headlight dims at 120kmph

I have an XJ650 RJ 1982, and when i decide to boot it up to 120kmph the headlight dulls, i drop to 110kmph and the light comes back full strengh.

The bike seems to have no problems, the headlight "pulses" a touch when the indicators are on, but this seems normal compared to other bikes i have owned.

is the problem of the light dimming at speed a common o.k quirk of the model? or does it indicate a generator or rectifier prob in the future?

cheers.

 

Well, at least on mine it doesn't do it!

Anyway, is a strange problem, because by logic you should have problems on low RPM, and not over 5k.

But what happens OVER 120 km/h? If it happens only at that speed i can think to vibrations & bad contact, if it happens 120 and over (or 5k and over) it looks something in the generator...

 

What about if you rev the bike up that high in neutral? Is this a high RPM issue or a high speed issue?

 

My headlight only dims when i approach the speed of light.
But that's more a relativity phenomena.
What's happening is the light particles eminating from my headlight are struggling to keep up with the rest of me and the bike and don't have time to project out to a useable distance in front of me before i overtake them.
That can be a real problem on back roads.

Luckily, at the moment i actually break the speed of light, i cease to exist on this plane, so deer are no longer an issue.

Relatively speaking, that is....

 

Funny, but inaccurate. Relativity states that the speed of light is independent of the speed of the observer. Your headlight should be just fine even as Tau approaches zero.

 

Your speedo is in dire need of cleaning and reading inaccurate, (maxing out at 120), therefore your actually traveling so fast that the G’s are making you blackout shortly and making the light look dim


(insert cheesy smile)

 

SQL,
Being funny rarely binds you to factual accuracy my friend.

Let me know what your actual experience is, when you first break the speed of light barrier (when your mass theoretically will go to infinity).
I do it all the time, but it leaves me feeling bloated afterwards.

The theory of relativity has some glaring holes in it. Like all those annoying little particles that leave evidence behind of having exceeded the speed of light, which isn't supposed to be possible.

In theory, there is no difference between practice and theory. In practice, there is.

:wink:

Insincerely,
A big Heisenberg fan.

PS. Your evil anti-matter twin says "Hello" and wants you to stop playing with yourself.
8)

 

I will have to ponder the speed of light aspect when it comes to commuting to work, they might be getting extra days out of me!?

but concerning the headlight, it dims at around 5000 rpm....and the bike has lots left in her, 120 is'nt the max. I just have not gone faster as i am imagining my generator ripping itself to pieces!

cheers.

 

I would certainly start by pulling the alternator cover and at least having a look. Might benefit from a good cleaning; how many miles are on the bike? It might be time for new brushes.

It could be a regulator problem, but I would suspect wiring/connections before that, if the alternator checks out.

 

I'm getting too old to hunch over the bars to check my headlight at 120......as a matter of fact I just tried it on the centerstand and fell off........... 8O

xsjohn