Member Contributer vfrjim2002 Posted September 4, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted September 4, 2009 Last Sunday I pulled the viffer out of the garage for the first time since April (I know, I know, but it's been HOT AS HE L L). About halfway through the ride, my buddy who was at the time in lead, pulled into a convenience store and told me my headlight was out. When I got home, I pulled some of the tupperware, checked the usual suspects (fuse, connectors, etc) and came up empty. Everything else worked/works fine. With a little help from the schematic (which required a magnifying glass) I traced it to the starter switch (right handlebar). I haven't pulled it apart yet so I can't say for sure exactly what's wrong. Any body else had one of these go south? I"ve never seen this one before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KanadianKen Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Last Sunday I pulled the viffer out of the garage for the first time since April (I know, I know, but it's been HOT AS HE L L). About halfway through the ride, my buddy who was at the time in lead, pulled into a convenience store and told me my headlight was out. When I got home, I pulled some of the tupperware, checked the usual suspects (fuse, connectors, etc) and came up empty. Everything else worked/works fine. With a little help from the schematic (which required a magnifying glass) I traced it to the starter switch (right handlebar). I haven't pulled it apart yet so I can't say for sure exactly what's wrong. Any body else had one of these go south? I"ve never seen this one before. SOunds like you're on your way to figuring it out - the switch could be sticking - give it a shot with some contact cleaner - might fix it up. Also look at the green ground connector inside the BLUE connectors on the left side of your bike. That green wire tends to be overloaded with ground circuits - and can corrode to failure. I assume this is a 2002 based on your screen name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ryanme17 Posted September 4, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted September 4, 2009 I hate to state the overly obvious, but you did check the bulb right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 The very same thing happened to me on my '06 last week,( however, mine hasn't been sitting). I started the bike at the end of the work day, rode off and noticed my blue indicator for the brights wasn't on ( I always run them during the daytime), pulled over, toggled the switch, no lights at all. I turned the bike off and on, and the lights have worked fine ever since....even on a big trip I took a few days later....no problems whatsoever. I did post the issue up last week and someone mentioned lubing the starter switch if I had further problems, since I haven't, I didn't. Good luck.... :fing02: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrjim2002 Posted September 4, 2009 Author Member Contributer Share Posted September 4, 2009 Last Sunday I pulled the viffer out of the garage for the first time since April (I know, I know, but it's been HOT AS HE L L). About halfway through the ride, my buddy who was at the time in lead, pulled into a convenience store and told me my headlight was out. When I got home, I pulled some of the tupperware, checked the usual suspects (fuse, connectors, etc) and came up empty. Everything else worked/works fine. With a little help from the schematic (which required a magnifying glass) I traced it to the starter switch (right handlebar). I haven't pulled it apart yet so I can't say for sure exactly what's wrong. Any body else had one of these go south? I"ve never seen this one before. SOunds like you're on your way to figuring it out - the switch could be sticking - give it a shot with some contact cleaner - might fix it up. Also look at the green ground connector inside the BLUE connectors on the left side of your bike. That green wire tends to be overloaded with ground circuits - and can corrode to failure. I assume this is a 2002 based on your screen name. Hi Ken, Yep. It's an '02. I've been pretty religious about checking/cleaning the connectors and had the harness recall done a while back . At first, I had visions of roasted wires, so the left side (and other) connectors were among the first things I checked. Everything looks fine. The starter switch has two sets of contacts. One (to the starter relay) is normally open and closes when you press the switch. The other (which energizes the headlight relays) is normally closed but opens when you press the switch. For some reason, the head circuit is now open, but will momentarily close, then open again (thereby flashing the headlights on and then off) as the starter button is pressed. Now I just have to get inside it and figure out what's happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ryanme17 Posted September 4, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted September 4, 2009 Oh! And here's another one of those painfully obvious things we usually overlook. There are two spade type connectors on the back of the starter switch. Make sure those are both plugged in, as they can wiggle out sometimes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrjim2002 Posted September 4, 2009 Author Member Contributer Share Posted September 4, 2009 Oh! And here's another one of those painfully obvious things we usually overlook. There are two spade type connectors on the back of the starter switch. Make sure those are both plugged in, as they can wiggle out sometimes... Thanks, I'll take a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KanadianKen Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 SOunds like some decent feedback from a few angles. Please let us know what the culprit was when you dial it in. Good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrjim2002 Posted September 9, 2009 Author Member Contributer Share Posted September 9, 2009 Found it. Thanks for all the suggestions. The guilty party was the starter switch. The switch body itself rides in a small white plastic bracket. One of the ears on the bracket had broken, allowing the switch to rotate forward ever so slightly preventing the headlight circuit from closing when the button was out. How it broke I don't know. I'm not really a serial starter switch abuser, but there it is. interestingly, when I went by the local dealer to order the part I was talking to the GM about what happened and as soon as I mentioned the lights he said, "oh, so you want a starter switch. Same thing happened to both my VFRs." WhoKnew? If there's interest I'll post up some pics when I find the ^&(O*^$ digital camera. EDIT: I was REALLY tempted by the dirt cheap yellow and black CBRs on the floor. Let's see, superbike bars - a Sargent seat, ... Hey, does anybody know if Buell footpegs fit an '08RR? :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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