Topic: headlight trouble?

[wildrum88]

So i recently had my headlight blow out on me for some odd reason and I'm perplexed because it was a brand new halogen lamp (sealed beam) for a 1982 cb650. All of a sudden one night it just went out and this guy in a car almost slammed into me...so i took the bike to a mechanic thinking that it was something wrong with the electronics, so he did a test on the headlight switch and we realized that the switch was malfunctioning. so i proceeded to buy this new switch from cyclex [/img]http://www.cyclexchange.net/index%20pics/HORN%20DIP%20SWITCH%201.JPG[/img] which has 4 wires (green, yellow, white, black) as you can see. well I've been trying to wire this damn thing for weeks now and cannot seem to get it right. here is the wiring diagram for my bike: [/img]http://schematicwiring.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Honda-CB65080-82-Wiring-Diagram.jpg[/img]. i was hoping a electrician guru might be able to help me out here. what i have tried is connecting the white wire from the new switch to the white wire coming from the "headlight dimmer switch" because when taking apart the switch it appears as though the white is connected to the switch itself, making me believe it is the "ground" of the switch. the yellow is connected to the blue coming from the "headlight dimmer switch" and the green should be attached to the blue/white coming from the "headlight dimmer switch", but it does not seem to be working at all as i have tried all combinations of these three wires. the black wire has nothing to do with the headlight itself as it is connected to the button on top which should connect to horn/starter etc. please please please help me. maybe i just have a blown bulb on the halogen light? when i look into the bulb it doesn't appear as though the filaments are broken which is why i took it to the mechanic in the first place. thanks for any help and sorry for the novel.

[Gordon]

Quick question:  Did you check the fuse?  I know it seems obvious, but it has to be asked.

Dark green is always ground on a sohc4.  From the switch to the headlight white is the low beam and blue is the high beam.  The power to the switch comes from the blue/white-striped wire via the starter button interrupter, which is connected to the headlight fuse by the red/black wire. 

So start with the fuse.  It can "look" good, but still be bad.  Either change it or verify it's still good.  Then check to see if you're getting power to the fuse clip.  Once that's verified just follow the path of the current to the headlight to find out where the problem is.  You may not have a bad headlight switch to begin with.  The power for the headlight goes through the starter button, which cuts off power to the headlight when it's pushed.  These can go bad and keep power getting to the headlight switch even when the starter button isn't being pushed. 

[wildrum88]

i did check the fuse and replaced it even though it looked good, doesn't seem to be the problem. The thing is i don't have a starter button anymore because i replaced that with cyclex's ignition switch (starts like a car) so that is connected to the starter switch wires and for that to work the blue/white is connected to the red/black so it is technically always on "free". what i do not understand is the fact that the headlight worked just fine when i installed the new ignition switch, but went out all of a sudden. i suppose ill fiddle with it a bit more today and see if i can't figure it out but i suppose its possible the headlight is bad. i wouldn't think the high and low would go out at the same time though...anyway thanks for your help and if you have any other suggestions please let me know. and by starter button interrupter, do you mean the starter disconnect switch?

[Gordon]

There's no need to guess at whether or not the headlight is functioning.  If you don't already have a 12v test light you need one.  They're available for $5 or less at the parts store or you can make one with some wire and any 12v bulb.  Then start at one end of the circuit in question and follow it until you find out where the problem is.  If it turns out you have power to the headlight socket, then it's the headlight.  If not then the problem is somewhere else down the line. 

[wildrum88]

well after much fiddling today, and realizing that the headlight socket is getting power (sparks when touched to metal) i decided to break the headlight face with a hammer (caveman tactics) in order to see if the filaments were in fact burned out. I realized that the tiny connecting rod for the power to the bulb had burned through, indicated by a little bit of soot around the connection, and was no longer connected. because i could not see this through the headlight face glass it appeared as though the filaments were fine. So i will purchase a new headlight in the near future and re-connect everything and hope it works. Thank you for your input, i really appreciate it. wish i would have known it was just the damn bulb in the first place, I've wasted a good 5 hours fiddling with wires.

[Gordon]

Glad you figured it out.  When you're at the store getting a new headlight pick up a test light, too.  It will save you a lot of time in the future.