[pbmorrow67]

Hey folks, I have a 1978 CX500 Standard I am converting to a Cafe Racer. So far so good, but... I cannot seem to get the headlight to turn on! I checked the old light, it wouldn't come on either. I am also having an issue with the rear turn signals not blinking but I'm going to assume that is probably a bad turn signal regulator up front. I am at a loss about the headlight though... brand new battery, but it seems I am getting no voltage to the connector at the back of the light, my tester doesn't register anything... Thanks for any suggestions...



Cheers! P

 

[Blindstitch]

Welcome to the forum.



Did you do anything to the controls? The right control bipasses the headlight when the starter button is pushed. If the connections become dirty then it will kill the power. Was any of the wiring altered?

 

[pbmorrow67]

Nope, nothing to the controls and the main light wiring and right control wiring looks good. I did notice a few wires not connected to anything.a black, brown and green... I also checked the 10a fuse; the tail light reads good but the headlight fuse has no power reading...

 

[drummertom]

Nope, nothing to the controls and the main light wiring and right control wiring looks good. I did notice a few wires not connected to anything.a black, brown and green... I also checked the 10a fuse; the tail light reads good but the headlight fuse has no power reading...

On either side of the fuse?

 

[Blue Fox]

Just throwing out a wild guess that the problem is in the starting switch. A bad contact to the headlight circuit there will keep the headlight off. Try opening the kill switch clamshell and spray some electrical contact cleaner into the area where the starter pushbutton is. Then work the button in and out for 20-30 times and do it again. Then turn the key on and see if the light works.



That may not clean it perfectly, you may have to remove the switch and manually clean the contacts. But if you do get a hint of headlight after spraying, you know you are on the right track. Manual cleaning is not impossible, I would rate it as a 4-5 on a scale of one to ten. It is just fiddly with small parts and springs to deal with. If you do try to open the switch, lay a clean large towel under the switch to catch any small parts that jump out.

 

[80cxcafe]

Grounded ok?