| Author | Message | ||
     Rocketsprink |
I don' think anyone is being a baby about anything and kindly keep your ignorant comments to yourself. I believe the deal with it menality is just paln stupid. if you don't mind spending money on items that don't work as designed, good for you. but some, including me, don't accept it as is. | ||
| Mark_1 |
Sorry to hear you are having problems Roc. Your XB is still performing fantastic. Let me know if I can help at all. | ||
| Baggh |
+1 Rocketsprink... I just got off of the phone with the service manager at my HD dealer. He seems like a great guy, genuine, and honestly he sounds equally as interested in finding a fix as some of us are. I had a lengthy\ productive discussion with him. I will share the info I have found with those who want it. I will not share the info with Jules or anyone else who is of the "quit complaining\live it with" camp. oh... and he agrees... these bikes are marketed and supposedly "made for the street"... but make badass track bikes as well... but they are sold for street use and should operate as such. Like i said... this isn't the least bit debatable. | ||
| Tpoppa |
"I will share the info I have found with those who want it." Can you PM it to me if you don't want to post? | ||
| Dktechguy112 |
baggh, Can you pm me too? | ||
| Aeholton |
PM sent Baggh. | ||
| Mhpalin |
me too thanks Mike | ||
| Jules |
@Jules... ... *sigh*... Not "designed" to run with the high beam on? This is a bike made for mass street sale production correct? Any bike i have ever rode... any car or Army vehicle I have ever driven has High Beam operation capabilities. and yes... at all times they can be on. In fact... it is encouraged to operate bikes with their High Beams on by day. No it isn't. You might WANT to run with them on all the time but that's not what they were DESIGNED to do. If doing so causes YOU issues then clearly that's your choice. I didn't say it doesn't have the capability to do so, just that doing so is pointless and off-spec. Low beams are there for riding around with and high-beams are there for when you need to see where you're going and won't inconvenience other road users. It's inconsiderate to use them all the time. You are once again falling into that "just accept shabby engineering dept"... if the salesman or any other literature stated that "the High Beam will kill your battery... we suggest you use it verrrry minimally" I prob would have walked away in fear that there might be other problems with the bike then. What on earth makes you think you have the right to tell me what "trap" I am falling in to? It's not shabby engineering - you are making a conscious choice to use the lights in a manner outside of the accepted norm, the fault therefor is yours and not the bike. Any info in regards to helping our bikes operate properly is useful. On that we agree - but the "High Beam" info only falls into that category if you were planning on riding with them on all the time. Unless you are able to provide some evidence that the majority of riders who have experienced failures are doing just that then it's still a meaningless point to be making. I have service\warranty printouts, service calls, and outlined some voltage reading measurements that were taken under actual operating conditions that point towards the High Beam creating a strong draw on the charging system. I think that has some merit and may be useful to some. Wow - so adding another pair of 35W bulbs to the cct actually creates more current draw, wow who'd have guessed that... That's what we call sarcasm in case you missed it - OBVIOUSLY another 70W of draw is created when main beam is on that's another almost 6A.. You don't need an engineer, a tech or any testing to work that out. I dont know of any modern mass production vehicle that is specifically "designed" not to use the high beam. I like to hear some "value" in that. Whoever said that? I never, honestly - you've made your mind up about the bike and that;'s your choice but don't try to put words in my mouth. I said it wasn't designed to operate with high beams on ALL THE TIME not that it's designed NOT TO USE HIGH BEAMS - why do you think there's a switch there?} | ||
| Roadrash1 |
Jules... "The bike wasn't "designed" to run with high beams on" Really? You must not ride after dark in deer country on lonely backroads. Of course the bike was designed to run with high beams on. They all are. Rocketspink, Good luck and just do what makes you happy. There are all kinds of great, fun motorcycles out there! Enjoy! | ||
| Baggh |
I will get PM's out as soon as I can... promise. At work right now... I'll send before the day is done. Jules... Quite a few people, including the Harley tech(s) I spoke to, disagree with you and others of your "quit whining\ accept shabby engineering" camp. You may find my situation and the info about it pointless but it appears many do not. If what I wrote helped prevent even 1 person from months of frustration and gets them back to happily riding (and luvin) their bikes then its worth it. Your never ending barrage of sarcasm and insulting banter certainly isn't helping 1 rider. If my info doesn't help you then geeze... why not just move on? I have read many bits of info on this site that wasn't helpful to me personally... and a ton of it was very helpful... but I didn't stop to comment and belittle the unhelpful topics\ authors. I just read them and moved on. | ||
| Dktechguy112 |
jules, the dmv handbook, and the motorcycle class i took both said it is ok and recommended that motorcycles run with the high beams on during the day. I have driven 6 different motorcycles, and i have never had a problem with running the high beams 24/7. I run the high beams on my 1125 all the time as well, but i have a cr, so its only one high beam bulb, and my low beam is an hid, so it uses less power. | ||
| Tpoppa |
Advice to avoid the high beams or certain RPMs reminds me of the old joke. “A man walks into a doctor’s office. He says ‘Doctor, doctor, my arm hurts when I move it like this!’ The doctor replies ‘Then don’t move it like that’ Of course that was a punchline. | ||
| Baggh |
1 more thing Jules... this entire "High Beam" thing isn't really about the High Beam in particular. The big picture is the charging system failures... failures that lead to dead batteries, fried stators, stranded riders, and potentially if the engine dies during a worst case scenario... well... bad stuff. The high beam usage is proving to be a massive (overly massive) draw on the bikes voltage output (once again.. abnormally large)... this "could" be the cause of many of the bikes electronic\charging issues. All I know is this... using the high beam= dead batteries... my battery light coming on all the time... etc. Since I started not using my high beam... no battery light... perfect battery charge... picture perfect bike operation. Sooo... its either accept not using my high beam or at least attempt to get the bike operating like every other bike known to man... and hopefully even prevent the situations I mentioned above. | ||
| Baggh |
+1 Dktechguy... from the TX Motorcycle License Handbook... HEADLIGHT The best way to help others see your motorcycle is to keep the headlight on—at all times (although motorcycles sold in the U.S. since 1978 automatically have the headlights on when running.) Studies show that, during the day, a motorcycle with its light on is twice as likely to be noticed. Use of the high beam during the day increases the likelihood that oncoming drivers will see you. Use low beam at night and in cloudy weather. } | ||
| Jules |
disagree with you and others of your "quit whining\ accept shabby engineering" You're doing that whole "putting words in my mouth" thing again. If the US DMV recommend using High Beams all the time then they're idiots, it has NOTHING to do with the issue of how much current it draws or how much it effects the bike you're riding it has much more to do with courtesy to other road users. And I NEVER said DON'T EVER use them, as I said, there's a switch there for a reason, the lights are there for a reason, the reason is for occassions exactly as Roadrash describes (amongst others), I absolutely 100% agree that there's a time and a place for high beams. All I said was I disagreed that the info was useful, in response I got some pretty pointless personal attacks and TBH I don't give a toss if anyone agrees with me or not, it's MY opinion (that's all). If I said that you wer whining then I was being presumptive, as it happens the presumption proved accurate - but again that's just my opinion. Whatever you decide to do is absolutely your choice, I'll do as suggested and ignore this thread and the one on high beams because as you quite rightly say it's time to move on. AS for a constant barrage of sarcasm, honestly you need to get out more. 99% of my posts have been constructive and information sharing, it's only when faced with blind stupidity that I get sarcastic. | ||
| Dktechguy112 |
I have never had a driver honk at me with my high beams on at night. I would rather someone be annoyed for a few seconds by my high beam, then run me off the road because they did not see me. The high beams on motorcycles are different then the high beams on cars, they don't bother people like car high beams do. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
Ummmm......yes they do. I'm a truck driver, and when you're passing a truck with your high beams on the driver gets blinded by the glare of your lights. But if you want the driver of the 80,000 lb truck you're next to on your motorcycle (or car for that matter) blinded or greatly distracted at best, go nuts, it's your life on the line. (Message edited by badlionsfan on August 20, 2010) | ||
| Dannybuell |
Badlionsfan - Copy that. Some people do not have the best night vision. As a person grows older there can be a loss of night vision for a number of reasons. People with cataracts are especially sensitive with glaring brightness. If you blind the other guy he may accidentally come over to see you! | ||
| Baggh |
Keeping the High Beams on at night can be very distracting to other drivers and riders. I only use the High Beams at night when needed... back country roads and such. So... by night my high beam is only on for brief periods of time. It is only by day that I leave the high beam on during my entire ride for increased visibility... increased safety. My battery dies using the High Beams as I just described above. Most of you use your High beams in this way I'm sure... Having said that... driving etiquette aside... the point is that this bike should operate properly if a rider chose to ride with their High Beam on 24/7.. you know... just like any other motorcycle\car\truck\howitzer\etc etc etc. At a minimal.. it certainly shouldn't kill the battery using it. This bike is supposed to handle accessories like heated grips... how does it handle those items if it can't even handle a High beam...? | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
The question about high beam use is clearly about daytime use- not at night. I don't think anyone here suggests using high beams at all times at night- it can cause issues with on-coming vehicles. However, if someone wants us to believe that a motorcycle high beam could possibly be an issue during daylight use- get real. A motorcycle low beam is barely visible during the day, and that's why every instructor, owners manual, driving tip brochure, m/c endorsement test, riding book, and every experienced rider I've talked to all stress the importance of using the high beam when riding during the day. Seriously?... who in their right mind would suggest not using the high beam in daylight- it's laughable, really. I have used my high beam during the day on every one of the 25+ motorcycles I've owned, and would not consider riding any other way. If I had a bike that could not operate during the day with high beams without draining the battery, and there was no fix- that bike would be gone. It's simply a safety issue, and arguing it's not necessary on a street bike is ignorant. Blinding oncoming traffic during the day... ridiculous. | ||
| Baggh |
exactly Redbuelljunkie... I just felt the need to explain what most find to be common sense for the benefit of.. I don't know... riders like Jules. | ||
| Pariah |
High beams during the day *can* be a problem. My riding instructors (MSF and Total Control), who had to face students on course with high beams blasting in their faces, did not like it, and had us switch to lowbeams (despite what the MSF or DMV literature says). A recent Motorcyclist article advocates sparing high beam use during the day (for instance, only hold on--- do not flash--- when passing through intersections to alert left turning vehicles). I think this is a great idea. | ||
| Baggh |
This turned into a "when is it proper to use High Beams?" conversation. Thats fine and all... some interesting chimes for and against. The point is should a brand new motorcycle be able to function properly when the High Beams are being used 24/7? Even more to the point is that this is about the 1125's charging issues (repeated stator failures\ harness upgrade\ etc). I was simply offering up my experiences in regards to the charging system (which many of you share these experiences) and a potential... well... not fix but preventive measure that needs to be addressed by HD. That issue being my particular bike does not charge properly when I use my High Beam. All signs\ evidence\etc point towards this being the cause of my battery discharge\drainage\which could snowball into the stator frying. I think it should be fixed and certainly do not think I (and others like me) are whining about the issue and we certainly should not just live with it. We deserve better as customers who laid down our hard earned money for an awesome bike. I expect it to function exactly like any other vehicle on the road in regards to the electrical system. Meaning... the bike should function properly even if one uses their High Beams 24\7. | ||
| Dannybuell |
I believe HD's in general have marginal electrical's. In 14 years my S1 has had the original plus 3 stators. 4 stators in 84Kmi! -See what happens when a company with no electrical expertise outsources! --Some Chinese electrical manufacturer remains anonymous so why should he care? ---Rotax should care, their credibility with the MC industry is at risk here. | ||
| Roadrash1 |
Since this has turned into a headlight safety topic....here's something that always bothered me. A few years ago (we have a 2003 car like this) auto makers started making headlights on all the time in cars. Probably some lawmakers made this happen? End result I thought, and the AMA agreed and fought to stop it, was since all the cars now have their headlights on during the day, it makes us bikers just a little less visible. (Just what we needed...)  | ||
| Tpoppa |
---Rotax should care, their credibility with the MC industry is at risk here. You sure the 09 stator was sourced by Rotax? I'm not. | ||
| Rocketsprink |
No, but the 08 clutch was built by them and mine is leaking to beat the band. My ultimate goal is to have a bike I can rely on. Once again, I know other makers have issues, and I still put the blame on HD for the •••••• way they are dealing with the whole situation. If they ever had the notion that I would switch to a HD, after the way they're treating this "customer", they can kiss my @ss. | ||
| Dannybuell |
Tpoppa - I think Rotax deserves a certain amount of guilt having similar issues with their big Aprilia engine's. HD has stated heat is the issue. If there was more cooling for that rotor, maybe some fresh oil passing through, this conversation might not be happening. | ||
| Lucky_jim |
I understand where you're coming from, Rocketsprink.. here I am trying to ignore the stator issues.. in fact I figured my bike was fine after a while I stopped bringing the charge level up on the LCD. And now my motor is toast  Thinkin about a GSX1250F or Bandit.. more torque than the Buell, but damn I'd miss having a v-twin. Just want a bike you can take out and ride and not worry about, eh. | ||
| Baggh |
Hey all.. I sent out a message to those that requested it via email... my story was a bit too long for this site's message system (too many words). If you PM me I can send you the information via email. thanks |
