Need a comparison done please

[Rocket]

Could a few of you with the Mk1 (early model) Ventures, please do some electrical readings at the headlight plug. What I am trying to determine, is mine the only one with power on the low beam, in addition to the high beam. With my results below, no wonder my high beam is so bright.

 

 

I want to install a headlight modulator / relay on my 83VR. It works great on the low beam side, but have nothing on high beam due to excessive low beam voltage also present, shutting the unit off. I have tested the unit on another bike (83 750 Maxim) & it works great.

 

My Voltage readings was as follows, at the bikes headlight plug.

 

Switch on Low Beam

Low output 11.8V High output 3.58V

 

Switch on High Beam

Low output 10.54V High output 11.49V

 

I probably should look inside the switch, as well, to check things there too.

[Condor]

Could a few of you with the Mk1 (early model) Ventures, please do some electrical readings at the headlight plug. What I am trying to determine, is mine the only one with power on the low beam, in addition to the high beam. With my results below, no wonder my high beam is so bright.

 

 

I want to install a headlight modulator / relay on my 83VR. It works great on the low beam side, but have nothing on high beam due to excessive low beam voltage also present, shutting the unit off. I have tested the unit on another bike (83 750 Maxim) & it works great.

 

My Voltage readings was as follows, at the bikes headlight plug.

 

Switch on Low Beam

Low output 11.8V High output 3.58V

 

Switch on High Beam

Low output 10.54V High output 11.49V

 

I probably should look inside the switch, as well, to check things there too.

 

I don't have easy access to the plug on mine right now Paul, but there's got to be someone here with ready access to the back of the '83 headlight lamp. The next time I'm in there I'll check for ya.

[buddy]

Yep same here Rocket, pretty close to my bike as well on voltage.

 

I had trouble with my low beam setting off the light on dash as for burnt bulb but it was still lite but not much, found my board to be the trouble so I resolder all contacts - that fixed the problem. After the fix mine had the same readings as yours so the 83 model may be the only year that does this ? Lets see what members have to say about theirs.

 

buddy

[Gearhead]

Consider this. I've consistently found that old bikes don't deliver full voltage to the headlight thru the factory wiring (which affects brightness), so I tried to install relays on my 87 like I've done before on my Virago. Simple job - one relay each for hi and lo beam. Got it all wired up and it didn't work right. What the heck? I don't have my notes in front of me so I don't have specifics, but the bottom line is this: I got some kind of funky reading like you are, and it all has to do with the CMU and reserve lighting unit (or some such). I wonder if your circuit is working normally for a Venture and the CMU is giving you fits?

 

After studying the wiring diagram, I concluded that I could bypass the reserve lighting unit and probably get the relays to work, but the CMU would always think the bulb was burned out and flash the red light. I put it back to stock.

 

Jeremy

[Rocket]

Could a few of you with the Mk1 (early model) Ventures, please do some electrical readings at the headlight plug. What I am trying to determine, is mine the only one with power on the low beam, in addition to the high beam. With my results below, no wonder my high beam is so bright.

 

 

Switch on High Beam

Low output 10.54V High output 11.49V

 

I probably should look inside the switch, as well, to check things there too.

 

 

Time for a Bump on this, need more input, still.............

[Venturous Randy]

I have been wondering about installing a relay on my 83 that would go around the Computer Monitoring System (CMS) and reserve light unit (RLU) and be activated by a jumper from the normal hot wire to the light. I would still leave the wiring hooked up as stock, but run a wire parallel from the battery thru a relay. I wonder what this would do to the the rest of the system?

Has anyone ran a hot wire off the battery and touched it on the light prongs with the light connector hooked up? If you did, was the headlight any brighter?

I would hate to bypass the RLU, but with power to the bulb going thru the CMS and the RLU, I know there is some voltage drop and voltage drop is lesser light.

RandyA

[Dano]

Interesting thread, as I will soon be tearing down my84 for the 2nd gear project, I also plan to do housekeeping on everything! (Might not get back on the road till fall if I don't watch it!). I'll check mine when I take off the fairing before I disconnect the electrical system. Might still be a couple weeks till I get to that cause of sons basketball, meetings, and some guy giving me a bunch of bike-fixing cash to wire up his new house! I'll report as soon as I can.

 

Dan

[Gearhead]

"I have been wondering about installing a relay on my 83 that would go around the Computer Monitoring System (CMS) ...."

Randy,

I did in fact do the jumper wire and the light was noticably brighter on the garage wall. 2 extra volts will do that for you. And that voltage drop is not just in the RLU, it's in the key switch, starter button, hi-lo beam switch, connectors, etc. I have numbers that I measured at various places in the circuit, but sorry Rocket, they are at home and I keep forgetting to look them up for you. But I'm pretty sure I measured about the same as you, which leads me to another point.

 

Randy, your idea would require 2 relays - one each for hi and lo beam. The problem is that since neither beam is totally shut off by the RLU (see Rocket's numbers), the relays either buzz or won't shut off. IIRC, on LO, the 3 volts remaining in the HI line makes the relay buzz. On HI, the 10V left on the LO line won't let the relay turn off so both beams stay on. The only way I figured a relay could be successfully used and not trip the CMS was to use one relay just before the hi-lo switch. This would eliminate the voltage drop of the key switch, main fuse and start button, but the hi-lo switch and CMS / RLU would still be in the circuit. I forget how much voltage that would pick up at the light, maybe .5 to 1 volt.

 

I just helped my Dad with some wiring on his Kawi Voyager. It already has a relay-activated headlight system, so the hi current doesn't have to go thru the key and both handlebar switches. Much better.

 

Jeremy