Headlight problem

I have a problem with my 2002 zx9 that the dealer has not been able to
figure out. Maybe you guys can help.

Under certain conditons (usually high rev or hitting a big bump) both
headlights go out totally (no hi or low beam but the city light still
works) unitl I come to a complete stop or bring the revs down low. The
headlight switch also no longer works when this happens. Has anyone
seen or heard of this problem and have a fix? The dealer states that
he double checked all connections, etc. and even put it on the dyno
and could not reproduce the problem. HELP! This has happened a couple
of times an NIGHT. TIA

 

Does this bike have one of Kawasaki's infamous headlight control modules?
If so, get the dealer to swap in a known good one, there's a good chance
that it is the culprit. Before doing that though, I'd go over the wiring
loom and all connectors involved with a fine toothed comb (figuratively).

 

Thanks for the tips guys! Since the bike is under warranty, I will
have the dealer replace the headlight control module as well as the
switch tomorrow. I will also run the bike at high idfle now with a bud
and see what I can reproduce. You guys are great. I will let you know
how it goes and am open to any more suggestions!

 

I just checked. No headlight control module. I bought a couple of
spare fuses and will try them out now. Could it be the entire junction
box or even the headlight switch itself?

 

Just put in new bulbs and it was still happening. Could not reproduce
the problem at high idle and compressing/decompressing the fork. =(

 

Kawasaki will not do any warranty support unless the problem can be
reproduced in house. THIS SUCKS! ANy way around this? I've checked
around a few places and am now thinking that the problem is with the
headlight relays (either the ones behind the windscreen or the ones in
the junction box) but how do I prove this to Kawasaki?

 

You'll have to prove it to yourself first ;-)

I'd check the voltage on your headlight when at higher revs. Maybe your regulator is not working and you're getting too
high of a voltage. Check the voltage at other places too.

There may be a feature that shuts down the headlights over a certain voltage.

I suspect the most likely thing though is a bad wire around the steering head, that is pulled when at high speed. Check
if any wires are pinched or look like they've been chewed away a bit around the steering.

When you slow down, the front end compresses, and perhaps gets the wires working again, whereas at speed they are
stretched a bit.

 

Pay attention to the dates of the messages you're answering. I doubt
that the OP hasn't solved his problem by now!

 

I have always been intrigued by people that get upset when someone else
replies to an old query or post.

What if the information proffered is valid and valuable? Should the person
keep the information to themself simply because the original post is old?
Makes no sense to me.

Ed Cregger

 

Ditto

 

How can you tell if somebody offering advice is upset? Maybe the advice
they are offering is exactly that, helpful advice.

It doesn't make much sense to re-open a thread that's almost 18 months
old, especially if it's a short thread. The OP will have solved his
problem and be satisfied.
Maybe the OP never even reads this NG, because his query was a one-time
problem.

Every once in a while you'll see a self-important "somebody" catching
up on a newsgroup. They are typical "sea gulls". They come into an NG
and shit all over everything and leave. (1)

One character would always be about a month behind
alt.motorcycle.sportbike when he'd start "sea gulling" dead threads
with responses that basically indicated that he was smart and the OP
was stupid and all the other respondants were idiots. Sometimes we
couldn't even tell who he was answering, but he had to dump his dubious
wisdom onto Usenet. Then we wouldn't see anything more from him for
months on end.

(1) Maybe that's not quite as bad as somebody who shits all over every
message and continues to troll a NG with insults though. One learns who
they are and ignores them.

 

So, if someone doesn't do things exactly the way that you see them, they are
a troll or a seagull?

Here in the USA, we have a thing called the right of freedom of speech.
Attendant with that right is the likelihood that you will have to tolerate a
lot of fluff, trolling, sarcasm, insults and just plain stupid posts. That
is the cost of freedom.

Of course, the flip side of the above is that everyone has the right to
comment on what other folks post. Sometimes this is good. Sometimes it is
not so good. That is what I did.

I assumed that you were upset because you went to all of the trouble of
making the post.

Seagulls? <G>

The old "divide and conquer" thing.

Ed Cregger

 

Please don't do that in here.

Some of us are striving to reduce the metadiscussion about how this NG
should be used and stay on topic, which is essentially production
motorcycle mechanical and electrical problems and how to fix them.We're
not trying to design new concept motorcycles or be consumer advocates.

We do get effective results by sincere advice to a lot of the newbies
who need help.

It's difficult enough, with resident trolls and people intentionally
giving disinformation that will be expen$ive to naive newbies.

If you do want to discuss the Bill of Rights or Usenet abuses and
personalities there are certainly enough NG's where you can type
forever and accomplish zilch.

Try rec.motorcycles...

 

I know I should just ignore this as I am only making things worse, but
as I have a simple answer I will offer it...

Because there are only so many hours in a day and some of us make
decisions about what discussion forums we choose to participate in based
on the name (and charter, if it exists) of that forum. If I want to
talk about other things, I go to other forums.

Brian

 

I'm not the one that is trying to tell others how to behave. You are. You
have absolutely no right to inflict your will upon others. This is just
another newsgroup, a public forum, if you will.

I won't raise the issue of freedom of speech, if you won't try to limit
freedom of speech. Deal?

Ed Cregger

 

I agree with wanting the group to stay on topic. I was not the one that
scolded someone else for answering an old post, if you remember. Which,
technically, was the off topic post originating this thread.

I just get riled when a net nazi shows his arrogance by trying to tell
someone else how to behave.

I'm finished with this thread.

Ed Cregger

 

Are you trying to limit freedom of speech about limiting that freedom?
May people speak freely about ANYTHING - even limiting that freedom!
Brother-Peter

 

Actually, I'm the OP, and I still have the same issue (haven't been
able to find a schematic or a replacement ABS computer for anything
I'm willing to pay). And the thread pretty much morphed into a very
good discussion about ABS brakes in general.

With or without recycling threads, these things happen - if it hadn't
been someone replying to my ooooold thread, it would have been someone
else asking a similar question (or me again even).

Mark Hickey

 

You caught me! You're right. <G>

Ed Cregger

 

Can we please keep this crap out of rec.motorcycles.tech ?

rec.motorcycles.tech was created a number of years ago as forum
for technical discussions with the intent that the politics and banter
would remain in rec.motorcycles and the tech issues be discussed
in rec.motorcycles.tech.

I appeal to you to keep it that way out of consideration for other
riders with real technical ideas, issues and problems .