[Blaqkfox]

2008 Electra X model. Low beam headlight works good, but when I flip it to bright it gets very dim. No it’s not hooked up backwards, in fact it’s so dim it’s a stretch to call it a headlight. It doesn’t change if I’m under throttle, I’ve already checked and the charging system is working, and the battery is new. I saw someone else on a different forum awhile back complaining of the same problem. I even tried installing a brighter bulb but if anything that seems to have made even the low beam worse. I use the same bulb in my wife’s scooter and it’s so bright, but even the low beam on the Electra has the lumens of something you’d expect from a vehicle from the 70s/80s

[AzCal Retred]

Do some investigation with your VOM and verify there's not a resistor deliberately inline with the high beam circuit.
Check the circuit resistance through the Hi-Beam switch contacts as well. It needs to be well under 1 Ohm, likely 0.2 Ohms or even less.
With the bulb out, you can use jumpers and a battery to verify that the bulb itself isn't to blame.
H's lists the bulb as a 60/55 Watt H4 Halogen, so the amount of light and current draw should be about the same hi or lo, just the focal point changes.

[Adrian II]

Assuming the wiring/switchgear all check out (with no weird extra resistors), don't expect current HID performance from the now quite old-fashioned H4 design 60/55W bulb, 70s/80's lighting is the best it will do! I would avoid the temptation to fit a more powerful bulb as the Electra-X alternator doesn't push out a whole load of power, I think the manual only claims 100W.

If yours still has the US-spec 5¾" headlamp, treat it to a proper 7" reflector unit (available from any Brit Bike spares specialist, e.g. Baxter Cycle). LED replacements for H4 bulbs are also available, though I don't know if your local regulations allow them. They can also be bulkier than the stock H4, so check they wouldn't foul the speedometer - the inside of that headlamp casquette is a pretty crowded place.

A.

[Blaqkfox]

Yeah so I have upgraded to the 7in headlamp already, and I am running a brighter H4 bulb I got from the parts store, it’s still halogen though, iirc it’s 55w low and 60w high beam. I also have led turn signals. Yeah originally the 7in headlamp being deeper just hit the speedo cable, He’s claims it’s likely my rubber around the speedo being deteriorated or backwards but it’s on correctly and in good shape. I ended up using a flat style connector from my Honda bike and it was still a tight fit but it fits. I also had to move wiring to the side and use some zip ties to keep it held to the side while installing the new lamp. But it’s not like rubbing or pinched or anything like that.

But what’s curious is it did this before even when all the lighting was stock. In fact it’s never worked right since I got the bike. It’s definitely not just a “that’s how old halogen bike lights are” thing, the low beam is way brighter, the bright might as well be a child’s night light on the wall in terms of lumen output.

I mean the low beam sucks too, but it’s putting out enough light that I go “well that’s just how old bikes usually are” granted I use the same bulb in my wife’s piaggio scooter and it’s WAY brighter. That could be the reflector design of the headlamp or something though I guess.

 No weird resistors or anything in line, just a electronic flasher relay for the led turn signals is all I’ve changed, but that shouldn’t have any effect on the headlamp, and the rest is still all factory wiring.

I’ll check the resistance on the switch then.

[AzCal Retred]

" No weird resistors or anything in line " : How do you know this? Did you read the loom resistance to the connector with your VOM or just "look" in there? A resistor can be just a piece of wire built into the loom, invisible unless you know it's there. Every connection can have high resistance, as well as a hidden poorly done splice. Put a meter on it. What are you using for wiring diagrams?

Another possibility is that the bulb common leg is actually hooked up to the Low beam wire from the switch, Bulb Low to Common, Bulb Hi to Hi beam wire from the switch. Low would operate normally, Hi would be in series with both Lo & Hi filaments, resistance doubles, watt output is 1/4th of rated. That squares with the described symptoms.

Electricity is invisible. Only your meter can tell you what's real. There's no voodoo here, just be methodical and prove what you think you know. Absolutely don't assume anything.

My money is on a miswired low beam or a hinky bulb. Keep digging, put some numbers to it, make a schematic of what you've tested and record the readings. Methodically prove what you know as you proceed.

[Blaqkfox]

Well it’s all factory or was when I got it. I’ve worked on it enough to know there wasn’t anything weird going on. It’s only got 2k miles on it. Or I thought maybe you were referring to if I’ve used an led bulb with a built in resistor or something like that.

I can diagnose with a multimeter. I once wired a car completely from scratch  . I’m just busy with work and won’t get a chance to touch it for the next three weeks. I saw somebody post about having this same issue in another forum yesterday and thought it might be some commonly known issue or something. Apparently not.

The only weird thing I could see happening would be if somebody previously plugged the light in incorrectly and then when I installed my 7in conversion light I wired the same way and that being an issue, but I’ll test for that.

[Adrian II]

Something you CAN do about the limited space behind the reflector unit: some of the more recent EFI Bullets have a wider inner headlamp rim which moves the outer rim and reflector unit forward out away from the speedo a little, as far as I know they're a straight retro-fit on the older headlamp casquettes, I've seen one fitted to a 1954 Redditch Bullet.

A.

[AzCal Retred]

https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/34284?ref_page=Bullet%20Export%20500cc
PART No. 93566 ; HEADLAMP RIM, INNER, WIDE ; £22.00
A wide inner headlamp rim from the latest EFI models which gives extra room in the casquette (headlamp casing) for the wiring and more clearance between the speedometer cable and headlamp bulb. It will also will fit any earlier model manufactured before 2015 and has approximately 32mm of visible width which is about 10mm wider than standard. It is supplied complete with rim clip and screw which can be supplied separately if required (see "Related Items below").

[Adrian II]

Yeah, that's the fellow, I couldn't be bothered to look up the part number!  It might also be of some use to pre-unit Triumph twin owners with nacelle headlamp models.

A.

[Paul W]

The headlight on my 350 Bullet Electra failed while I was out riding. Neither beam would light. It was daylight, but I always ride with the headlight on dipped beam and I know it worked when I set off. I dismantled the headlight at the side of the road and checked the bulb but it appeared intact. When I got home I dismantled the lighting switch and found that the main power feed had come adrift where it it soldered onto the innards. It looked like only around half of the wire strands had ever seen solder. Soldering it back fixed the problem and gave me a brighter light than it ever was before.

[AzCal Retred]

What was the resolution to this?

[Blaqkfox]

What was the resolution to this?

I have yet to figure it out, granted I haven’t done much digging into it. So far all I know is it is not the switch, everything checked out with the multimeter and all on the switch.

I’ll check the headlight connections next but I’m waiting for a larger headlamp ring to come in so I can just do it all at the same time. Things are really cramped in the caquette

[AzCal Retred]

Thanks - I'd be interested in seeing the wide rim installed too. I agree it's pretty crowded in there, that wide rim has to help.

[Adrian II]

A classic case of form over function...

Junk 'em all! 

A.

[Blaqkfox]

It should work good, I measured the old rim, or rather the one that came with H’s 7in conversion, which claimed it came with the wider rim, and it measured almost 24mm, the new wider rim is 32mm. Which should free things up.

I didn’t measure the old 5 3/4 lamp rim to see if it was skinnier or not.

Actually when I installed the 7in headlamp it wouldn’t fit- the wiring to the headlamp hit the speedo before it was in place, I ended up chopping those connectors off and using the headlight connector off my Honda cm400 because it was a flat 3 pin and had the extra wire for the extra little bulb in the 7in headlamp. And it fits but it’s still incredibly tight, it’s pressed against the speedo cable and required me to press on the lamp a little to line the screw holes up.

So this should get some more room in there yeah.

Only thing I don’t like right now, besides being so crowded in there is the little running bulb at the bottom is only on when the headlamp is on- just the way that connector is wired- but I’d like to find a way where the headlight bulb can be off while the little bulb is illuminated, probably more trouble than it’s worth though.