G`day troops Just inherited this here computer contraption&my keyboard skills read something like :- `WARNING:knucklehead at work,using one finger.` However,somehow,by fluke,I found the Busa Club Site & immediately signed up.It`s great to be onboard. I`ve got a 2000 model busa with 60,000 kays(phew!)clocked up.Regular maintenance,lottsa oil changes,in really good nic. The `only`little snag I`ve encounted is that it`s been blowing h/light bulbs (strangely,just like clockwork,every 4-5000 kays).The first time it happened,round 30,000kms,I didn`t give it much concern,as ,like anything,these things happen. And yep,5000kays later........I was returning to Sydney from the Oxley Hwy,by myself,round midnight and just when your mind`s kinda relaxed and wandering,you`re suddenly plunged into the inky blackness,doin`round 150kmh,HOLY SHIT! Lemme tell ya,it getz your attention! Yep,high-beam the rest of the 300kms back.(didn`t make many friends that night,from the oncoming traffic). The problem has occured a number of times since.I`ve checked all the wiring.Cleaned this,cleaned that.Had two separate workshops completely go over the bike`s electrics.Found nothing wrong.One bloke said poss cause could be vibration.So I`ve made up a rubber washer and incerted it between the bulb and its housing.So far so good.That was 6`000kays ago.Fingers,toes & various other body parts crossed. Perhaps someone might be able to shed some errr...light on the deep,dark mysteries of motorcycle electrics.Got me bamboozled. Regards Franko PS:Sorry fellas,this is my first posting & is a somewhat long & drawn out saga.I just got this one-finger-technique revved up to a blistering pace & the keyboard`s simply smokin`. <i></i>
G'day Wile E. Coyote.
Welcome to the club.
Can't help witht he headlight thing, but all I can suggest (since the electrics have already been checked) is that vibration is the culprit. Some cheap brands don't use Halogen gas, and as a result they can stress the filament. The front of a bike bounces quite a bit (ever noticed a bike's headlight in the rear vision mirror whilst driving?). I can only suggest some form of vibration dampning, or using a different brand globe. Hella and Narva are quality brands that do use halogen, or xenon/halogen in theire premium globes.
If all else fails, go to a Xenon Gas Discharge system. Not exactly cheap, but the globe is a tube of Xenon gas in which a high voltage pulse is sent through. This causes the xenon gas to produce a very bright light and as there's no filament, they don't burn out easily. Very resistant to ice/wet/hot/cold/vibration. Anything you throw at them really. This is what exotic and rally cars use.
You can get kits from the states, but they require a ballast to be mounted behind the globe.
Peter Altas
BUSA-1<i></i>
Thanx for the comments/advice Peter.You`re rite of course.
I did try a cuppla cheapy brands(read:miser!)with the appropriate result,but now with a proper brand & some dampening my hopes are high.
<i></i>
No worries. Have had my headlights go out on me once before. Fuse blew on my 250.
PS. The correct spelling of the cartoon character is <b>Wile E. Coyote</b>
Peter Altas
BUSA-1<i></i>
The very first, (of two), things to go wrong on my bike was a blown bulb after two days. A sod to replace without being familiar with the bike.
I have a HID light coming from the States. The bulbs apparently last 6000 hours, but cost around $150. <i></i>
I kno `bout the spelling Pete. Someone else beat me to the `E`hence the `Y`.I`m a part time cartoonist & outside of riding,my brain`s full of cartoon characters.(believe me,that explains a lot of things!!)
& you`re rite Throwdown,it was a cow,at first,to replace that bulb,but I hav done it so many times now,I can change one in about 30 secs flat,in complete darkness!! NB:a skill I was hoping never to be so damn good at!! <i></i>
Throwdown....
If it's a true HID (High Intensity Discharge), it's the same thing as an XGD (Xenon Gas Discharge) bulb (different name - same product).
These have no fillament and require a ballast to work. They are about that price, so be aware you may still need to source a ballast to fire it up.
Connecting to 12V simply won't work. They require a rapid pulse of high voltage to energise the Xenon gas. This then emits the light. Similar theory to Fluorescent, but different.
Let me know, I'm very interested in going the XGD way.
Peter Altas
BUSA-1<i></i>
I had a GPZ1100 '95 that kept blowing globes every 5-10,000 k's, then at about 60,000 I didnt blow on until i traded it in at 154,000.
This, of course, wont help you, but just thought your not alone. However, everyone of mine blew when i started the bike... never in transit...interesting. <i></i>
Yeah,I kno what u mean B.
Strange things,those electrical Gremlins.
Stranger still,how sometimes they just miraculously...up and flee the scene of the crime!! <i></i>
Hey there is a guy at my work who has been having the same problem ever since he dropped the bike I will see him and find out if he has fixed it yet and if so what he did, unless that is you Max in which case you are the one I am talking about LOL. <i></i>
Max...I be not.
...but thanx Anthony,I certainly would be interested if/how Max got round the prob.
I`ve never dropped the bike,so it has been a bit of a puzzle.But I think I may have sorted it now tho,by using a rubber washer to dampen the vibes.(which may have been the cause all along)
Still,for insurance,a peace offering to the `Gods of Light` couldn`t hurt,eh? <i></i>
Well there are some guys on this board that are that old I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving themselves up as human sacrifices <i></i>
Don`t kno bout the oldies A.
Some of the young `uns in my group hav tried to slip `me`into that category.Too bad for them tho,coz I`m the only Busa rider & we all kno what it can/does to all other motorcycles.
"Call us oldies at your own peril!!" I say.
As for a peace offering to the Gods,I was thinking more along the lines of a cuppla `Vestal Virgins`. But alas,one would be pretty hard pressed to find `ONE`these days,let alone `TWO`. `SHEEEESH!!! What aaaaaare we to do??? <i></i>
Hey peter,you were chasing a hid light for your busa,i've found one on e bay if your still interestedcgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35598&item=2421169969 <i></i>
If anyone is interested, a local company (Warrandyte, VIC) sells (wholesale) HID changeover kits in the H7 style (low beam headlight).
The kits sell in pairs for $1250rrp, but he said there shouldn't be any problem in getting a single unit. Opposite Lock 4x4 in Preston, VIC is a Photon retailer.
The kit contains a ballast, about the size of a pack of cigarettes that should be able to mount anywhere (with cable ties) in the vast amount of space between fairings and brackets. Should be plenty of room on the back of the instrument cluster on the fairing bracket.
The standard wiring plugs into the ballast, then the output of the ballast plugs into the new HID lamp.
These things have a minimum life span of 2000 hrs, but can usually exceed double this amount. Either way, it'll outlast many bikes. The units are able to be removed and taken with you to your next bike, so long as it doesn't have a twin filament bulb (high and low beam in one). This is a once off investment.
Over twice as much light output, more than double the light penetrating range, and a brighter, whiter, (less fatigue inducing) colored light (closer to natural daylight) - and at only 35W consumption. You'd have seen them on the front of rally cars - those really fu**en bright arsed ones.
As there is nowhere to install driving lights on a busa (without looking like an absolute knob), this is about the only alternative. The replacement globes are around the $200 mark, but due to their long life, the wholesaler says he has yet to sell one as a replacement part.
To all of those that have bought a HID lamp from the states, you'll also (more than likely) need to source a ballast.
I will be getting one of these within a few months, so if anyone else is interested, drop me an e-mail and we'll see if we can get a better price. For more information, give Photon a call on 0403 924 899
Peter Altas
BUSA-1<i></i>
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