have to have a go through the wiring a fine tooth comb, or a multi-meter at any rate, but without a wiring diagram, thought I'd ask you guys first.

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers, Rich

Ahhh haaa - I had this myself just the other day. Pound to a penny that your sidelight is exhibiting the same problems. Try wiggling the wire below the ignition barrel. This will most probably turn the light on/off. The constant turning of the headstock causes this wire to fracture and leads to either this symptom or the bike cutting out intermittently (I had that one last time!). Phone motorworks and get a replacement for about 20 quid. Just don't drop the tiny grubscrew on holding the bottom of the ignition barrel end in - it's on the right hand side. It's an easy enough replacement but you have to get the bike naked on the left to put the other end of the wire into the junction box.

I've replaced mine twice now in 142k.

Jason.

Flippin ech Rich, you're only up the road. I live in Southampton but work in Hook.

[turboferret]

Jason,

Thanks for your thoughts - I can imagine that it would take me quite a long time to fiddle about and trace the fault back to the ingintion barrel

Are you saying that I need a new ignition barrel, as it wasn't quite clear

I'm assuming that you can juggle the tumblers around as you can with the pannier barrels to keep the same key.

Cheers, Rich

[Jason M]

Jason,

Thanks for your thoughts - I can imagine that it would take me quite a long time to fiddle about and trace the fault back to the ingintion barrel

Are you saying that I need a new ignition barrel, as it wasn't quite clear

I'm assuming that you can juggle the tumblers around as you can with the pannier barrels to keep the same key.

Cheers, Rich

It's not the barrel Rich don't worry! At the bottom of the barrel is a round white plastic plug held in by a small grub screw. This plug is on one end of a set of wires that run through to a multiplug in the left hand relay box. If you just wiggle the 'wires' as they come out of the plastic plug then you will probably make/break intermittent contact for the lights. This is what mine was and others have had the same I think. If that is the problem,then you just need to get the wire with the two plugs on and just plug one into the barrel and the other into the relay box. No wiring, cutting, splicing required. It is possible to fix these little feckers but if you take the white plastic plug appart you get 1000000 little pieces of metal come out that are a bastard to get back in properly - easier to replace!

Jason

[bigblackfalco]

Ditto that. I had exactly the same problems with rear light and bike cutting out and it was exactly the same thing.
Most deffo don't need a ignition barrel, just the plastic bit and loom.
Bailey.

[turboferret]

Cheers guys - tis most certainly that - last night the lights weren't working, and wiggling didn't breath any life into them, but a bit later, they were working, and wiggling killed them, so that's the culprit.

Dropped into Vines in Guildford on the way home, about £50 from them, so I'll give Motorworks a call and see what they can do

I've been riding with the rear brake slightly on to give me some illumination at the rear, but once I got to work this morning, I discovered that my rear brake light switch seems to have given up the ghost

Any thoughts there!

Rich

[turboferret]

Vines obliged with a 'reassuringly expensive' part, as Motorworks didn't have any second hand ones knocking around, so I popped it in last night.

Of course, it wasn't quite as straightforward as it might have been - a very poorly lit and pretty much full garage was a good start, but secondly, through my own ineptitute I thought that the grub screw holding in the ignition switch was a small allen key, and I couldn't find one to fit

Hence the partial disasembly of the existing switch in situ, and trying to fit the new part without full removal from the ignition barrel. As expected, I managed to discover quite how many small parts are inside the switch, as the pinged everywhere onto the gravel and leaf covered floor

I managed to fine enough parts combining the contents of old and new switches to cobble together a working switch though, and amanged to set the alarm off several times while testing, much to the delight of the neighbours I'm sure, at 11pm

After removing the whole ignition barrel from the frame, and discovering that the grub screw only requires a very small flat-head screwdriver, things went a lot more smoothly

Again, thaks to all the advice, I'm sure had I left it in the hands of the stealership I would have been considerably lighter of pocket overall

Cheers, Rich