[Blarmouth]

Hi Guys - I just came into possession of a 1985 VN700, and am esctatic! The only problem is the headlight won't work. I replaced the fuse (which was blown), and now the running lights work, but the main headlight won't light. I know it is not the bulb, as I tried a different bulb which I know works.
Upon exploring, I found the 'reserve lighting device' on the right side of the bike. What the heck is this thing, and could it be causing my light not to work? Is there anything else that could be causing this problem? I'm at a loss - I'm no dummy when it comes to bikes, but this is killing me! Any help would be greatly appreciated, as riding time is winding down here in the mountains. Thanks in advance!

 

[CNI Dawg]

Are you getting any power to the plug at the bulb?
Is the dash "headlight" light on? (the white one)

 

[Dianna]

I am assuming the bike starts. the headlight only comes on once the engine is running. Cuts down on amps draw that way. The reserve lighting is just an auxillary connection for driving lights, etc. it's an extra connection.
Wires do tend to get pinched in that headlight bucket and the VN700/750 also likes clean connections. First see if you are getting power to the socket as suggested and if not, start tracing back.
the only other thing I know of is not so good.. You might want to test your R/R and stator to make sure you do have a good electrical system. Don't panic though, many times it turns out to be a dirty connection somewhere. Clean and pack with dielectric grease

 

[Blarmouth]

Thanks! - The headlight indicator light is NOT on, and the bike does start. The light doesn't light when it is running. I did NOT know that it needed to be running however - I'll give it a voltage test running. Thanks for that! Any other ideas out there? I'll update after I do a bit more testing.....

 

[groove_puppy]

FYI, u don't need to have the bike running, u just have to have turned it over. Blipping the starter should bring the light on, or run the engine then hit the kill switch. The price of gas........


GP