Baja Designs light kit trouble

[BobbySands]

it stopped working a few times in the last 2 months, and it always came back, mysteriously. today when i started it up, no lights, nothing. 4 blocks later, everything worked ('cept the horn. the horn hasn't worked since i bought the bike-- kit previously installed-- neither does the high-beam indicator) about 3 miles later, nothing. no brake light, no signals front or back, no head/tail light.

any ideas here? i tore the headlamp off and re-seated all the connections i could find. took the seat off and did same. help me out here.

[Fabricator]

Without knowing how BD wires their kits, something that "wholesale" as far as everything crapping out at once would have me looking at the ground connection(s).

Get a meter and be sure to do a good 'wiggle check' of all the associated ground wires to make sure you rule out a broken wire causing an intermittent problem inside the insulation/sleeving.

Also do a close check of the wiring where the harness transitions from the frame to the forks - if it is an older installation, a wire may have broken in that area of the harness where it is constantly being worked back and forth and causing an intermittent condition... right next to the zip-ties securing the wiring on the forks and/or frame is a good place to start.

The horn - make sure that it doesn't need the little screw adjusted on the back to allow the horn to do it's thing again. If you can still hear a strained, but quiet buzz coming from the horn, that might be all it needs.

Good luck - I hate electrical gremlins...

[BobbySands]

thank you for you help. first, i'll have to find someone with a fluke meter. then i'll have to learn how to employ it. or bribe the fellow for some help. (pipe is my thing, not power. if it's round and it has a hole in the middle of it, i'm an expert.) i do have access to a tech, and i may have to encourage him to take some time off of his proper task at work to perform what we call in our shop a 'government job'. i think a meter might make the hunt a bit easier. first i'll try disconnecting the battery, as the other TT suggested. could it be that easy? let's hope so.

matt

[BobbySands]

so far i've called them:

one tech was out to lunch and another was busy with a customer. the operator asked if i would like to leave my information for a call back. i asked if they would actually call me back, she said, well.... i can't guarantee it..' needless to say, no phone call has been received so far, but i only called this afternoon.

i've also submitted my problem online. i'm supposed to receive an answer within 24 hours.

we'll see how the customer service REALLY is in a day or two. you'd think with a problem as catastrophic as this, they should be able to tell me where to start. the kill switch and ignition still work on the control switch, so i assume that isn't the problem. that connects to the bike via a big white molex-like connector, so i assume the problem has to be behind that. i disconnected the battery and no luck. i re-seated every connector i could find, found no loose connections, no abraded wires. it's a new design so there are no signals attached to the forks... ARGHH. needless to say, i'm no electrician.

[djharte]

When my BD lights act up the problem is always with the white connector by the steering head. When turning right and left the connector moves also. Usually all I had to do was disconnect it clean it and plug it back in. The last time it failed a wire gioing into the connector broke and I had to solder it. I've tried to move the connector a little bit forward to stop ssome of the problem.

[twoblackbelts]

ell, all these are good responses, but it also sound to me like a breaker it throwing. Ask them if your system has any breakers, as it may be over-juicing.

That said, it sounds the most likely culprit is connector oxidation like ^^^ this guy said.

[MotoMac]

Some sort of corrosion/oxidation is likely, especially in a ground connector. It may look good, but if you actually take it off, the underside where it is supposed to make contact with the frame could be corroded.

You also mentioned that the horn never works, regardless of whether the rest of the BD gear is working or not. That would be my next place to look. It could very easily be a loose wire inside the horn button housing that is occasionally grounding out.

Good luck with the troubleshooting...intermittent electrical problems suck!

Cheers,

Mac