Having troubles with 919 headlight, anybody ever see this?

919Southwest · 03-20-2007, 12:47 PM

Hello,
I joined the site today in hopes of seeing if anyone has experienced this problem I have with the 919 Headlight. I am really hoping this is not going to be a wire harness investigation, and that perhaps someone else has already resolved this mysterious problem.

Problem: Headlight will not shine at all. Neither High nor Low beams are working. But the Headlight Bulb tests perfectly when I run it directly off a separate battery (9 volt).

I'm thinking since the items below have been verified to be working that this may be a ground issue somewhere.

What's been done so far:
=>Found a busted tail/brake light and replaced it, still no headlight.
=>Verified all fuses in fuse box under seat are good, or at least have continuity. still no headlight.
=>Verified all turn signals and running lights are in working order.
=>The High beam indicater does not work when th eswitch is toggled.
=>The horn works, and no other electronic items are failing except the headlight.

Any suggestions or guidance on what next steps I could take to get legal again would be awesome.

Thanks

matty_998cc · 03-20-2007, 1:12 PM

I see your bike is a 2006. Bring it back to the dealer under warranty and let them sort it out.

KenB · 03-20-2007, 4:12 PM

Have you taken the light apart and checked the connection in the dome of the stock light?

919Southwest · 03-20-2007, 4:21 PM

Thanks for the replies Matty 998 and KenB.

Matty 998 => Yes, I'll be dropping it off later this week if I cannot get it fixed without too much trouble. I've promised myself I won't void my warranty by going further than my own mechanical experience.

KenB => Yes it looks as if the connection is solid, and I did remove the connection to the headlight assembly and checked the bulb with a battery, and it worked, so there may be a problem or a short lurking in there that I haven't noticed. What is also odd is that the "brights" led indicator on the control cluster does not glow when the switch is toggled from low to high beams. Also verified that all fuses are good.

KenB · 03-20-2007, 4:26 PM

Have you had to lift the tank recently for any reason? Could be that something is getting pinched under there -- have seen that happen on more than one occasion.

919Southwest · 03-20-2007, 4:32 PM

No recent movement of anything really, I was holding off on any mods till the 1 year was up.
I did wind up doing the install for the OEM windscreen because they had none in stock when I bought the bike, and when it came in, the service area was closed. When I did that install, the H/L assemble had to be taken almost completely apart to get the windscreen mount installed, but that was all done in August 06, and I've ridden almost continuously ever since (with a working Headlight). Stopped riding in december and started in february. I'm thinking that if there was a pinch in the H/L assembly, then I would have suffered from it long before now.
But who knows...

I appreciate the suggestions though.

dattaway · 03-20-2007, 4:34 PM

check the switch. it can be taken apart to be inspected, but its fun putting it back together.

919Southwest · 03-20-2007, 5:07 PM

Dattaway, I did that too, but I forgot to mention it.
It looks like that switch (hi beam/lowbeam) has no ground. It seems to just supply the juice to either the low beam pole, or the high beam pole on the head lamp bulb. I am not a 100% sure, but I think ground for the lamp is somewhere else.

And yes, taking it apart and putting it back together was fun once I realized that the clutch needed loosened and scooted towards the center to access the left handlebar housing.

At first I was compelled to mutter a couple of WTF's?!?

MACI4LIFE · 03-20-2007, 6:53 PM

what about the ignition switch?? Specifically the area that has the starter button. it may be the same issue that i, along with a few others were having where the solder joint was broken. all you had to do was resolder it back, and it's done.

Headlight Out Problem

919Southwest · 03-20-2007, 7:01 PM

MACI4LIFE,

Wow (and thanks) this sounds like a dead ringer for my headlight issue. And it reminded me of something...
Now that I read that string I am thinking that this may be the problem. My dad was up for a visit and is a former MC rider and begged me for a ride on the 919 and when he came back into the garage (with a big smile on his face) he hit the darn starter instead of the kill switch.

So perhaps this is the fix, I'll be pulling the right handle bars apart as soon as I get out of work and ride home.

I'll let you all know if this fixes the issue.

Thanks,
Adam

919Southwest · 03-20-2007, 10:36 PM

MACI4LIFE Thank you for posting and for sharing the link to the fix!!

I opened up the right handle bar "cluster" and found that the ground wire had become unsoldered just as in the link you provided.

Once I re-soldered my headlights were working as expected.

I'm really happy this is all working now, it leaves me more time to ride and search this site for future mods on my 919.

MACI4LIFE · 03-21-2007, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 919Southwest

MACI4LIFE Thank you for posting and for sharing the link to the fix!!

I opened up the right handle bar "cluster" and found that the ground wire had become unsoldered just as in the link you provided.

Once I re-soldered my headlights were working as expected.

I'm really happy this is all working now, it leaves me more time to ride and search this site for future mods on my 919.

not a problem. i know the pain you went through diagnosing this problem.
glad it helped.

alteast we know the solution works for 929/954 and 919's now

129CBRider · 07-28-2009, 1:05 PM

Timely...My headlight went out yesterday with a good bulb in it. Got pulled over by no less than three patrol cars to tell me it was not burning...funny fuz. Let me go when it took me 3 minutes to get all my safety gear off and they realized I was a sexagenarian...

Heading out back to see if the same thing happened to mine. I'll get back later if it's the same fix...

129CBRider · 07-28-2009, 2:42 PM

Same problem spot. Except that it wasn't a broken solder connection. One of the nylon clips that holds the body of the starter switch itself together broke off letting the headlight contacts disengage while in the run mode. The broken clip is the white thing sticking up on the right.

By pressing down on the internal switch body, the lights work.

When you press the starter button, the power going to the headlight is diverted by the switch to the starter relay starting the engine. When you release the starter switch, power goes back to the headlight hi/lo switch circuit.

If I can't get a zip tie in there looks like I'll need a new starter switch...

129CBRider · 07-28-2009, 2:51 PM

Not repairable...no riding it 'til it's fixed.

ghbzorro · 07-29-2009, 3:38 AM

Check out the Rust Demon Resserection (sic) thread on here. That guy is successfully repairing lots of "not owner serviceable" switches and things on his bike.

129CBRider · 07-29-2009, 11:02 AM

Practice makes perfect...I'd try it (my nickname is Willyfixit) but living in the mountains and riding at night a lot, I'd be s*****d if m headlight went out on me 30 miles out at midnight in an old growth forest where the tall, tall trees block out all the light. It's so dark up there you can't even see your feet, let alone black asphalt.

I will check out that thread tho...thanks.

129CBRider · 07-29-2009, 12:19 PM

Ok, I accepted the challenge, drilled two holes in the bottom of the starter switch housing, fed a zip tie through, pressed the switch back together, tightened the zip tie, saved $80.

My reasoning was that the switch wasn't really faulty, just the nylon clip that held the two halves together.

Contacts and wires were almost like new except for road grime that blew in, probably from riding in the rain quite a lot. Hopefully the two extra holes will let water out instead of in. There was already one factory drain hole.

Plus, I already had one zip tie in there to keep the wiring harness from pulling out when I put the TAG bars on it. Took 15 minutes to repair it.

tjoppa · 08-02-2009, 12:58 PM

I bought a 2005 Honda 919 (used) in March 09. The headlight went out 4 weeks later. I checked everything I could. The dealer replaced the engine cutoff switch (right side handle bar) and told me it was a common problem. Apparently the headlight is routed through the switch body.

129CBRider · 08-02-2009, 2:30 PM

The starter button is on the right side too. It takes the headlight power and runs it through the starter solenoid when you push the button. Thus the problem with the headlight when the switch goes bad.

uranium919 · 10-18-2009, 7:27 AM

Well this is my first post on the site, decided to register after reading up on some issues. I found FireBlades.org scouring the internet for this answer to this same problem.

My headlight stopped working on my 919. After looking at the bulb and seeing it looked fine I checked the fuses. After testing them and seeing they were fine I tried the highbeam and the dash indicator light didn't come on... So I replaced the bulb and got ready to ride out at night..

It didn't come on - ahh! WTfrig! I was pretty frustrated.

So I've read this thread and the other about the solder in the starter button, and now by touching the wire back on , the brand new (really really bright) light is working. Gonna go pick up a soldering iron in the morning and complete the job.

I just want to thank this forums contributors for being such a help , because I was about to start looking for a bike mechanic so they could charge me money to get me to buy a new part that can be easily fixed.

-uranium919

129CBRider · 10-18-2009, 11:34 AM