Not a boxer question .....

[slparry]

.... but still a BMW.... my F650 Funduro

I normally ride with the lights on however, today I'd flicked the switch to sidelights when picking the bike up after our FD reversed into it, grrrrrr....

Anyway, riding home on the local dual carraigeway and it starts farting and missing, like iced carbs. First I wondered if petrol had leaked out when it fell over so I flicked it to reserve no change...

Revving it didn't seem to clear it...

Then I flicked the headlight on and woosh immediately it stopped missing and ran perfectly ..... rode further no probs .... tried it back on sidelight and within a 100 yards it farts around again, and runs perfectly as soon as I put it on headlights. Never seen that problem in 38 years of riding :S

Anyone have any ideas?

[TIM EVANS]

very strange, when the main's on i assume the side's still on, or does it go off?

[slparry]

very strange, when the main's on i assume the side's still on, or does it go off?

good point Tim, the sidelights still on when the main is on .... which muddies the water even more.

It'a definately repeatable ... moments after the main switch is moved to sides it farts about, as soon as its flicked to mains it clears.

Given I normally ride with lights on I can live with but I'm curious why.

I guess it's a neat anti theft ..... park, lock, put switch to sidelights ... if scroat tries to nick it he'll think it's broke and abandon it

[nab 301]

No idea really , but i'd start with a voltage check when off , and then ,when running ,with all the different combinations of lights switched on. Might throw up something.

[slparry]

I'll try that Nigel, I'm wondering if it's a poorly removed alarm or something

[Dai wiskers]

Could it be water has got in somewhere Steve? switches, connections in the loom somewhere,
remember snow sitting ontop of bike will get in where rain won't

[slparry]

could be Dai, perhaps some sort of short from the light switch to the kill switch as both are on the rh side mmmm good point. Although there was no flickering of the lights but its summat to check

[slparry]

Update:

Guys on the F650 site reckon it's a symptom of a goosed regulator/rectifier. The headlights are keeping the current down enough when on but when on sidelights it puts too much voltage out and causes the cdi to misfire.

I'll test it tomorrow with a multimeter but it does sound like it

[Dai wiskers]

Wish we still had zenner diode's[spelin]

[TIM EVANS]

Update:

Guys on the F650 site reckon it's a symptom of a goosed regulator/rectifier. The headlights are keeping the current down enough when on but when on sidelights it puts too much voltage out and causes the cdi to misfire.

I'll test it tomorrow with a multimeter but it does sound like it

just read a similar thing,

Electrexworld do a pattern one

http://www.electrexworld.co.uk/acatalog/RR71.html

fitted loads of these to various bikes in the past.

[slparry]

I saw those but it's only a tenner difference to the BMW OEM one in motorworks, and OEM stuff has a two year warranty I think

[TIM EVANS]

I saw those but it's only a tenner difference to the BMW OEM one in motorworks, and OEM stuff has a two year warranty I think

I didn't realise genuine would be that cheap Steve. Most i used were for mid to late 90's Hondas CBR6's VFR's etc, where electrexworld offered big savings.

[Dai wiskers]

I always used to use superdream one's on everything

Don't jump in too quick Steve check voltage first and dry out those switches [bet he hasn't filled them with grease] and connections it could be a lose, wet, dirty connection to the regular fryer

[slparry]

Reading up on it Dai the symptoms are exactly what happens to a funduro with a duff VR so I'm fairly sure it's it.

Found a superdream one on ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-CB-250N ... 0377712552

but at £65 still a chunk of wedge, they're £88 as OEM new from Motorworks and OEM stuff has the two year warranty. I've asked Williams BMW if they can get close or match the price of Motorworks as I deal with them for all my K12GT stuff

[TIM EVANS]

What would a genuine aprillia one set you back might be worth a check