No Headlights on My RT
 

Tonight I started my RT after a brief stop. The low beams went off immediately and have not come on since. I have parking lights. I switched to the high beam and it worked for a while and then went out. Now I get the bulb out warning light on the display panel and nothing but parking lights up front. Everything else is working fine. HELP!! I did disconnect the battery for thirty minutes and then reconnect. No help there.

You have checked the bulbs? taken a voltage reading at the socket?

Sounds like jealousy to me.. It knows that the HP2S is getting all the lovin.

Both lowbeams and the highbeam toast. Alternator output 14.07 volts and battery static 12.5. Previous had a battery that produced 19+ volts and blew one headlamp but that was over 7k mile ago. Tonight when I started the bike I was surrounded by piloce cruisers and two firetrucks with all their strobes running. I'm wondering if this is an induction overvoltage from the strobes.:confused: Three identical headlamps going at once is not normal.

As I understand it from talking to my bud, a TR3B 'flying Triangle' was doing a 'cloaked' hover directly over your bike for about 10 minutes as it's onboard Townsend-Brown Field Generator was giving them problems. Probably a case of stray antimatter backflow inductive reactance from the gravity 'A' wave they give off..it tends to hose filament-type bulbs of all kinds.
consider it your contribution to advanced science:)

*Grin*

So what will it take to get a tech answer on this "Tech Board" . I realize this isn't about aftermarket bling and Akra exhaust and hp improving chips. But, having three headlamps toast themselves in a matter of 3 minutes is a serious problem if you're running at night. This seems to be a way over the top over voltage situation that can trash your ride for a long time if you're out of warranty. If electricity is still a mystery to you please don't participate. I need so answers for those who have experienced failed alternators fried can buses and loss of lights for no explainable reason.

Well, it is not your CAN bus or the whole bike would be dead. On the other hand, I don't have much experience with CAN to be of real help. Your alternator and regulator seem to be good, as the voltages are just what you would expect.

Bulbs of the same age will die relatively close to each other, but 3 minutes is very weird.

Bubba, were those the stock bulbs or has someone gone to brighter after market bulbs?

If not, pull the socket and make sure the bulb is making good solid contact with the positive and negative part of the socket. I've seen the connections loosen on a new bike and not make proper contact and blow a bulb.

This is a free board and you take the good with the bad. Otherwise you pay the dealer that lost your cell phone. :)

You've got a pretty good memory for an old fart ck. lol

I'm accepting wild ass guesses from the unen"light"ened. I don't want to have to take the 230mile round trip to ATL if I can avoid it.

I am an old fart! I had a comment on Mark Jenns complaint about tubeless tires too (could be a function of age, older and wiser!) but let it pass...

RT Lights
 

Bubba,

Sorry you still have the problem. Something caused the bulbs to fail. I would call John P. and ask if those were the stock bulbs and if any other electrical modifications were done to the bike. What does your dealer think?
Wish I could help, but never had anything like that happen.

I don't know about the CAN but these three elements must have something in common that started a cascade. They didn't fail simultaneously right? So what do they share that could have caused a "rolling blackout"? Does this new CAN system also have fuse protection somewhere in there?

For one, you already got (and acknowledged) your answer over on the Cafe last night. Plus you have an RT. Might have something to do with it, this being an S board and all.

What do the guys on the RT tech forum board think it is??? :)

You might wanna check the battery connection... If it is bad/loose the alternator could be sending voltage spikes to all things electrical.
Voltage regulator could be over charging too. You do know not to touch the glass part of the bulb with your fingers when replacing bulbs..

Where is that CAPTAIN guy... He probably knows a thing or two about big boats like the RT.. :)

i'm also thinking it's connected (or barely connected) to the battery terminals, especially when it's one of the few things you fussed with before the Prince of Darkness arrived.

didn't see this one asked yet: what happens when you put in a new bulb?

I think he needs a tin foil hat!

Anton, CAN Bus is CAN Bus no matter what the alphabet soup. No definitive answer on Cafe either. I was hoping to find someone that has had the problem on any board that I frequent. Don't pull out the S designation when we discuss K'bikes GS's RC8's and whatever. If you were kidding, please take no offense. :)