Headlight blowouts

[haroanarchist]

Ok Title states the problem.

Bike is a 96 bandit 600 which I understand has similar charging system to a pre 98 kat

Here is what has happened
1st bulb after 4 months of owning bike
Low beam went out minutes later highbeam goes out.
2nd bulb
Same as first

So I built a relay harness so the old wiring only controls the relays.
relays have no problem the main power source is now straight from the battery on a 10amp fused wire. Tested and it gets the same volts as the battery.

3rd bulb lasted 3 weeks
same as first

So I double check all my new wires small possibilty there was a weak ground so i fixed that.

4th bulb 5 min
same as first

Only other bulb that has burned out is highbeam indicater. It can not be a wiring issue as far up as the headlight harness becuase the two lights would be running off of diffrent powerleads since the headlight is now relayed.

Now all I can think of being wrong is regulater
so cheap multimeter test later shows

idiling =14.6
Reving 5k to 9k =14.88
With a high spike of =14.95

Now I have heard tat 14-15 volts is within spec.

So can it be the regulater any other ideas?

[hardlydangerous]

2 things
check the headlight bracket and make sure its tight and not vibrating.
dont buy cheap car headlight bulbs...

They are not all the same. Buy a quality headlight bulb for a motorcycle. They are designed to handle the vibrations.

[haroanarchist]

Well neither of those are the case.
Headlight is mounted sturdy
Bulbs come from dealership

Any ways a thought.

Can a regulator charge normal while cold and then overcharge when hot?

[KAT TOY]

touching the glass on the bulbs with your fingers leads to premature failure. if you touch them then clean with denatured alcohol.

Well neither of those are the case.
Headlight is mounted sturdy
Bulbs come from dealership

Any ways a thought.

Can a regulator charge normal while cold and then overcharge when hot?

check when hot. also make sure you have a good ground.

[haroanarchist]

Yes I know not to touch the bulbs. Just wish the solution was that easy.

[boomer_95]

are you sure its the light burning out? i had a problem with my pre that the terminals on the back of the bulb weren't making a good connection and every once in a while either high or low beam would go out. then id have to stop, take the connector off and wiggle it till it turned back on. i finally got off my arse one day and squished the terminals back together and problem solved. maybe the connector terminals are just corroded?

yes 14-15 V off idle is perfect. idle is usually just under 14. like 13.5 or something. but every system is slightly differant. if it was a regulator problem your battery would boil over (depending how much its overcharging

[haroanarchist]

Yep the filaments are scrotched and hanging from only 1 side.
Burned out bulbs.

When I added the relays I put in a new plug

[Dexter]

Based on my personal experience, I would check every inch of every wire that goes between the frame and the forks. After so much time, those wires tend to dry out and crack. In my case, the ignition harness had some cracked wires, causing unusually high resistance in the circuit, and overcharging when hot.

[boomer_95]

now the one that lasted 5 mins.. is that 5 mins of the engine running? or 5 mins with the lights turned on?

[haroanarchist]

That was with motor on.

None have blown while motor was off.