Headlights are on a relay and have always taken only a few seconds to come on. FIRST THE LEFT headlight, followed by the right about two or three seconds later.
This past Sunday, the lights did not come on at all for the first couple of minutes. High beams worked just fine. After a few minutes, I blipped the throttle and the lights came on and stayed on.
Tonight, same thing. Warmed up the engine, lights never came on. High beams were good. I blipped the throttle a couple times and nothing. Waited another minute, turned the throttle, lights came on.
Doubt this has anything to do with it but I noticed the engine temp was at 136F when the lights came on tonight. Didn't notice on Sunday but seemed to be about the same amount of time in terms of letting the engine run.
Guessing just a connection is loose somewhere but if that isn't it, what else could it be?
Sounds like the relay might be sticking. It's just a mechanical switch that's activated by an electromagnetic coil that runs on low current from the ignition switch. Turn on the ignition and the low current from it energizes the magnet which throws the high capacity switch inside the relay to allow high amounts of current to flow to the headlights (you wouldn't want all that current to the headlight going through the ignition switch). Sometimes relays wear out or fail, but they can also hang up or work intermittently. One way to evaluate them is to tap on them. If you have the ignition switch on and no headlights, and can reach the relay to tap on it and the lights come on, you need a new relay. The relays on 6th gens are deep inside the front fairing but maybe you could reach it with a small wooden dowel or equivalent. The high beams work off a separate relay which gets less use, and it sounds like it's working fine. If they are the same part #, swap them and see if the problem migrates to the high beams. If so, replace the bad relay.
Also, if blipping the throttle brings the lights on, it could be engine vibration getting the relay to finally trip, but also if your charging system output is low, the voltage to the relay may be insufficient and revving the engine may bring that up. If you take a voltage reading across the battery with the engine running, you should be getting in the 14.5v range at idle and above. If not, with 56k on the clock, it would not surprise me that the stator (particularly) and or possibly the R/R may need replacement.
Probably loose connection, but I would think that the lights have as good a chance turning off as turning on. Have the lights ever turned off while you were riding, or once on they stay on?
Option may be a sticky headlight relay (brights are on a diff relay). Once it warms up, the lubricant/gunk in the relay is more "liquid" and a little nudge from revving clicks the relay closed (extra voltage or mechanical).
I don't know if this would give the exact same symptoms on a VFR, but I had dirty contact in my 599's starter button which caused intermittent loss of headlight (brights too). As you press the starter button, it opens a connection that turns off the headlights and energizes the starter relay. My headlights would randomly come back on some time after starting and would remain on. The next time I turned the key on, the lights would still be on, but after starting, I would loose them.
Update: Starter was sticking. Problem solved. (back in late Feb)
MadScientist was right. Confirmed by Orange County Honda.
A week ago, started again. First time, lights were off until I righted the bike and blipped the throttle. Two days ago, again, but took much longer to come on.
Starter sticking again or should I give up on Occam's Razor?
What did they do to fix it? New starter button or just blow some WD40 in it? I ended up disassembling the whole switch, cleaning it with electrical contact cleaner and reassembling with dielectric grease.
I'm not entirely sure what relays are different on fhe 5th vs 6th gen, but you could take a look and maybe swap the relay with another one on the bike. See if that cures it since the relays aren't exactly cheap.
I doubt it is the relay, most likely it is the starter switch which cuts out the lights. Next time the lights are working, kill the engine with the key and turn it back on...the lights should come right on.
I do find it off that they aren't coming on at the same time...they are connected to each other unless someone has modified them similar to how the HID kit I made did.
Years ago when I had a GL1200, I suddenly one day had no headlights. Got it home and found the starter button had melted. Oh yeah, turned the key and couldn't push the starter. When I finally broke it free and started the bike, it had no headlights. Then got home and took it apart to find it had shorted or something, and melted the plastic.
I'd take it apart, if you are having issues, and see whats going on in there.
End of thread · 8 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 18 Oct 2014