Motorbike experts – why are my main lights not working? :(

Evening all……

Bit of a strange one this, hoping the experts on here can help!

Bike is a 2005 Honda Varadero 125

The two tiny side lights are working, but the two main bulbs are not?

I have done the following…

1 – Taken the two main bulbs out, they were NOT broken, but I put new ones in anyway. Made no difference

2 – Checked the main beam/light fuse and it is fine, checked all other fuses and they are fine?

3 – All other lights/functions on the bike are working perfectly.

4 – Checked ‘with my limited knowledge’ the obvious light connectors etc and can’t see anything out of place, not connected.

Any ideas?

Cheers

Broken wire in the wiring loom?

use a circuit tester or bulb and follow wiring. on switch, main dip, battery etc.

Before doing that though, not taking the piss but have you checked switches, maybe tried rocking on and off and are there any weird settings on modern bikes, ie some starters are wired to propstand etc so is there any arse light setting you’ve not thought of

hope not?

i’m not one for electrics, i guess its going to be a ‘pop it down the local bike shop’ as ive done the basics.

can you test the wiring?

posted before our reply, your not taking the piss, im hopeless with electrics.

the bike is set up so if you have the stand down it cuts out when you put it in first.

i think i better take her in, i know electrics can be a fecker to sort out.

You can use a bulb or the horn as a tester.

Try simple proof of concept – but you’ll need two bits of wire – say 5ft long.

Try going straight from battery to horn (if it’s about) or to one of the bulbs (from battery terminals and touch either bumps on bottom of bulb or bottom and side of bulb. (*you can VERY VERY briefly click wire together when connected to battery thwy will spark)

once you get the bulb/horn working you’ve proved the battery and wires
then try and test each bit of the actual light wiring seperately.
1 – follow wires from battery and write down connections. (Digi cameras are great to record what is connected where – and just split ONE connection at a time – coz if you split lots you may forget what went were)
2 try to test each part seperately and find part that fails and try to establish why (broken wire, loose connector, broken connector etc)

will give it another go tomorrow!

Cycle switches, check for corrosion on relay terminals, sandpaper and grease if necc. check relay is functioning, check cabling. After this LBS!!!

Motorcycle electrics are crap.

The main-beam switch will go through a relay as the smallish switch can’t cope with the high loads headlights draw. They cost a few quid and it’s worth checking. It will probably look like a 25mm black plastic cube.

There is not always a relay – even my BMW did not have one.

I would check the wires around the headstock (forks) its common for wires to break here as the loom should flex with the bars as they turn.

The main loom should have plenty of slack and not be tight from lock to lock.

Good call gavgas.