high beam issue

Xuryfluous

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So I have noticed something with my high beams, they don't like to stay on. any bump the bike goes over has a chance to turn the highs off. The majority of the time this happens I can just turn the switch off/on and they will come back, every so often though i will have to do that a couple times before they come back on. The bike has HID's installed, looking for some tips on where to start or if someone else has seen this issue before.
 
So I have noticed something with my high beams, they don't like to stay on. any bump the bike goes over has a chance to turn the highs off. The majority of the time this happens I can just turn the switch off/on and they will come back, every so often though i will have to do that a couple times before they come back on. The bike has HID's installed, looking for some tips on where to start or if someone else has seen this issue before.

Do you know the brand of the HID kit? Where did you buy it? How old, who installed it, and do they offer any warranty on the HID kit?

I would start with plugging in a regular bulb and seeing if its just the HID kit that cuts out....
 
excellent question, and other than who installed it (previous owner) I have no idea what brand the kit is, how old it was, if a warranty was offered or not. I will see if I can find out any of that info. Testing a regular bulb is a good idea
 
Q1: Is the switch physically moving when you hit a bump?

Q2: How's the wiring? Sounds suspiciously like a loose connection somewhere in the circuit that selects high beam.
 
I agree with Brian, sounds like loose connection somewhere. If the bulb, wiring and switch are fine I'd suggest unmounting the ballast while keeping it electrically connected, turn it on and give it a good shake to see if you can replicate the problem.
I don't have any experience with HIDs but tracing an electrical problem is fundamentally the same for just about everything.
 
I've seen the physical connection inside the highbeam switch housing get corroded where it does as you describe. The reason why you have to turn them off and back on is because they are HID's, if you put a regular bulb in there it would just flicker but remain on.

It could also be a bad ground connection on the HID ballast, a non-secured ballast or a ballast that has problems internally.

If you still want HID's you can pick up an entire replacement kit for $30 from here: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/121010149963

Then just swap the bad ballast and check all the wiring at that time.

-Jamie M.
 
All great things to check, I'm a complete noob when it comes to anything with a bike right now, good news is I'm a quick learner, have the service manual, and I should have access to any tool I would need that I don't have.

Brian: the switch does not turn off, I have to flick it off then back on to try and get them to come back on.
Jamie: Checking the ballast to make sure its grounded and secured properly will be the first thing I'm going to do.

I'm hoping its one of those two things, and hopefully they are easy to tackle. I shouldn't need to take the fairings off to check that, correct?
 
I'm hoping its one of those two things, and hopefully they are easy to tackle. I shouldn't need to take the fairings off to check that, correct?
Depends on where he buried the ballast ;)

Follow the wires from the back of the HID bulb and see where they go. Take pictures as you go in case we need to help you more.

And the fairings on that year R6 are super duper easy to remove ;)

-Jamie M.
 
Update time! Jeero and I went ballast hunting, and they were the last place we expected to find them, behind the windscreen. Unfortunately no pics. What I can say is that the ballasts are very cheap. About 1/2 inch thick, no markings what-so-ever on them, no model number, no branding, nada. The one controlling the high beam has an audible 'zap' coming from that ballast, when moving the sealed fuse box (tiny black box connected to the ballast) the headlight would cut out. Confirmed diagnosis by connecting high beam to the low/drl ballast, came on like a champ. So now I'm not sure if I need to replace the full HID kit and rewire everything, or just replace the ballasts (I would replace the low beam one as well)? Any suggestions of good ballasts that are affordable (or full kit if thats what needs to be replaced)?
 
I confirm that the above post is true and seen it all with my own eyes.
Not sure if a simple ballasts swap is as easy as it sounds...compatibility issues with the bulbs themselves maybe?
 
Contact this guy
MTR lighting 416-548-5707
He help me through my hid problems. You could also get hids from him for cheap. Like $30 for one side iirc. He's in north York area
 
when moving the sealed fuse box (tiny black box connected to the ballast)
The little black box is the igniter, it fires extra high voltage/current to the bulb upon turning on to start the arc. Burning them out is usually cased by what's called "double firing" or "hot firing". Example, if you turn the key for the bike on, and the headlights come on, but when starting the bike, the headlights blink out and then back on, that's double strike/hot firing. There are ways to get around it. If your bike does this let me know.

I linked a good kit above. I would only replace the failed side ballast, then you got two spare bulbs and an extra ballast as parts.

-Jamie M.
 
The little black box is the igniter, it fires extra high voltage/current to the bulb upon turning on to start the arc. Burning them out is usually cased by what's called "double firing" or "hot firing". Example, if you turn the key for the bike on, and the headlights come on, but when starting the bike, the headlights blink out and then back on, that's double strike/hot firing. There are ways to get around it. If your bike does this let me know.

I linked a good kit above. I would only replace the failed side ballast, then you got two spare bulbs and an extra ballast as parts.

-Jamie M.

Showing my complete noobishness, I know what color I have, and I found it uses the H7 bulb, but not sure what wattage im supposed to choose though
 
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Showing my complete noobishness, I know what color I have, and I found it uses the H7 bulb, but not sure what wattage im supposed to choose though

If you are planning to get that 30$ kit linked above (free shipping!) and decide to change the color, please stay between 4300K and 6000K. I don't want to see ugly yellow or blue lights in my rear view mirrors.
 
If you are planning to get that 30$ kit linked above (free shipping!) and decide to change the color, please stay between 4300K and 6000K. I don't want to see ugly yellow or blue lights in my rear view mirrors.

I'll make sure to stay in front of you then ;)
 
Showing my complete noobishness, I know what color I have, and I found it uses the H7 bulb, but not sure what wattage im supposed to choose though
Stick with 35 ;)

-Jamie M.
 
Thanks for your help Jamie.

Cheers!
 
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