Author Topic: Headlight strength & brake light  (Read 5702 times)

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kevinpople

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on: October 20, 2007, 02:14:02 pm
I find it difficult to ride my RE at night because each time I slow down or stop, the headlight gets so dim that I can't see ahead.  It seems to work fine when I am moving at a decent speed.  I am primarily concerned that others can't see me.

One additional thing,  My break light is always on.  By that I mean it is always very bright and does not get change when I apply the brake.  Someone told me that is an easy fix, but I am so new with this bike (or any bike for that matter) that I can't figure it out.  I am not the most handy person with tools but if it is not too difficult I could probably handle it.

Thanks in advance for your help. ???


deejay

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Reply #1 on: October 20, 2007, 02:37:20 pm
Most of us have replaced our headlights with a 7" sealed beam, which can be found here...

http://www.royalenfieldusa.com/headlight-conversion-sealed-beam-bulb-p-445.html

Your brake light is an easy fix, all of the adjustments are on the left side of the bike. It could be as simple as adjusting the bolt that hits the arm which triggers the light. Stand on the left side of the bike with the toolbox open and you'll see how easily the mechanism works, and the adjustment points will be obvious.


dogbone

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Reply #2 on: October 20, 2007, 02:46:24 pm
Kevin  You failed to mention the year. The early 99's and older had a very weak alternator, and the lights were always dim at idle. Your battery may also be going south, aggravating the problem. The brake light draws a lot of current,also adding to the problem. The brake light switch is in the left side toolbox. it is easy to adjust. The problem may be the bulb in bassakwards, the factory socket is fair to poor, I've replaced mine with a universal socket,available at any parts store, the plastic base of the taillight assy. needs reamed out.
99 Enfield Bullet 535
a man isn't drunk,if he can lie on the floor without hanging on


kevinpople

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Reply #3 on: October 20, 2007, 02:57:03 pm
The bike is a 2007 - about 2 months old.


dogbone

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Reply #4 on: October 20, 2007, 05:32:08 pm
 ;D Well that blows the anemic alternator, and probably the bad battery ideas ! The 7" kit will improve overall lighting, but the idle problem may only be solved by raising the idle rpm's. You're probably still under warranty, pester the service shop!!!!!
99 Enfield Bullet 535
a man isn't drunk,if he can lie on the floor without hanging on


baird4444

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Reply #5 on: October 20, 2007, 09:43:06 pm
The bike is a 2007 - about 2 months old.

The brakelight adjustment could be as easy as moving the spring to a dif. hole to give less stretch... letting the switch rretun to the off position.

Try cleaning the paint off the main ground behind the battery. Scrape the paint off so you have a good ground. A bad ground is a good cause for a DIM light.
           - Mike
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Foggy_Auggie

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Reply #6 on: October 21, 2007, 04:44:22 am
The bike is a 2007 - about 2 months old.

Try cleaning the paint off the main ground behind the battery. Scrape the paint off so you have a good ground. A bad ground is a good cause for a DIM light.
           - Mike

I think there is a ground point up under the taillight assembly also.  Good to to scrape and tighten both points.

Regards, Foggy
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RagMan

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Reply #7 on: October 21, 2007, 06:52:48 am
Thanks to the dud battery I was sold by a Harley Davidson dealer, I will never assume that a new battery is good. It takes very little to destroy the output of a motorcycle battery.
aka Indiana Bulleteer.
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Spitting Bull

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Reply #8 on: October 21, 2007, 11:16:37 pm
Brake Light on all the time - try wiggling the wire which comes from the right-hand handlebar switch cluster.  Mine does this too, and by wiggling the wire  I can make it go off and work properly - for a while.

I still haven't worked out how to cure the problem, but It does establish whether or not the problem is the wiring in or near the switch.

Tom
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FiferWD

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Reply #9 on: November 01, 2007, 12:50:02 pm
Brake Light on all the time - try wiggling the wire which comes from the right-hand handlebar switch cluster.  Mine does this too, and by wiggling the wire  I can make it go off and work properly - for a while.

I still haven't worked out how to cure the problem, but It does establish whether or not the problem is the wiring in or near the switch.

Tom

If your front break is not properly adjusted, the switch will remain on.  One way to determine which switch is the culprit is to remove the plunger from the switch on the front brake lever.  The fitting is a plug in and can be released by depressing the two prongs that are visible through slots in the housing.

Also, make sure that your front brake isn't hanging.  i had a problem with mine where the lever seemed to have a lot of play.  It turned out that the brake linkage was hanging up and not returning when I released the lever.  The resulting slack was enough to cause the brake switch to close.  You should have about 1/ 8th of an inch of play at the lever.
Yrs,
Bill


StL_Stadtroller

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Reply #10 on: November 01, 2007, 02:27:59 pm
Kevin  You failed to mention the year. The early 99's and older had a very weak alternator, and the lights were always dim at idle. Your battery may also be going south, aggravating the problem. The brake light draws a lot of current,also adding to the problem.

If the '07's are still wired up the way my '01 was, then battery has nothing to do with headlight power...

The RE's are wired up for DC/battery power for everything BUT the headlight, which is direct AC from the alternator. So, when you come to a stop, and that well-tuned RE settles down in to that super-low tickover we all love, your headlight turns into a votive candle at best. Which really sucks when you're say, riding around lost in the Texas panhandle at night and trying to stop at intersections to see the street signs, but then can't see anything because you've stopped...  ::)

It's little things like that which motivated me to re-wire so that the headlight was DC/battery power as well.

I find it really strange that the bikes are wired this way, especially the older kick-only, points ignition models. Usually batteries were only put on these bikes for the express purpose of having bright lights at all RPM's.

Brian Wittling, St. Louis, MO
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dewjantim

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Reply #11 on: November 01, 2007, 10:13:30 pm
Just rev you bike a little when you stop, the headlight will get brighter.....Dew.
If it hurts, you're not dead yet!!!!!