Dim headlight

My headlight is dimmer than it should be on my kz650 d which seems dangerous to me at night. When I rev up rpms it gets brighter. Is there some sort of wiring under the seat or tank that I should clean/replace?

sounds to my unknowledgable mind that its a weak stator problem, if you have the shop manual or something similar (theres even one on this site) i would troubleshoot in that and see what it could be

but also im sure more responses will be in order soon enough

Do some simple checks:

1.Remove the headlight, check the three prongs for corrosion on the connector.

2.One will be black with a yellow stripe which is the ground and the other two will be the high and low beam circuits.

3.Using a multimeter, check the connections for voltage witht he engine running. If you're uncertain about multimeter use, read this:

Since you're going to read D.C. volts, set the meter to VDC(Volts, Direct Current) range of 20 (thats the maximum in this setting the meter will read).

Put the RED probe on either of the two prongs to be able to read the voltage,put the BLACK probe on either the battery negative terminal(if your meter leads will reach) or a good frame ground).

If you don't have an alligator clip for the meter probes, you might need help from a friend to do this check.

Read the voltage with the engine off, and then with it running.

Sometimes corrosion gets into the high and low beam switch requiring dis-assembly. The switch is located on the left handlebar switch pod. Be careful as springs and ball bearings are in the switch.



Cleaning Motorcycle Electrics

Get some of the De-Oxit electrical contact cleaner and figure on spending a good day going from the front of the bike to the back. It’s a plastic safe cleaner/preservative.It can be purchased at Radio Shack stores and other electronic supply places. www.deoxit.com is their website.

On the older Kawasaki's, a majority of electrical connectors are inside the headlight housing requiring removal of the headlight, then the fun begins.

Do one set of electrical connectors at a time to avoid mixing up what connects to where. Usually disconnecting, spraying with De-Oxit and reconnecting is about all you'll need.

However, when encountering the green crud of corrosion, a brass wire brush may be needed on the pins you can reach.
Some 400-600 grit wet and dry sandpaper strips rolled into a tube should reach the male and female pins in the more difficult to clean connectors.

Smoker’s pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and wooden toothpicks work as cleaning aids.

Really small electrical connectors may require the use of a welders tip cleaning tool assortment.

Most pins in the connectors are coated with a thin plating of tin, and others may be nothing more than copper or brass.

If moisture is added, the resulting corrosion lowers the voltage/current being carried causing dim lights, slow engine cranking, slow turn signal responce and lower input voltage to the ignition coils resulting in weak spark.

The left and right handlebar switch pods will need attention too as they have circuit functions like turn, horn, run/stop, and start.

Usually a spritz or two with actuation of the switch is about all needed for these switches unless corrosion is detected and then careful disassembly is required.

The ignition switch may or may be not sealed to allow spraying the internal contacts. I urge caution if attempting to open this up as springs, and ball bearings may fly out never to be seen again!

If your bike has the older style glass tubed fuses, I suggest replacing them as vibration can cause internal failure. AGX is the type used, and most auto parts stores can get them for you.

Clean the fuse holder clips, looking for signs of overheating(discolored insulation, signs of melting),
I use metal polish on a cotton swab, followed by spraying another clean swab with the De-Oxit and then rubbing the inside of the fuse clip.

Each "Bullet Connector" will have to be sprayed to ensure good connectivity, especially the ones going to the energizing coil of the starter solenoid.

The alternator output “Bullet Connectors” are usually behind the engine sprocket cover and will need inspecting and cleaning too.


The turn signal light sockets will benefit from a spritz from the contact cleaner along with the tail light/brake light socket.

Some brake light switches can be sprayed on the actuating rod, with the spray running down inside to the electrical contacts, others may be sealed requiring replacement if the switch is intermittent in operation.

I think I've covered about all of the electrical systems on the bike.........

Electrical Connectors, Wire, And supplies
www.easternbeaver.com
www.vintageconnections.com
www.z1enterprises.com/catalog.aspx?pid=KPEL1
www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu
www.electricalconnection.com
www.electricalconnection.com/electrical-components/hitachi.htm
www.pbase.com/mainecruising/wire_termination&page=1
www.crowbarelectricalparts.com/butt_connectors.htm
www.ratwell.com/technical/Terminals.html
www.economycycle.com/servlet/the-Bullet-...lectrical/Categories
www.surplussales.com/SolderlessTerminals/WireTerminals-3.html
www.findtape.com/shop/product.aspx?id=32...&width=1436&height=0



Why WD-40 Should Not Be Used On Motorcycle Electrical Items.

For many years, I was proponent of the use of WD-40 on fuse clips, fuses, switches and connectors. After hearing of other peoples experience with intermittent and sporadic activity, I shrugged it off as maybe they did something wrong in the application of the product.

It wasn’t until the time I rode my 1982 GPz1100 B2 model to downtown San Diego that I encountered the problems others had gone through.

After concluding my business, I walked to where my bike was parked, turned the key to unlock the forks, and prepared to start the engine. The key was in the "On" position, yet I had no lights in the dash panel, the fuel pump was not running(I have FI), and the horn and tail light were not working.


Stumped as to why nothing electrical was happening, I remember my earlier conversations about how WD-40 will over time become a non-conductor(more like an insulator). I had some pieces of 400 and 600 grit sandpaper in my tool kit and with them was able to scratch away the coating from the WD-40 on the fuses and clips.

After removing the insulating film, the bike started and ran like it should. Since that time, I’ve told people about the problem with WD-40. If you must use a contact cleaner, I recommend getting some "De-oxit" from Radio Shack Stores or any good electronic supply store.

mine did the same thing on my gpz750 and someone told me to change the bulb. sure enough i looked at the bulb and it was burned out. i was riding around on high beam for months till i got that advice. it may also be a bad reserve lighting module.

Be sure to check the condition of your battery. ed

I agree with MFolks, could just be a bad corroded connection. I'd check that first. But could be a weak stator too. But if the connections are so bad it's making your headlight dim it's drawing an exuberent amount of amps and thats not good either. Also as MFolks said it would be better to use an Electrical Connection grease other than spray lube like WD-40 or CML.

I've noticed that when my bike is idling, all lights (indicator and gauge backlights included) are semi-dim. When I'm cruising around and the bike is running above idle, everything is brighter.

I was playing around once night, I was engine braking to a stop- roughly 7k down to 1.5k RPM and sure enough everything dimmed right down with the engine rpm.

I topped off the battery, charged/floated overnight, and I cannot remedy this problem. I've just grown used to it. My headlight doesn't appear to be burning out- I don't know what else to tell you.

I hope my stator isn't going...

If you suspect the stator is going bad, www.electrosport.com makes overwound stators that will charge at lower rpm's.

gengomerpyle wrote:

it may also be a bad reserve lighting module.

My 81 550 ltd also had a dim headlight, it turned out to be my RLU.

Omaha Rider wrote:

My headlight is dimmer than it should be on my kz650 d which seems dangerous to me at night. When I rev up rpms it gets brighter. Is there some sort of wiring under the seat or tank that I should clean/replace?

Lights on a bike or car ALWAYS brighten when you rev it, because the system voltage drops to about 12V at idle and raises to about 14V when revved up. That's normal. To check the light, measure the voltage right at the connections to the light with it connected. If it is close to 12V (engine off) you are getting all the light the thing can muster. However, stock factory lights are dim as fireflies and you can get a sealed beam halogen that drops right in which is about 3X brighter.

Awesome, thanks for the help. I feel kind of dumb, but how do I remove the headlight? It seems that there are big chrome bolts on each side of the light, but it doesn't seem right to put much force on those.

There should be two(2) phillips head screws holding the headlight to the housing. After removal, the headlight might need a slight twisting action to be able to pull it out of the housing.

The chrome bolts are probably there to hold the housing to the front forks via the mounting "ears".