Issues with Headlights..

[KYT]

Got a 2006 600 that I bought brand new, and have not monkied with at all. Totally stock.

About a week ago my headlights started not coming on all the time.
Sometimes they'd work all day, then they'd just turn off while riding.
or they wouldn't come on when the key is turned, but would when it was started.
Or They would come on with the key, then go off after being started.
The last time I was out they wouldn't come on, until I turned on the hazard lights, and stayed on when I turned them off.


Now they don't come on at all.
Bulbs are not blown.
Checked all fuses, all good.
I found a couple other threads about headlight issues, and my wires don't feel hot.
I checked the harness connector above the light assembly, and its not burnt.
Nothing smells like burnt plastic.
I wiggled the wires around looking for a short, and wasn't able to get the lights to come on, nothing is cut.
Its not just one bulb at a time either, its both at the same time, either on or off.

I read that maybe the battery is going bad and can't put out enough power to run the lights, but wouldn't the bike turn them on at highway speeds?
Could the bike be only generating enough power to keep it running and not enough to charge the battery?
I have 0 issues starting the kat, it starts up like it did the day I bought it every time. Even when its frosty out.

I borrowed a multimeter from a co-worker, but I'm not sure which connections I need to test and what the voltage should be.
Was going to start with the fuse slot and make sure something is going through there, anyone know how much it should read?

Wanted to check the harness too, but which wire?
If the switch in the handlebar is bad would it keep the high and low from coming on, or just high? If the Low doesn't come on, the HI doesn't either.
If low works, so does High

I have a PDF I got off the site somewhere, but it doesn't really tell me much at all about the headlights, just what bulbs to put in.

We're supposed to go on a long ride tomorrow, but I don't know if I'm going to go if my lights aren't working.

Any help would be appreciated!!

[HexKrak]

Sounds like something is shorting out. Check your wiring harness from fuses all the way to your headlights. I'd almost guarantee that you find something rubbing up against the frame.

[KYT]

I took all the plastics off, and all the stock factory wire management stuff is in place, I haven't removed anything.
I had read a post about wires rubbing against metal until the core was exposed, then it would short. The only wires that are not in shrink or plastic tubing are up front above the lights where the harnesses clip together.
and I pulled them out to check the connections inside.
uncliped them from the frame pulled them away, still nothing.

I'll check everything I can find again when I get home in full sunlight.
I hope you're right, but if I can't find any worn wires, what's answer #2?

[Trackerrrr]

Sounds like a ground issue coming off the headlights. If both lights either work or don't work at the same time, gotta be a common issue with both. Check the ground.

[KYT]

gotcha, leaving now to go home, I'll check both suggestions and get back with you
Thanks for the help

[squiggy]

I checked the harness connector above the light assembly, and its not burnt.

Just to make sure, what color was the plug you check?

It will be a clear plug. Mine was doing the same thing as what you're experiencing and it ended up being a burnt plug.

In the pic, mines on the right. For your year, yours is on the left.

[kevin2502000]

You should have at least 12v but up to 14 is fine. That is running of course and the battery is good.

[KYT]

yea I have the clearish one on the left.
I checked Vdc and when on its 11.9 to the white, which I figured was the running lamps.
and at first I got like 6.5 to the yellow, but now i don't get anything to the yellow at all.
Doesn't matter what I ground the multimeter to, still ~11.9 on white and nothing on yellow.
I've checking it at the plug in the image above.
Even if the switch is bad in the handlebar for the high beams, shouldn't the lows still come on?

Getting 11.7 at the bulb plugs on the white, but they still don't come on

and now I'm only getting 5 out of the white at the clear harness....

did some more checking...
If the bulbs are in the sockets I get 0 on the white wire
this is for each socket, and on the white's connector coming out of the clear harness.

If I disconnect both bulbs, I get ~6.5 on the white terminal, and on each of the sockets.
Does this mean the bulbs are bad but the filaments aren't blown??

[kevin2502000]

Is your battery 12v or close? You should have 12v or close to the bulbs not 6.

[KYT]

Is your battery 12v or close? You should have 12v or close to the bulbs not 6.

was 12.3 when I started. Last I checked it was 11.9
the voltage to the bulbs keeps changing.
I don't get it
I can't find any shorts..

I took the left handlebar control apart, there's a white wire in there that gets ~11.8v but the other 2 connected to the high beam switch stay 0, even when the switch is changed to turn on the High, but the white will drop to 0 while on high, then goes back to 11.8 when high is off.

I went and bought 2 new bulbs hoping it was just something stupid with the bulbs, the new ones don't light up either...
*sigh*

need some new ideas!

[kevin2502000]

So you have basically 12 volts going into your switch but nothing going out? Is there a wiring diagram online for it?

[KYT]

So you have basically 12 volts going into your switch but nothing going out? Is there a wiring diagram online for it?

I haven't looked online..
I went through this PDF I have, which doesn't tell me anything useful to this problem.
Did some searching for headlight problems on the forums here.
I haven't been able to find anything exactly like what mine is doing.

[kevin2502000]

Here is a link http://www.metal-fab.net/files/98~02%20Katana%20Service%20Manual.pdf
8-31 is the page

If I read it right your switch wire is hot (white) and branches out into 2 yellows? Do you lose the 12v on these? Maybe as simple as the switch? You can jumper around it to eliminate that.

[KYT]

I downloaded that and I'm looking at it, but its for the wrong year.
I don't know how accurate it'll be
I have an 06, this only goes to 02
you'll notice in an earlier post, the headlight harness connector is different.
mine only has 5 wires.
Brown - 3rd eye
White - 55w running lamps I presume
Yellow - 60w high beams, if white is infact the lows
and 2 blacks, they are of slightly different gauges, but one is for the 3rd eye, and the other comes from the headlights
I would assume they go back to some common grounding point, or are twisted together in the wrapping

You wouldn't happen to be able to get the haynes for the 03-06 would you?
I'm not sure which one it is I had already, but its not like this one you just gave me

[kevin2502000]

http://katriders.com/wiki/index.php5?title=Service_Manual

Best I can do