Headlight Shorting Out/Blowing Fuse

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by Maverick

But how can you ensure that the meter will have the correct amount of OEM smoke after the kit?

It is a high performance Stage II kit, It should give you twice the smoke as the old meter.
If all else fails, duct tape a LED flashlight to the handle bars, your good to go.

[tricepilot]

[thumper_tx]

Nothing is ever the same after the smoke is let out.
Always keep the smoke in.

[Maverick]

Originally Posted by thumper_tx

Nothing is ever the same after the smoke is let out.
Always keep the smoke in.

but, what if you DON'T inhale???

However, if I can get a 2:1 ratio on smoke to effort then it should be all good.

Just have to avoid all things blue for a while.

I think tricepilot was going to say somewhere in here what the problem turned out to be.

That is unless he was waiting for the Stage III kit.

[wanabeguru]

Stage III kits from $19.95, L.E.D. flashlights from $9.95. All prices FOB or COD whichever comes first!

[focus frenzy]

Originally Posted by Maverick

but, what if you DON'T inhale???

However, if I can get a 2:1 ratio on smoke to effort then it should be all good.

Just have to avoid all things blue for a while.

I think tricepilot was going to say somewhere in here what the problem turned out to be.

That is unless he was waiting for the Stage III kit.

wonder if he let his smoke out trouble shooting it??

[Hemibee]

Are they still in the dark?

[tricepilot]

I am going to have to go into a Confessional to tell the rest of this tale.....

[Hemibee]

Go ahead my son...

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by Hemibee

Go ahead my son...

[wanabeguru]

Father superior here: You TRASHED the KLR??????????????????

[tricepilot]

Both of the KLRs arrived with electrical problems.

On Jeff's bike, we changed the rear tire for new rubber, and did the DOOHICKIE

On Paul's bike, we changed both tires for new rubber, and swapped out chain and sprockets.

Both bikes received an oil change.

Jeff's bike is the one with the headlight shorting out.

Paul's bike is the one with the taillight that contantly stays in the "brake on" position, or constant bright.

While we poked, prodded and guessed, we didn't get to fix either electrical problem. This fact alone makes me want to take all the tips in this thread and a multi and go get good with it.

Thanks to everybody and their experiences with these types of issues. Hopefully other readers will be able to take away a few tips and be motivated to be ready to address electrical issues in the field while on a long trip like these two.

Jeff is back home in Kearny, MO, and Paul is leaving Colorado and will be home in Portland in two days......

[Gilk51]

Well, you can't just leave us hanging - tell us what happened!

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by Gilk51

Well, you can't just leave us hanging - tell us what happened!

We must have posted at the same time!

[Hemibee]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

Both of the KLRs arrived with electrical problems.

On Jeff's bike, we changed the rear tire for new rubber, and did the DOOHICKIE

On Paul's bike, we changed both tires for new rubber, and swapped out chain and sprockets.

Both bikes received an oil change.

Well there's your problem..... You worked on the wrong end of the bikes.... multi meters have a hard time reading tire pressure...

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by Hemibee

Well there's your problem..... You worked on the wrong end of the bikes....

The three of us read every tip in this thread and then looked at the multimeter like monkeys looking at a textbook.

We had to tackle what we knew we could handle. Jeff (the headlight) decided that he needed to leave the very next morning to be home with his family for kid events, and thus had to get up at 5 here and get going at 6. He actually left at 6:15 in la madrugada, and got home at 9:30. A move I don't think I would have made, but everybody rides their own ride. We even thought of him using one of my high halogen bicycle lights, duck taped to the fender, but he discarded that idea.

Paul's tallight problem didn't stress him, he just decided to deal with it when he got home.

Funny story.......Jammin (Jay) stopped here on an overnight on his way back from Mexico. Somewhere in Mexico, his license plate fell off, and he rode through half of Mexico and into the U.S. to San Antonio with no plate on the back of the bike.

Nobody noticed.

I asked him if he wanted to at least make a fake license plate, and he discarded the idea. He then rode home all the way to Chicago, and nobody stopped him. If they noticed, they didn't care.

There is a definite safety issue here. Jeff riding at dawn and at night with no headlight is an obvious one. Paul's riding with his rear taillight on "brakes applied" bright all the while he's riding is another. As he slows down to stop, his taillight doesn't change brightness. That could be a problem if he's slowing down in front of an inattentive teenager.

I helped them fix what we could fix, and the things we couldn't fix, we'll in true adventurer fashion, they did their own individual risk management assessments, and decided to press on down the road......

[thumper_tx]

Many Kudos to you for being a gracious host and doing your best at attempting to resolve the problems.
I have been an electrician all my life it seems.........but I absolutely hate vehicle wiring. Wire and gadgets are too small I guess.
I hope they get it all worked out without paying the big bucks somewhere .
It is usually something very simple.......but it always hides from ya.

[wanabeguru]

Just remember: "its never a bad ground!"

[wanabeguru]

PS to Maverick: when are we going to Vegas? I'm tired of working for a living!!

[shirazk]

I used to have that issue. I went to autofuses that reset on power off.