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1150GS Adv dim Headlight

walerch

New member
The headlight on my 2005 1150GS Adv is dim, almost out. I'm guessing I need to replace it. This is my first bike in 30 years and at this point I don't even know enough to be dangerous.

Wayne
 
It is very possible that you have a poor ground connection at the headlight. There is a common ground for hi beam and low beam.
 
Wayne, is the issue with both the High and Low beams? That info might narrow your troubleshooting (per Roger's post).
There could also be corrosion or wear in the socket (some of them melt), and the factory is certainly not known for using large wire (for current-carrying capability) or applying stress relief (building in enough free play to allow for vibration & turning the bars).
If you go for the bulb, keep your fingers off the glass (deposited skin oil will create hot spots that will shorten the bulb's life) and handle the socket with care (factory originals can be fragile).
 
Not wanting to sound like a smarta__ but it's just an H1 bulb, about $6.00 CDN. Did you try another bulb? You got a whole pile of great opinions here but in my experience, when our equipment operators complained about lights, we changed the bulbs first. I think I have a bunch in my stuff and could send you a handful if you lived in Canada. The bulb for your bike is Xenon, I think, not halogen and it isn't an HID. The Xenon bulbs we used have a blue tinge to the glass to distinguish them from the halogen. The blue is otherwise useless. Last time I bought a pack of them, they rounded out to about $12.00 a bulb. Just for perspective, $12.00 is 10 minutes labor/door rate.
 
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