Everything that can go wrong

It has arrived! It looks better than I thought it would.

The only problem is this: It has two wires which would appear to be
for the back light. Where the **** do they go?!

 

At a guess: one to a switched live, one to ground.

 

I've just come back from a 25 mile hoon and the speedo seems to work
fine.

I didn't look at the speedo often, but keeping up with traffic at 40
reads 40, keep up with traffic around speed cameras is about 27,
behind taxis about 30, keep up with traffic on motorways is about 70
to 80 so it appears that it's in sympathy with normal speedos.

It looks quite nice and I'd be perfectly happy to have the matching
tacho.

The only issue I have now is when I signal right the lights flash
normally once or twice then they speed up as if a bulb has blown. Both
the front and rear signals work so I assume that the bulb on the idiot
panel absorbs a bit of the voltage (or whatever) so it keeps them.
This doesn't happen when I signal left, they work normally. The
difference between left and right is the front right signal is a
pattern signal so probably takes less power.

 

Not much. The idiot bulb for the indicators is only about 2W, so hasn't
any real effect on flash rate.

That's the problem. Speeded up flashing usually indicates (hah!) a bulb
has blown, or in your case, one of the bulbs is less than 21W. Those
pattern flashers often have 10W bulbs in them if it's one of the mini
type.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a
I demand nothing of you except that you amuse me.

Folding@Home Team UKRM
http://vspx27.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teampage&teamnum=47957

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, BGN belched forth and ejected the following:

See what you mean now.

Piece of piss.

If it's not pissing down at the weekend I'll do it for you.

Looks alright, as it goes.

 

It seems the same brightness as the OEM one, but the whole pattern
unit is smaller. Is a 21W bulb the same size as a 10W one? And if it
is, will I do any harm by swapping the bulb over? Or would it be a
different size? I doubt the signal has a fuse in it or anything.

<gulp> I suppose I could order an OEM front right signal if I'm going
to 'unrat' the bike. <shudder>.

 

Thanks. I'm sure it's not too difficult but I'll only kill it if I
try.

I'd be quite happy with the matching tacho. I could flog the clocks I
recently bought on ebay... Hmph.

I've just been out for a ride back home in the dark and have to say
that the headlamp appears to point more downwards now. I had to have
it on full beam in order to cover the same ground as main beam did
last week. While on a straight fast road I used my left hand to reach
forward and pull the lamp towards back which aimed the beam higher
until I let go. I noticed that the beam bounces more than it used to
when I go over a bump. Heaven knows what I've altered on it now.
Looks like I'll be taking the headlamp apart in my lunch hour
tomorrow.

 

10W ones are sometimes festoon (long) type, but can be the same physical
type as a normal 21W, sometimes with a smaller glass envelope.

Do you mean simply replace it with a 21W? No problem, if it fits inside
the shell. Take out the suspect one and have a look on the base / cap,
the power should be stamped on it.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a
I demand nothing of you except that you amuse me.

Folding@Home Team UKRM
http://vspx27.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teampage&teamnum=47957

 

This looks like a normal bulb shape.

<rummages on desk> I bought two pattern signals, but only ever
replaced one of them. (one never knows when one might need a new one)
Ahh, found it... Yes, the pattern one has a 10W bulb.

I'll have a hunt tomorrow for a 21W bulb.

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, BGN belched forth and ejected the following:

Right. I take it the wires coming from the back of the speedo are for
the light inside so you can see it at night?

Splice/scotchlock/bodge the red one into the main/positive feed for the
headlight or sidelight and put the other one to earth.

The two bolts/screws/allen jobs that hold the headlight to the
bracket...

Tighten them up and move the headlight up a bit or move the headlight
first then tighten the bolts up..

 

The speedo works without the wires attached so the only thing I can
think they're for is the backlight.

When I took the OEM clocks out from behind the headlamp there were two
sets of connectors in a plug format. They look like this:

Plug 1: 3 pins one line

1 Brown
2 Black
3 Black/Yellow stripe

Plug 2: 3 pins, three lines - 9 pins total

Line 1
1 Red/Blue stripe
2 Turquoise
3 Red/Black stripe

Line 2
1 Yellow/white stripe
2 Absent (no pin, no wire)
3 Grey

Line 3
1 Green
2 Blue/Red stripe
3 White/Yellow stripe

I followed the wires to the remnants of my old clocks I see the bulb
behind the old speedo has a black/yellow wire and a red/blue wire. The
same coloured wires also go to some of the other backlights on the
tacho.

That's what I'm going to do. I accidentally removed the right bolt
from the headlamp by mistake (I didn't need to remove it) and then put
it back in again. I can't have put it in tight enough.