Still Blowing Bulbs w/ New Regulator 650

K2Berg · Sep 20, 2016

2008 FE 650

Hello,

Been trying to chase down electrical issue for last month. Came home one night to no lights on bike. Ok! Was moron and had hit the starter button when bike was running... (never did this on Berg before)... so maybe my stupidity did it. Fuse was also blown.

Had to run out to suburbs for headlight bulb but replaced them the next day... pop. All three went again after starting.

Was able to run tail light without fuse so had to kick start but light was very weak

Just installed new regulator. Wow! did the tail light shine brightly!

Ok... hoping that the regulator was the problem, but knowing Murphy's Law was more likely, I popped the second headlight bulb.

Started her up and lights looked great. Started revving her to higher and higher RPM's... and pop go both bulbs... but not the fuse!

So fixed the fuse blowing with the new regular but still blowing bulbs.

Running tail light will probably not be an option because it seem higher RPM's will blow it.

Anyone who has experienced this please do share! Don't want to help the light bulb share prices too much by buying so many bulbs!

Thank you for the help!

Some general information:
* Battery being charged at just over 13 volts with bike running.
* Tail light socket has .01-02 volts at idle but is erratic with RPMS.
* Put electrical tape over any loose wire ends under headlight shield.
* Did not see any worn through wired in head light area. Connections to bulb did seem flimsy but solid. Sprayed them with WD40.
*As mentioned previously fuses is not blowing now with new regulator but bulbs still are.

Canadian Boy · Sep 20, 2016

I'm no husaberg mechanic, but I've been around for awhile and my first thought us you have a short somewhere.
easiest way to find a short is to run the bike or car or truck or sled at night and spray water on the coils and wires, if you see any sparks there's your short.
again no experience on husabergs, but I've don't thus more than once on sleds and came out shinning

FE350 · Sep 20, 2016

Check the voltage at idle then at high rpm. If the voltage is ramping way above 13.8 volts you have an issue with your charging system. I am guessing your voltage is going wayyyyyyy up above 15vdc when you hit the rpm as per the bright lights when revving. New regulator might not be working correctly or you can have a short as noted prior. My guess is two wires are pinched together in your harness.

K2Berg · Sep 20, 2016

Wow! Never heard of that Canadian boy. Seems like it would be the most time efficient.

FE350, Yeah! I thought it would be that too but when I was revving the engine it was only charging the battery at 13 volts.

Of course my water pump seal just started leaking yesterday! Love when you get that feeling that things are breaking faster than you can fix them!

I'll try that water bottle trick tomorrow night. It will save me some bulbs!

Thank you guys!

Damo W · Sep 21, 2016

Hi K2Berg,

Remember not to touch the halogen headlight globe with your skin or anything greasy. Causes premature globe failure due to contaminated glass heating up at a different rate and the inert gas inside the globe protecting the fillament leaking.

A short would explain the dull lights but shouldn't make globes fail. They would simply be supplied less voltage. If it's a short to ground, the fuse will blow. I too would've expected an overcharging condition. Maybe your starter doubled as a generator when it was engaged causing the initial failure!! Is it intermittent?

Research using a 'short light' to locate any shorted circuits if that fuse blows again. Relatively inexpensive to make with a blown fuse, wires and a globe & holder.

Good luck
Damo

FE350 · Sep 21, 2016

I have not looked at the manual or schematic for your machine, but here is some info. Some machines and allot of them charge the battery with DC voltage and the headlight runs on AC right from the stator. With this being said, check the voltage directly at the bulb. You might find different voltage at the bulb. Are you getting 13vdc at the battery when running? Check your grounds and your wires at the battery as if the current is not flowing into the battery when running it can cause a ramp. Damo made a good point about the halogen light but I thought the tail light went as well, so if it did it would rule out the touching theory. Also the dim to super bright thing. I am thinking you have a short across two wires and not to ground, maybe at the regulator. I does not make sense that the lights go super bright and the voltage does not change??????? 13 volts should make your lights go to a normal brightness and not super bright?????
When checking for a short, you will need to check for resistance in your harness with it disconnected and check each wire for shorting to another. Sorts are not just to ground but can be shorted to power and each other. I am thinking you will need to check your harness from the stator to rectifier/regulator as per the bright light issue. Do you have the factory lights on the machine or are they aftermarket??

K2Berg · Sep 21, 2016

Thanks for heads up Damo but don't think this S2 tractor quality bulb is halogen. Once was pulled over in Montana because copper didn't think I even had a headlight! He wasn't too far off! Can barely see anything in pitch black Mother Nature...but fine for the well lit city.

Need to first just disconnect red wire to battery and check with light to see if there is a short... and then just start disconnecting everything.

Pain in the butt but must be done. Disconnected headlight yesterday but tail light still blew.

FE350 - Yes! When I connected voltmeter to battery and increased the RPMS it charged at 13/13.1 volts.

Just installed the new regulator on Monday right when it came in the mail. It stopped the fuse from blowing but not the bulbs... so guessing old regulator was part of the issue.

I did have a loose wire in the clip between the two fuses. Finally got tired of reaching in and pressing the wire to make a good contact when the start button did nothing in June. Crimped the wires better and no problem since.

That was the first place I thought may be the problem... but don't see any corrosion there.

Guess will know for sure when I start unplugging everything when checking for a short from the battery.

Tail light is definitely stock and the white headlight should be too since I bought it from a dealer but obviously a white shroud was not in 2008. Plus it doesn't seem as clean as I would expect the wiring to be from the factory.

Thanks again guys. Will try to have a go at it tonight.

FE350 · Sep 21, 2016

What is the static voltage? When running at idle as well when not running? I don't think the 13.1 volts is blowing the lights. I am thinking your getting a spike when the bulbs blow as it does not make any sense? I am thinking you might have a short that is intermittent and when it shorts your voltage spikes? I am curious to how many amps are running through your circuit? You have my brain twisting lol. I am going to look at the schematic now and see if I cant find something?

FE350 · Sep 21, 2016

Just though of something. If you are blowing the bulbs when you hit the starter button then your starter is pulling through the light circuit. This would make the bulbs as a fuse and they can not hold that kind of draw. Check starting circuit and the repair you did to the fuse area. You might be pulling on the wrong circuit?? Just a thought. Might not be a spike in voltage but a current draw through the lights.

K2Berg · Sep 21, 2016

FE350 -

Before I changed the regulator I had to leave the fuse out or the battery would be drained.

With new regulator the battery now stays around 12.85 volts when I stop.

Was going to change brake pads, do values, and do some chasing of this short this afternoon but went to help someone else out.

When I came home I did disconnect my battery to use a test light. It lit up when grounded to the engine but not when used to connect positive wire and battery. Will try it again tomorrow morning if time allows.

I actually wiggled those wires tonight to see if they were loose. Think I will disconnect battery and connect with test light then wiggle each with to see if the issue is here.

The headlight is disconnected so since the taillight still blew possibly eliminated it.

Could be the handle bar light control. I started changing the settings last month after never touching it besides by accident.

I will check the amps also tomorrow.

At idle both lights were fine... until I revved up the engine.

Fingers crossed it becomes black and white tomorrow/whenever I get time to try tracing it.

Thanks again!

ned37 · Sep 22, 2016

Could be the handle bar light control

if it's the euro style "do everything" type: i never had luck getting them to last. i use a simple toggle on mine and i've got a brand new oem switch still in the box (and it will stay there).

K2Berg · Sep 22, 2016

Well I disconnected positive cable from battery and clipped the test light to the loose positive wire and touched the positive battery terminal with the light. It didn't light!

To test the light I attached the clip to the starter frame and touched the positive terminal. It lit up.

According to this there is no short. Now that makes it more confusing!

I reattached the headlight clip to the harness and then checked again with the test light via the disconnected positive cable and terminal.

Then I checked voltage of the headlight bulb socket to see the volts running through. It was difficult to check with the engine running but it stayed the same...basically zero.

Guess I need to play with the light switch and see if there is any corrosion.

This is perplexing why the light bulbs would be blowing.

Anymore leads would be great appreciated.

K2Berg · Sep 22, 2016

Ned37 - Yup! It is the stock one. I saw that some people had problems with it.

When this all started I sprayed WD-40 in the cracks of the on/off/high beam switch. Need to do it for the turn signal switch.

I am surprised it did not show up as a short. I do not have a dead or good headlight bulb in... so maybe the circuit isn't complete.

(My previous post was done before I read yours.)

Than you.

K2Berg · Sep 23, 2016

Sacrificed another tail light bulb!

The one I took out literally exploded! Had to big holes in it with the glass pieces sitting under the bulb in that little well.

This last one shot the filament on to the bulb glass... and it just stuck there!

Well... battery is now well charged and starting on the "button" is super easy... just need to find this gremlin!

Spoke with Rick - OffRoad Boss- today when ordering parts and he said it cold be one of the turn signal connections. Since I disconnected the headlight in a test it should not be my issue but it may help someone else chasing this gremlin when it appears.

May have new water pump seal, brakes, sprockets and chain on before I catch this little electrical devil!

FE350 · Sep 23, 2016

FWIW

K just to clarify, You are using a test light to check for a short???? A short is not only a wire grounding but also a wire pinched to another wire. So for instance a high beam wire and low beam wire touching each other would be a short. Anything that is removing the circuit from the length it runs can be a short.

Short to ground
short to power
short to anything in the circuit.

I am thinking the wire to the headlight and tail light are on the same circuit. the circuit is shorting to a high amperage/currant circuit such as the starter and when a load happens it is blowing the lights. I would check the rectifier/regulator circuit as it might be shorting and supplying way to much amperage Thus using the bulbs in a way a fuse would be used, the resistance of the bulbs can not handle the high currant and then it blows the bulbs as it would a fuse.
You need to use a ohm meter and check each wire from one end to the other and then check the headlight or tail light and test other wires to see if you have a short to the other wire. undo every connector you can find and test each circuit, so take the meter and go from one pin on the connector to the pin besides it and so on until you find the short. Disconnect all ground wires as well the battery and see if the ground is shorting to anything as well. The switch might be the issue as high and low might be coming on at once and then back feeding to the tail light.

K2Berg · Sep 28, 2016

FE350 - Yes! I disconnected the red wire and clipped the test light to it. Then I touch the light to the positive battery terminal. It should light up if there is a short.

Thanks for the direction. Hopefully I get a chance tomorrow to do some more gremlin chasing. Haven't had time and wanted to organize a way to search for it.

Just changed both sets of brake pads and more parts are coming in... hoping I figure this out before I get everything else done!

FE350 · Sep 28, 2016

K2Berg said:
FE350 - Yes! I disconnected the red wire and clipped the test light to it. Then I touch the light to the positive battery terminal. It should light up if there is a short.

This would only light if the short was to ground and we know this is not the problem as your fuse is holding. I am thinking your short is to another circuit such as the stator and or regulator/rectifier prior regulating the voltage direct from the stator, possibly AC current??. If you have two wires shorting together such as this, a test light will tell nothing what so ever and if this is a intermittent short than even worse to find.

Still Blowing Bulbs w/ New Regulator 650

Help Support Husaberg:

K2Berg

Canadian Boy

FE350

K2Berg

Damo W

FE350

K2Berg

FE350

FE350

K2Berg

ned37

Moderator

K2Berg

K2Berg

K2Berg

FE350

K2Berg

FE350

Similar threads

Register CTA

Recent Discussions

Recent Discussions