another FNG with a question - no lights

[bhansen89]

I have a 79CBX that I have owned since 1983. I have never had a problem with it. I was riding the other day and all the lights went out. No neutral light, head light, tail light, nothing. I replaced the alternator brushes, then the stator, then the regulator/rectifier and the dioad. Still no lights. The bike starts up fine. I had to put the battery on a charger, i do have a new battery on order.

Any help/guidance is appreciated.

thanks in advance

[NobleHops]

I have a 79CBX that I have owned since 1983. I have never had a problem with it. I was riding the other day and all the lights went out. No neutral light, head light, tail light, nothing. I replaced the alternator brushes, then the stator, then the regulator/rectifier and the dioad. Still no lights. The bike starts up fine. I had to put the battery on a charger, i do have a new battery on order.

Any help/guidance is appreciated.

thanks in advance

Hey, welcome! Glad you've joined us.

Have you checked the fuses under the cover just behind the steering stem? Remove them and shine a flashlight through the threads if needed and check the cleanliness of the contacts. If you replaced the diode then presumably you were in behind the headlight - check the wiring connectors within if the fuses look good. Do the turnsignals work?

If the bike starts and runs fine then I doubt it is a charging system issue - it takes a heck of a lot more juice to start it then to run the lights. This is a fuse or connectivity issue somewhere.

N.

[daves79x]

Sounds like it might be the ignition switch - the bases fail quite often. The bike usually won't start either, but I'd try wiggling the key and if that does not flicker the lights, then take the switch bottom off and exchange it. Could also be a large connector in the headlight that came loose. For sure you did not need to replace all the stuff you did.

Dave

[NobleHops]

This is what Dave is referring to:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GL1000-G ... 0551753050



N.

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Was it a group ride? Anybody on a Norton?
Welcome to the site, bhansen.

[bhansen89]

thanks for all the tips, I will try them all, I am running out of summer. If I had found this group earlier i would probably have save some money.

[NobleHops]

thanks for all the tips, I will try them all, I am running out of summer. If I had found this group earlier i would probably have save some money.

If I had not found this group my bike would still be in boxes .

N.

[Don]

I replaced the alternator brushes, then the stator, then the regulator/rectifier and the dioad. Still no lights.

Any electrical troubleshooting should begin with the simplest, most likely part that can fail - This is usually a fuse. If the bike runs, then there is enough juice to light the lights . . . . replacing charging system components isn't going to solve a no lights problem

If you suspect a charging system problem, the first check would be to put a voltmeter on the battery to see if the system is charging or not. 12.6 volts or less with the key on and the engine not running is the norm. 13 or more with the engine running is also the norm, but with a CBX this requires the engine to be at 3,000 RPM or so . . . . the system discharges at or near idle speeds because the headlight draws more current than an idling alternator can put out. This would help you diagnose a charging system problem, but it's not going to do anything for your inoperative lights

Changing expensive parts like stators or regulators before you determine if it's charging or not is sure the expensive way to go about it, especially if you haven't checked the fuses or the voltage at the battery

Don

[Kool_Biker]

I have a 79CBX that I have owned since 1983. I have never had a problem with it. I was riding the other day and all the lights went out. No neutral light, head light, tail light, nothing. I replaced the alternator brushes, then the stator, then the regulator/rectifier and the dioad. Still no lights. The bike starts up fine. I had to put the battery on a charger, i do have a new battery on order.

Any help/guidance is appreciated.

thanks in advance

Hi and welcome on board!
I have had the exact same experience including loss of ignition with my 1976 GL1000.
The problem was quickly traced to the ignition switch, the electrical part of which, I believe, is very similar to the 79 Z.
Curious to see if I could mend it I removed the switch and had it dismantled, and here's what I found

P1070176.jpg

P1070180 (1).jpg

As you can see in the pic above, one of the contacts had sparked AND was in the process of melting the plastic around it.
However it cleaned up very nicely and when assembled and greased using some contact lubricant went back to service and works perfectly again.

P1070182 (1).jpg

Please see this as an insight into the construction of these old switches, which where I come from, are somewhat marginal, warming up excessively when their contacts age, becoming less than perfect. A few relays here and there would improve their life but there you are ...
I would not recommend following this approach, as buying a new replacement is soooooo easy as Nils points above.
Best, Aris