| Author | Message | ||
     Fltwistygirl |
So...the skis are finally getting ready to be seasonally mothballed and the x t is blowing highbeam bulbs. I am fearing impending stator doom. The output from the battery seems fine what should the next trouble shooting step be? Thanks in advance. B. | ||
| Skifastbadly |
Just high beam? That's strange, if you're getting surging I would expect both bulbs the be blowing. I highly recommend installing something like this: http://signaldynamics.com/index.php/products/led-l ighting?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage. tpl&product_id=56&category_id=44&keyword=voltage I have one installed and when my first bulb blew I knew immediately what the cause was....Or where to start, at any rate. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
If it's just one bulb blowing, perhaps the mounting hardware is loose, allowing it to rattle. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Or you're putting fingerprints (or other dirt) on it when you install it. They get hot enough to boil skin oils on the glass; boiling oils cause the glass to blister; when the glass blisters, it changes shape and can get pinholes in it, blowing the bulb. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Thanks for the feedback, all. We are hoping to get this resolved before the weather gets nice. "Just high beam? That's strange, if you're getting surging I would expect both bulbs the be blowing." It is strange and frustrating. And at $25 per bulb, expensive. Thanks for the link, ski. Good idea. "If it's just one bulb blowing, perhaps the mounting hardware is loose, allowing it to rattle." We are hoping it is something as simple as that. The poor bike has had two 2,000 mile treks in the trailer on some pretty rough roads over the past few months and something may have jiggled loose. For the next step, Greg is thinking of swapping the low beam bulb to see if it is a problem with the high beam mounting. If we do that, maybe it would be more cost effective to pick up a pair of less expensive bulbs for the trouble shooting process. Another thought is maybe something has changed in the bulb manufacturing process since we started using this type of bulb, but that is pure speculation. "Or you're putting fingerprints (or other dirt) on it when you install it." Hopefully not as he dons a fresh pair of latex gloves and dielectric grease each time he does a bulb switchout. I believe he's going to dig a little deeper later today and will keep you posted. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Dielectric grease will do it too. Bulbs need to be sterile, 100% clean. What sort of bulb do you use? That could be the culprit right there. I've heard silverstar bulbs do very poorly in our bikes just from the vibrations...I run an HID low beam from DDMTuning and a factory high beam... | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
".....And at $25 per bulb, expensive" It sounds like silverstar prices. Get the $11 ones from Walmart. I got 30,000 out of the one I replaced so far. Cheap = good. | ||
| Pnw_uly |
After a brief ride, pop off the two torx bolts for the primary access cover and get a good whiff - - if the stator is failing, you'll definitely get the "burned" smell. If smells okay, maybe VR ? ? Best of luck. | ||
| Griffmeister |
Even $11 is too much for testing. The NAPA stores around here have H7's for about $8. I agree with the others, just one bulb blowing seems more a mechanical issue than an electrical one. Keep us up to date on progress. | ||
| Motorbike |
Fltwistygirl, I had Sylvania Silverstar Ultras in my 08 XT for a while. I loved the nice white light they put out but the high beam burned out after only one short season. I replaced them both with Osram 65 Watt bulbs and they have outlasted the Silverstars so far. http://store.candlepower.com/osraulhiouh7.html You might not have a problem except for bad bulbs. If you look at the back of a package of Sylvania Bulbs, you will see a chart that shows average life of each of their bulbs. The life expectancy of the bulbs drops drastically as the brightness of the bulb goes up. The cheapest ones last way longer than the high priced brighter ones. Thanks. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Thanks all for the info. The problem bulbs are sylvania silverstar ultras. I found them to be considerably brighter than the stock bulb and when I was riding an hour to work at o'dark thirty, the tradeoff of a shorter lifespan/higher price tag was well worth it. Now that I am rarely riding in the dark, I am open to other options. We'll pickup some less expensive bulbs and let the troubleshooting begin. My fingers are crossed that it is nothing more than a bad bulb/mechanical issue. Will keep you posted. B. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Get a DDM Tuning low beam HID bulb and you'll probably toggle to the high beam less than half as often. Stay away from blue light; the human eye is least sensitive to blue lightwaves. Go for xenon white or a daylight, I want to say in the 4300-4500K (kelvin) color range. That's what I run and I love it. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Oh, and I run the 35 watt version; its plenty bright and no reflector melt worries. | ||
| Xbimmer |
When my 2nd and last stock VR went south only my low beam bulb was blowing, high beam never did and it's still in there long after I replaced the VR with a Shindengen. Which by the way is still such an improvement over stock it's silly. I use Wagner Long Life bulbs, Hella FF50 driving lights give me more light when needed which is often since my headlight reflectors are shot. | ||
| Uly_man |
Lamp (bulb) life can vary for many reasons but you should not be having any real problems. One is that these are car lamps and a bike can be hard on them for vibration. As a "base only guide" you can tell what has happened if you look at the filament of the lamp. If it is white thats old age. If the coil is even but with a clean break thats shock/vibration damage and/or a dead short. If the coil looks melted thats over amps. I have used Sylvania lamps on my bikes in the past and cant say I am a great fan of them. I also come across them in my work and like them even less. In both cases they seem to have a bigger fail rate than most things. Try something like a Philips Moto Vision which is designed for bikes. Works good and cheap. HID is the way to go and you will find it MUCH better than these. You can also change back easy, on the road if needed, as they fit between the input and output of the OEM lamp fitting. Also, as said, is the VR monitor as you will see a problem before it makes your ECM toast. Both are easy and cheap to do. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Alrighty then. The new $11 walmart replacement bulb is in and so far is working. Uly man knew what to look for... The filament on the old bulb had a clean break. In addition one of the rubber mounting pins holding the windscreen on was starting to loosen and vibrate. That may have been causing more than usual vibration. Tomorrow will be the real test as we hope to take both ulys on a test run on some tasty twisty bits. If I can figure out how to post pictures on our ever evolving computer I will do so. That may involve bribing my son with bacon. Thanks again for the advice. | ||
| Uly_man |
Cool. Try the HID low beam some day. You WILL like it. In addition to a better light it saves 20w (35w over 55w) of power as well. Pics go here? Add Image or Attachment -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Type a description for your attachment: Then click the "Browse..." button to choose a file to upload: And finally click "Upload" to add your attachment: Put the pic in something like "desktop" as easy to find. Double click on it to load to BadWeb. It needs to be a small to med size pic and of a small to med file size to load up. If not it will tell you and you will need to re-size it. The easy way to do this is to set the camera to the lowest settings in the first place. Have fun. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Snow is finally melting...maybe this time for good? Thirty inches in the past week and a half. Yay for lower fire danger and a better whitewater rafting season. Will be riding both ulys this weekend. Time will tell if the bulb makes all the difference in the x t. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Two rides and no dead bulbs yay! | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
(Message edited by fltwistygirl on April 29, 2013) | ||
| Uly_man |
Cool. I hope they last. |
