HELP Headlight Bulb Burning Up

[thisisbenji]

Like the title says my headlight keeps burning out. I've gone through three bulbs in the last three weeks of riding. It'll burn up the low beam and then I'll switch to high beam and that'll work for awhile before the high beam goes out as well!!!

My bike is a naked conversion using the LSL Urban Headlight kit.

I'm at a loss as to what is causing this.

 

[Motogiro]

Has your headlamp switching been modified so that the low beam shuts off when the high beam is activated? If not the lamp is being damaged by overheating when you use the high beam.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

What he said ^^^^^ !

 

[thisisbenji]

No it hasn't. But I don't ever use my high beam unless my low beam burns out. I try not to ride when I would need my high beam.

Also, the low will burn out before I even use the high beam once.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Well to start with, the low beam and high beams have to be wired so ONLY ONE WORKS AS A TIME..

You may try unhooking the positive HB wire at the bulb (tape it up) and see if that helps.

 

[FinalImpact]

You might just look at your system charging voltage. A 55W incandescent bulb is the hottest bulb on the bike and would be the first to fail if your system voltage is up above 14.6V or more.
See if you can monitor this will riding or even once warm and hold the engine at 4000 RPM or so while reading batter voltage.

Idle - expect 12.85 - 13.0V
2500 expect 13.8 - 14.4
>2500 expect 13.8 - 14.5

All of this is very dependent on the charge state of your battery. Long runs make higher voltages. Short runs and stuck in traffic with the cooling fan on, expect lower voltages.

 

[Motogiro]

Also consider vibration. Is the brand of the bulb a reputable manufacturer? If you can change how the wire is routed at the back of the lamp, it may dampen vibration from occurring at the rear of the bulb.

Sent from Moto's Motorola

 

[thisisbenji]

I think in gonna try to decrease the vibrations and check the voltage.

The way the light is wired shouldn't be the issue, it's been wired this way for over two years with no issues. It's only recently started having this problem when I changed headlight housings.

Could be the bulb brand? But if blown three different brands in the past couple of weeks, two Oems, a sylvania and a ge.

 

[FinalImpact]

I think in gonna try to decrease the vibrations and check the voltage.

The way the light is wired shouldn't be the issue, it's been wired this way for over two years with no issues. It's only recently started having this problem when I changed headlight housings.

Could be the bulb brand? But if blown three different brands in the past couple of weeks, two Oems, a sylvania and a ge.

OEM faired version and still running bulbs from 2008 (25,000 miles). That said, is your bike having any of those butt numbing harmonic vibrations that resonate through the chassis? Those are the kind that take out bulb filaments.

It could be candidate for spark plug cap to wire inspection. Some insulate themselves with better seats and grip puppies and may not even notice (not sure if that applies here). Just a thought.

 

[vinmansbrew]

How do you have the headlight mounted? Is it a solid mount, or did you use rubber bushings between the mount points and fork/frame? Rubber bushings will prevent most of the vibration from reaching the headlight. It also isn't just the vibration that can do it. Shock from hitting bumps will do it just as easily. Bushings will help with that, too.

Have you ever noticed the headlight getting brighter as the rpms went up? If so, then it stands a very excellent chance of being a voltage issue.

I have also heard that sylvania bulbs can be susceptible to shock and vibration.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I have also heard that sylvania bulbs can be susceptible to shock and vibration.

+1 ^^^^. The aftermarket higher output bulbs won't last as long as standard output bulbs.

On my old KLR, I'd get maybe 1.5 years out of a PIAA HP bulb (street use ONLY). On my FZ, same bulb, about 4 years.

I strongly suspect the vibes are probably causing your issues, especially since the issue started when you changed out headlight assemblies..

 

[thisisbenji]

I'm gonna agree. Checked the voltage last night, everything checked out. So I added 8 rubber washers to the headlight that will hopefully reduce the vibes. I'm still running a bulb with a burnt out low beam, but the high beam works so I'm gonna run that with the high on for a few days to see if it works. I'll be riding 300-400 miles tomorrow so that should be a good test.

I also got a motorcycle specific h4 bulb from Philips that I'll replace the current bulb with.

 

[Motogiro]

I'm gonna agree. Checked the voltage last night, everything checked out. So I added 8 rubber washers to the headlight that will hopefully reduce the vibes. I'm still running a bulb with a burnt out low beam, but the high beam works so I'm gonna run that with the high on for a few days to see if it works. I'll be riding 300-400 miles tomorrow so that should be a good test.

I also got a motorcycle specific h4 bulb from Philips that I'll replace the current bulb with.

I was looking for mc specific lamp but didn't find one. Please post info on where to get one..

Sent from Moto's Motorola

 

[raja777m]

I'm gonna agree. Checked the voltage last night, everything checked out. So I added 8 rubber washers to the headlight that will hopefully reduce the vibes. I'm still running a bulb with a burnt out low beam, but the high beam works so I'm gonna run that with the high on for a few days to see if it works. I'll be riding 300-400 miles tomorrow so that should be a good test.

I also got a motorcycle specific h4 bulb from Philips that I'll replace the current bulb with.

So, you're taking spare bulbs with you on the trip right?
Off-topic:
Share your thoughts on Naked version for long trips.
How often do you go back to fairing vs naked? How much effort is that and how long will it take?

 

[thisisbenji]

Not so sure it's motorcycle specific so much as it just says motorcycle on the package. Here's what I got though. Amazon.com: Philips H7 MotoVision Motorcycle and Powersport Replacement Bulb (Pack of 1): Automotive

As far as naked, it's pretty nice on long trips and I try to not switch between the fairing and naked. It's a huge pain.

I do 500 mile days no problem with naked, it doesn't really make a difference compared to the fairing. It's worth noting though that my 500 mile days consist of very little highway. I'd probably want a fairing if I spent large amounts of time on the highway. I do however have a windscreen for the naked bike tha I can use in a pinch.