_FIXED_ Headlight keeps burning out,

[JeremyP]

I have had my 92 GS500 since september and i have gone through 3, going on 4 headlights.
On every single on of them the high beam has burned out.
The last and current bulb i installed i made sure that NOTHING got on the bulb (wore gloves and everything)
Now, is this because i ride my bike for at least 2hrs/day with the high beams on and frequently flash my high beams at night to make other drivers notice me
or is there something wrong with my wiring
or is there some little bike gnomes that eat my high beam filament?

UPDATE:: i fixed it and this is what it looks like now:
Low beams:


Hight beams:


VICTORIOUS!

[sledge]

Lots of on and off cycles are what shorten a bulbs life but a few months life doesnt sound right.......Could just be bad luck, try a replacement bulb from a different maker and make sure its properly fitted and cant vibrate.

If it dims and flickers on tickover and/or goes noticably brighter at high revs I would suspect the reg/rect as being faulty. Start by measuring the voltage across the battery at high revs, any higher than about 15.5v indicates the reg/rect is letting too much voltage into the system and its this that could be burning out your bulbs.

[simon79]

+1.
I had the same problem ten years ago or so, with my 50cc scooter.
The headlight bulbs would blow almost on a daily basis, twice at a time.
Turned out it was a bad lot of reg/recs. New (good) one was installed under warranty, problem disappeared for good.

[ajaxgs]

don't touch the glass part of the bulb with your fingers !!   creates hot spots and clean with a alcohol swap if you do

[scottpA_GS]

don't touch the glass part of the bulb with your fingers !!   creates hot spots and clean with a alcohol swap if you do

He already coverd that 

I agree with trying another brand... The Reg/rec sounds like a possibility to. Try searching the site, I know someone will have posted a way to test it 

[frankieG]

exactly keep da fingies off and run with the high beams on all the time.  yes it is annoying for the cages but so is getting hit by one

[sledge]

The manuals all quote a procedure for carrying out a static test on the reg/rect. If it is faulty and allowing too many volts or some AC into the system  the battery could be being overcharged and will be next to suffer, you need check its not getting hot and boiling off acid.

[ohgood]

Hey, thanks for posting everyone. I've heard people talking about their zxwhatever burning bulbs like mad. Now I know why.

I've had the same bulb since I bought the gs. I've switched back and forth between two, but neither has blown. Guess the electrics are doing well so far.

[gsJack]

Make sure the rubber cushions for the headlight mounting to the forks are there and in good shape.  Too much vibration can cause short bulb life.  Parts #5 here: 

http://images.powersportsnetwork.com/fiche/images/Suzuki/1989/Motorcycles/2103_44.gif

I had a CB750 years ago that I put 80k miles on and after it was getting old the headlight assembly seemed to be getting too floppy on the forks and I shimmed it or did something to tighten it up and it began burning bulbs like you describe.  Put it back the way it was and bulb life went back to normal.

I've got 56k miles on the 02 GS and have changed the H-4 bulb once so far.  I only changed it 2 or 3 times on the 97 GS in 80k miles.

[sledge]

Hey, thanks for posting everyone. I've heard people talking about their zxwhatever burning bulbs like mad. Now I know why. 

Yeah..some kwaks and the larger capacity GSs from the 70s early 80s...and probably other bikes that had a 3-phase alternator used a system whereby one of the 3-phase outputs from the alternator was used just for powering the headlamp (other than the starter motor the lamp needs more power and draws more current than anything else on a bike). The remaing 2 phases were used for powering everything else. It wasnt a very reliable system due to the voltage and current imbalances it caused in the stator, it would overheat, lead to the winding burning out and cause no end of problems in reg/rects and their electronics....continualy blowing headlamp bulbs are generaly the first signs of trouble.

These days the more modern bikes inc our GS5 use a much more reliable system that distributes the electrical load evenly across all 3-phases of the alternator, this means the voltages and currents are balanced in each phase which in turn cuts down on overheating and overloading of the stator and gives the reg/rect an easier time.

[JeremyP]

OOOK i think i found the culprit:

Notice figures 6 and 7 in exhibit A and figure 3 in exhibit B
EXHIBIT A:


EXHIBIT B:


The holes do not line up so there is only one bolt in each side----> extra vibration=bulb burning out more often.

So now.... can someone help me?? maybe a measurement between the two holes on their brackets? which parts to order?

thanks

[JeremyP]

anybody? please...

[Kerry]

Hmmmm ... need to ask a few questions.

Items 6 and 7 in "EXHIBIT A":

• Each item has 3 holes.  Are you saying that each side is missing one of the two "item 8" bolts?
• I think you're saying that the holes don't match up between those two pieces and items 3 and 4 in "EXHIBIT B".  Are you able to rotate the whole headlight assembly so they DO line up?

Item 3 in "EXHIBIT B":

• I'd like to check another possible source of "looseness".  You see the extra "tab with a hole" on item 3?  (Item 4 doesn't have it.)  That is used as an anchor point for the up-and-down headlight adjustment.  Here it is from the right side of the bike (the lower bolt head), with items 9 thru 11 from "EXHIBIT A" visible:
  
  
  
  
  And here it is from the rear ... with items 13, 11(b) and 14 from "EXHIBIT A" visible (along with the other end of item 9).  Notice that the tab welded onto the back of the headlight bucket (with the adjustment slot) is not visible in the "EXHIBIT A" diagram:
  
  
  
  Do you have those parts?  If not, the headlight would be somewhat free to bounce up and down.

[JeremyP]

• Each item has 3 holes.  Are you saying that each side is missing one of the two "item 8" bolts?
• I think you're saying that the holes don't match up between those two pieces and items 3 and 4 in "EXHIBIT B".  Are you able to rotate the whole headlight assembly so they DO line up?

YES each side is missing the lower bolt (item 8 ) and even if i did have the bolts the holes on the headlight bracket (items 6 and 7 Exhibit A) are about 3/4" lower then the holes on exhibit b items 3 and 4

• I'd like to check another possible source of "looseness".  You see the extra "tab with a hole" on item 3?  (Item 4 doesn't have it.)  That is used as an anchor point for the up-and-down headlight adjustment. 

HAH the tab is completely nonexistant. No wonder i was so annoyed by having to take out the healight to loosen the bolts on the side to adjust it.

So heres the right side of my headlight


and from above: (where the tab should be)


OK, now we are getting somewhere (thanks Kerry)
My headlight brackets actually look like a different shape then yours also.
So now i will assume that my headlight and brackets are not even from a GS
Does this mean i need to order theese parts? or maybe some way to rig it? or maybe someone here has put on a new front end and has their headlight hanging around somewhere?
or is there a better replacement that i should look for?

THANK YOU
[/list]

[Kerry]

My headlight brackets actually look like a different shape then yours also.
So now i will assume that my headlight and brackets are not even from a GS

I can't tell about the headlight bucket itself from your pictures, but yeah ... I'd say you have a few non-standard (and missing) parts.

Does this mean i need to order theese parts? or maybe some way to rig it? or maybe someone here has put on a new front end and has their headlight hanging around somewhere?

That's a good idea; see if any racers have divested their bikes of the headlight assembly altogether.  Unless they do trackdays at night...?

[JeremyP]

tada!

[Kerry]

tada!

Huh???

[JeremyP]

UPDATE:: i fixed it and this is what it looks like now:
Low beams:


Hight beams:


VICTORIOUS!