Since shiny chrome stuff is always good, I recently got a pair of chrome handlebar switch housings. After installing left side I checked switches. The hi-lo beam rocker switch seemed a tad off but OK, so I started bike to check hi-lo switch and ..no stinking fooling @*$+)*!)%^ headlight at all now. AS I took housing apart to see what the f, of course the hi-lo switch fell apart as it ejected a little spring never to be found. About that time I realized that exposed wire leads attached to the switches are very close to the chrome (metal) housing.

I suspect that one of the wires on hi-lo beam switch , prolly the hot wire, contacted my shiny chrome housing which now is a ground. Now at min. I need new hi-lo switch. I shoulda left it alone

Does that sound reasonable for why headlight no work now? Any ideas on how to insulate bare leads inside housing?
What about liquid elec tape or similar goopy stuff to insulate wires from metal housing? Or mebbe I oughtta shine the chrome part (pun intended) and re-install the non conducting plastic housing.
Ideas, advice, suggestions?

Next, if the above was likely to have caused the headlight to not turn on, what did it do? Now what?
Did it blow up the bulb, or mebbe just a fuse somewhere?
How or what to check to fix headlight? Where is fuse?
Ideas, advice, suggestions?
I'm stressing over the thought that bike may not be in proper working order when the urge to ride happens. That would suk.

After many rides and many years and just getting a ZX last year, I keep thinking about the comment on this forum made by ????. "After owning/riding a ZX14, you can never go back, and anything less just aint gonna cut it"
SO TRUE!!

If I didn't need stupid shiny chrome thingy, I would not have these issues.
dang it

TIB

I'll bet it's a fuse but my electrical knowledge is almost zip. On the Gen1, there is a small black plastic fuse box under the seat on the RH side near the tool kit. Also another one by the ECU on the left. Sorry can't tell you which fuse it may be.

I would pick up a can of that Duplicolor chrome paint and try it out on a test piece. I was told it looks just like the cap which to me looks exactly like chrome. Spray the stock control pods. Get some vinyl rub downs made up to label the controls.

The tiny spring probably pushed a sort of a dot to make a connection onto two soldered pins that run low. Toggle the button and it pushes against the spring, rides out of that groove, then is again pushed back onto two soldered ends that if you run that button over the two wires it makes contact for the low beam and toggle to the high beam. So without the spring say, the contact is recessed and cannot touch those two leaded posts that make the connection complete again.

This is where you take the shop vac and clean up the whole garage area and then look for the spring in the container of the vacuum. The spring is somewhere. Its just a matter of searching for it. See if a used switch is on ebay or quit fucing around and buy a new switch.

That, or narrow down the switch wires from wink/flashing/hi/low wires and now match the hi and low color wires off the back of the headlight to the switch and backprobe a jumper from one switch side to the other say. You see the soldered buttons and the color off that wire? There is your start for hi/low wires.

Fuses are under the seat but that spring may be the problem making contact is all.

that sure sounds exactly like the spring that went SPRROINGG. I think the chances of finding it are about 0 right now. But after I buy a new part and stop looking for it, my chances will increase, just ask Murphy. Sometimes education comes at a price, I'm hoping this lesson learned don't cost too much. What are vinyl rub downs to label controls?

Mebbe the shop vac is a good idea. I gotta at least try, right? Now that I found out the the itty bitty dimmer switch is $168 part. FOR A SWITCH???!!

What are vinyl rub downs to label controls?

LETTERS UNLIMITED

They do custom work. You could type out exactly what you want in illustrator and send the file...or just create a Word doc and ask them to copy it. It would be a nice touch.

Try the shop vac. I actually had a spring pop out of my ratcheting box end wrench and I miraculously found it laying on the floor (don't use those things to break a bolt free, BTW...they'll fall apart).

I think I'm gonna try Hub's shop vac idea. Dealer sez only $168 for switch. Not for all switches and housing, not even for all the switcvhes. Just $168 for one little hi-lo rocker switch. R U KIDDING ME???
tib

It's all part of personalizing your bike. Most things go right but once in awhile the aftermarket stuff just isn't as functional. My Ted's fender eliminator kit came with a small 3 LED light for the license plate. Signal Dynamics is the LED maker. I've had 3 of them quit working. Last one was replaced by them for free but it's a hassle changing it. I like the look of the light (can't hardly see it) so I keep using them.
Signal Dynamics claims 100,000 hours life and vibration resistant but I haven't seen that. I asked them if I need a resistor in case the problem is electrically related and they said there's a micro-resistor built in to the light.
The latest light is working as it should but I find myself checking the light at every morning start, just to be sure it's on. I like the look enough that I bought 2 spares thinking if SD stops making them I won't have to look for a replacement.
So you take a chance when you go away from stock. Hope the switch works for you. Yeah, they know you'll pay more than what something's worth.

I like the look of the light (can't hardly see it) so I keep using them.

5 years and still burning bright.

LED TAGLIGHT INSTALL

Looks good Rook, and nice tutorial. But that thing looks too heavy so it might be harder to keep the front end down. I wipe the bike down a lot and I can just see a chipped nail happening on those sharp edges.
Hoping mine will last like it's supposed to. It required drilling a couple small holes about an inch apart. If I end up replacing it, I'd have to find something that would cover the old holes.
The only part of the replacement that can be tricky is removing the two Phillips screws that hold the tail light. I keep the rear tail piece on and it forces you to go in at a slight angle with your screwdriver. REAL easy to drop the screw into the tail piece. I dropped one once and it almost fell into a nook in the tail piece. After that, I now back out the screw part way and remove with a claw type grabber tool I have. To re-install, I use a small piece of electrical tape and affix the screw to the screwdriver and this works well.
I've has to replace it 3 times but so far so good on this one. I did notice at the very first replacement that the stalks are cracking where the screws thread into. The screws were not over-tightened, just poor quality plastic I guess. I epoxied the cracks to try to stop them from getting bigger and it's worked.
Anyone else using Ted's FE may have the same issue, I don't know. One thing that is different now is the road I ride on to get to work was re-paved. It was bumpy in places and hard to avoid everything. Not THAT bad I thought. Since that 2 mile stretch of road was re-paved, this light is working. I've thought all along that it's vibration related.

If I end up replacing it, I'd have to find something that would cover the old holes.

couple plastic screws?

I don't recall having much trouble installing mine. I think I had to take off the tail piece and pull out the ECU but it was simple enough to get the light in the stock hole after that.

How about going to Ace Hardware for a new spring? $1.50...

Stand there until you find one that fits.