Topic: City riding/battery condition

[uksparky]

With fully charged battery i headed on the freeway 13 miles then getting into town with traffic lights stop and start plus parts of road with no lights, stopped for few minutes, restarted and headed back making another stop. Up to that point I noticed my voltmeter reading 8 volts.... I know these bikes don’t charge low rpms ... now it would not re start using starter motor, had to use kick start.  The headlight drains the battery, is there any way to use a switch to by pass the headlight town driving, anyone done that

[Bankerdanny]

It should take a few days of that kind of use to drain the battery.

I would check your alternator output and if that's ok the battery. Don't assume a new or mostly new battery is good.

[jlh3rd]

Well ,in the U.S. the headlight is to be on all the time.......however....
I disconnected the low beam wire in the headlight shell and use the high beam as “on”....low beam is now “off”........just an option, not for everyone....and....I don’t ride the bike much.......

[uksparky]

Thanks guys.  Pulling the wire on the low beam is the way to go, as i still have the orange lamps, coming back home charging 14.4 volts 6k rpm ..will test battery 12 months old this month

[DaveBarbier]

I don’t like pulling the low beam wire. That means when ever you need your headlight, it can only be high beam. If you ride at night that’s very dangerous. Blinding cars with your high beam can disorient them and have them drive off the road or cross the center line. Always flip to low beam with oncoming traffic. Even in the daytime, high beams can be annoying.

If you must have the headlight off, put in a toggle switch like Cal suggested.

[jlh3rd]

You can adjust the headlight so as not to blind drivers at night. Disconnecting the low beam wire is not for everyone and is just another option depending on the type of riding someone does. And, if your using the stock headlight, high and low are not that much of a difference. In 1976, I preferred as much light as I could get at night ( I rode more at night) so I preferred high beam all the time.
     

[uksparky]

I never ride at night, but thinking about it i should have headlight on so i can be seen by others..  my battery warranty expires in three days so i can replace it no charge if thats my problem..... after that if i have same problem i will use toggle switch

[cb_n00b]

I put a headlight toggle switch on my '77 CB550. I live in a city notorious for its traffic so if I happen to get caught in stop and go, I like being able to switch it off.

That said, I think you have a bigger issue if your battery drained that quickly. It would take me a couple of hours of sitting in stopped traffic with all lights on before my battery was drained as much as you're reporting. That doesn't sound normal.

[Don R]

 If you feel the need to switch the headlight you can switch the green ground wire, that turns off low and hi beams. I'd rather see the charging system operating properly so the cagers can see you easier.

[MikeSimon]

The Euro switches have a headlight on-off feature. As far as I know, they are plug-and play. I have used these on other Hondas.
It may be a cleaner solution than fiddling with the wiring

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Honda-CB-550-K0-750-Four-K3-K4-Off-On-Lenkerschalter-Repro-R-switch-handlebar/272736345975?fits=DEM_Make%3AHonda&hash=item3f805a5f77:g:lgcAAOSwp7FacOIr

[uksparky]

Thanks for the replys... I have defective battery, overnight 13.25 v. This morning Cranking 4 times 4 seconds per crank.   Battery voltage went to 5v  ...click click....then static voltage 13v pushing starter button 5v..

[PeWe]

A little bit extra if you have parking light  at front as my K6 had from the very beginning. If battery is weak the bike will be visible. Todays LED parking light work fine
Here a later harness outside the handlebar version
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Honda-CB-750-Four-K3-K6-F-F1-Lenkerschalter-Rechts-Handlebar-Switch-Assy-Right/401378295156?epid=0&hash=item5d7402bd74:g:sw0AAOSw3d1TzW3y

https://www.ebay.de/itm/162584731963?clk_rvr_id=1478632497707&rmvSB=true

A battery can suddenly get a short inside, 8V indicate 2 cells gone.

[uksparky]

Contacted batterystuff.com .  ...they had me do 4 voltage tests on the battery  and sent them that info.... new battery in the mail, just have to pay the $11 postage..

[Bankerdanny]

Since I do a lot of urban riding I converted all my "always on" lights, including the headlight, to LED. The draw on my system is substantially lower than the original filament bulbs.

[BobbyR]

This is all great advice and DO check your charging system. At lights and such I try to use the throttle keep the rpms into the charging range. Also riding around on local streets I keep the RPM at 4K by using the proper gear.

[uksparky]

This is all great advice and DO check your charging system. At lights and such I try to use the throttle keep the rpms into the charging range. Also riding around on local streets I keep the RPM at 4K by using the proper gear.

Yes but keeping the rpm high in town will overheat the engine..what is that part # for the led headlight

[BobbyR]

4K rpm is not reving the engine at 30 - 40 mph at all. We have become accustomed to our overdrive equipped cars so people tend to run in too high a gear and actually lug these motors which is very destructive. 4k is the low end of the power band so it gives you good throttle control and engine braking which we need.  As far as stoplights you need about 2K to get some charging from the alternator.