Headlight Problem Resolved

[BobFV1]

I am in LA getting ready to go across the US. Part of my preps today were to install a new Kisan "Pathblazer" headlight modulator. I called Kisan and we discussed the bike, they said they had one compatible with the CanBus system which was simply "plug and play". So I plugged the module in and it didn't work. I unplugged it and tried to go back to the stock setup on my bike, but now my low beam doesn't work. The high beam works fine, as does the "parking light", but the low beam doesn't work. I turn the bike on, the parking light goes on and the low beam momentarily flashes and then goes out. When I press the high beam switch the high beam comes on but the low beam still does not. I put a new H7 bulb in the low beam but I had the same problem. I tried disconnecting and reconnecting the battery but no luck.

Help! Why won't my low beam work for more than a fraction of a second after I turn the bike on? Remember - this is a CanBus bike - no fuses.....

Thanks in advance.

[GPM]

Not really having a clue, the only suggestion I could offer would be to disconnect the battery for a while and see if the magic box can reset itself.

Good Luck..

[BobFV1]

Not really having a clue, the only suggestion I could offer would be to disconnect the battery for a while and see if the magic box can reset itself.

Good Luck..

Thanks Harry - tried that and it didn't work - I'm leaving it disconnected all night tonight to see if it perhaps "resets".

[BobFV1]

Made it back to Phoenix. Apparently, the CanBus system is smart enough to figure out when you have a load but no charge, so what it does is shuts down the headlight until you actually turn the engine on and start throwing a charge in to the system. I discovered this by starting the bike, riding to the corner gas station in LA, and voilà! - the light was on like there never had been any problem! My VW Touareg did something very similar when I hooked up a U-Haul - every time it sensed the trailer lights draining the car electrical system, it would shut off a seemingly random array of electrical things on my car. When I unplugged the trailer lights, everything was fine. My solution was to drive in daylight only. Adding a relay would probably be another solution.

So I am back in Phoenix and God-Willing, should head East tomorrow!

[GPM]

Don't you hate having a bike that is smarter than you are??

Good news, have a safe trip and don't forget to write....

[BobFV1]

Don't you hate having a bike that is smarter than you are??



:icon_lol: :icon_lol: :icon_lol:

That's exactly what I was thinking!

[GPM]

Your experience with your headlight got me thinking. It seems to me that in older BMWs that I've owned, disconnecting the battery seemed to reset much of what the computer stored. Things like fault codes, TPS settings etc. It would seem that is no longer the case, as your bike demonstrated the ability to remember the fault through the battery disconnect, and only restore the headlight's function after a number of successful tests (or something like that).

It would certainly be nice to better understand the working of the new computers. It would also be nice to have access to some aftermarket tool to query the damn thing. Hell, while we're at it, lets be able to make some changes as well, like clear the damn faults to get the headlight working again. Now, obviously that would present warranty issues, but the warranties don't last forever.

[BobFV1]

your bike demonstrated the ability to remember the fault through the battery disconnect, and only restore the headlight's function after a number of successful tests (or something like that).

Not exactly, Kimosabe. The headlight was actually performing to design specs the whole time, so the disconnect did not cause a reset, since there was nothing to reset. The CanBus was actually doing it's job and protecting the circuit, but I didn't know this so I thought that the key on and no headlight was a fault - it was actually the design of the thing. Try it on yours and see how it works - turn the key to "on" on the cold bike and you should see only the parking light and perhaps a momentary flash of the low beam. Start the engine and the low beam comes on. Use the kill switch to cut off the engine and the low beam remains on.

Hard to think like a German engineer. At least for me...

[socalrob]

Bob,

Some times this modern stuff makes us feel foolish, like not starting the bike to see if the light works? I swear sometimes you just have to walk away, come back later. Glad you figured it out, would be a pain to have no low beam.