Let’s Practice a More Thorough Check of the Lighting System than the Daily Inspection

All motorcycles on public roads, whether mopeds or liter class, require proper maintenance, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has established a range of daily inspection items that users can perform. Among the inspection items such as engine and brakes, lights are often overlooked. It is easy to take for granted that the headlights and blinkers work, but they also need maintenance. Before you start driving, take a look around your motorcycle to see how it is working.

A lot of light problems...that were fine yesterday.

The Kawasaki GPZ400F features two tail lights, each with 8W/27W double filament bulbs that function as tail/brake lights. The lower part of the tail lens is clear, so when the tail light is on, the light passes down to become the number light. The bottom part of the tail lens is clear, and when the tail light is on, the light passes down to become the license plate light. Therefore, when installing a commercially available LED bulb, be aware that if the bulb lights up red, the license plate light will also be red and will not pass a vehicle inspection.

The terminals of the bulb are in contact with the electrodes of the holder, which are pushed by the spring, and the pressure and vibration applied to the contact area gradually wears the terminals over time, causing the peak to become lower. It is rare that a gap is created between the terminals due to pressure from the holder side, but if only one of the terminals of the W bulb is worn down, it may cause poor contact, so it should be replaced when it is noticeably worn down.

LED headlights, taillights, and blinkers, which until a few years ago were thought to be impossible on production vehicles, have become incredibly popular. Riders who love electric customization used to make their own blinkers and tail lights by lining up LEDs on a circuit board, but once they were adopted by motorcycle manufacturers and genuine parts, there was no place to show off their skills.

It is common to any parts, but when a new technology spreads, it is instantaneous. In the past, blinkers had to have a certain lens area to pass a vehicle inspection, but with the spread of explosively bright LEDs, now even a lens size no larger than a 1 yen coin can pass inspection. By eliminating the restriction of using halogen bulbs such as H4 for headlights, it has become possible to secure the optical axis and light intensity even for unique designs. The white and orange glow system that has been seen in automobiles, in which the position lamp and the indicator share the same lens, is also a technique that is only possible with LEDs.

However, other than these new models, the overwhelming majority of motorcycles still use filament bulbs. The bulb has a very thin filament, and by applying voltage and current to it, electrical energy is extracted as light energy. And this kind of bulb always has a life span, whether it is long or short. When the filament runs out, it can be replaced, but the user does not know when that time will be.

It was fine yesterday. ...... is the first thing that comes out of your mouth when a motorcycle or police car catches you with poor maintenance. If it's a headlight, you'll notice it right away because it's so dark when it goes out. It's also easy to recognize the blinkers, which blink faster when the load on the relay changes as the bulb runs out. However, if your blinker uses a smart IC-type relay that can handle a wide range of wattages, you should be aware that the blinker may not change its blink rate even if one bulb is out.

Tail lights and license plate lighting are often overlooked. If only the tail light, which is on for a long time, goes out, visibility at night becomes extremely poor. In the case of the tail/brake bulb, the difference in wattage between the two bulbs is so pronounced that it is not easy for the rider to monitor the lighting status of the tail bulb while riding. In contrast, the brake light comes on only when the vehicle is slowing down or stopping, and it is easy to see your own brake light when you are stopping to make sure the following vehicle sees it.

In the case of inspected motorcycles, non-functioning tail lights and number lights have been identified as a common cause of failure to pass inspection. Whether or not the lights were on yesterday, it is fortunate that they were not detected, but if they were performing in a poorly maintained condition, it is not something to be praised.

Daily inspection items with surprisingly many tasks

There is a rubber gasket between the smoked lens and the tail lamp body, but if the rubber becomes thin or hardened over time, the seal may deteriorate. It is good to wash the inside of the lens with neutral detergent because there is more dust than you think.

When dust adheres to the surface of the bulb, it becomes like frosted glass. Although this does not immediately lead to a decrease in light output, it is always better to have a clear surface. Poor airtightness between the indicator body and the lens can cause rust to form on the bulb and the metal part of the holder due to moisture and water penetration. If rust is found, remove the rust and also check the condition of the lens and bracket gaskets.

Spray the dusty bulb with parts cleaner and wipe off the dirt with a soft rag. The longer a light bulb is used, the thinner the filament that emits light becomes, and when the filament is finally cut off, the bulb breaks. Some bulbs that have been used for a long time without breaking, fortunately, have a loose fit between the mouthpiece and the glass part, and only the bulb moves wobbly. Such bulbs should be replaced before they are damaged.

Daily inspection is the most effective way to catch problems with lights as soon as possible. Regardless of whether the vehicle is inspected or not, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism stipulates inspection items to prevent problems and ensure safe driving. For motorcycles, there are 15 items in total: 5 items in the engine compartment, 4 items around the perimeter, and 6 items in the driver's seat. Unlike cars, motorcycles do not have a hood, so daily inspections are easier. Of course, this also includes inspections of lamp lighting and flashing.

Once you've got your riding clothes on and helmet on, you'll want to get out there and get going, but you'll want to hold back a bit and take a look around the motorcycle with the lights on. If your motorcycle has a headlight that doesn't come on until you start the engine, you can do this while the engine is performing and letting it warm up a bit.

If you've ever been to an inspection center for a user inspection, you'll know that before entering the inspection course, the lights are checked in a very rhythmic manner, from turning the blinkers left and right, switching the headlights up and down, turning on the taillights, and operating the front and rear brakes. It takes less than 30 seconds. If you are checking by yourself, stand to the side of the vehicle and check the front and rear blinkers flashing at the same time, then stand to the right of the vehicle and hold your left hand over the tail lens while checking the tail and brake lights. It is important that the brake lights are on at the correct time for both the brake lever and brake pedal. It is particularly important for the rear brakes if the pedal height has been adjusted, as has the height of the brake switch. It is very dangerous to slow down when the brake light is not illuminated, so it is important that the switch is adjusted so that it illuminates before the pedal is pressed and the brakes are applied.

It is easy to miss cracks in the lens related to lights. It's not uncommon to hit a pillar or neighboring motorcycle while moving the motorcycle around in a parking lot or garage. When you are moving your motorcycle in a parking lot or garage, it is rare that you hit a pillar or neighbor's motorcycle, but if you hit it in the wrong place, the plastic lens may crack surprisingly easy and you may not even notice it. If the lens is cracked or partially missing, it will not pass the vehicle inspection and must be replaced or repaired.

Poor contact, wear and corrosion of electrodes and terminals must also be checked.

Headlight bulbs should not be touched with bare hands as they are hot due to their long lighting time and high power consumption. It is said that if grease from your fingers adheres to the bulb, it will cause a heat spot when the bulb is turned on and the glass will break easily. If you do touch them, degrease and clean them with parts cleaner before setting them in the headlight case.

In the case of current vehicles with always-on headlights, a large current is constantly flowing through the connector while the vehicle is in motion. If moisture adheres to the contact point between the connector and the bulb and corrodes it, the electrical resistance increases and the heat can cause the connector to burn out. In order to prevent such problems, it is recommended to apply a contact revival agent or conductive grease to the connector to ensure a smooth flow of electricity over a long period of time.

The dust cover for waterproofing and dust-proofing the headlight bulb and headlight body must be installed correctly as the top and bottom are fixed at the time of installation. By applying a thin layer of rubber seal binder or silicon grease to the center of the cover, the cover can be attached and removed smoothly without biting the bulb.

As a result of daily inspection, if all the lamps work normally, there is no problem at present, but as mentioned above, the bulb using filament is destined to be okay today but may burn out tomorrow. To avoid such problems, it is effective to know if there are any signs of a possible breakage and to restore the condition of parts that have deteriorated over time. For light bulbs that sometimes malfunction but can be fixed by lightly tapping them, it is also effective to remove and check them instead of just tapping them.

However, even with this packing, dust may enter the lens and the surface of the bulb may be dirtier than expected, or corrosion may have occurred between the bulb and the holder. There is.

Dirt on the lens and bulb surface can be cleaned by simply wiping with a soft microfiber towel moistened with water, and if you also wipe off the dirt on the reflective mirror, you can expect improved visibility. If there is burnt black soot on the inside of the glass instead of dust on the surface, it is time to replace it. Also, if the bulb is removed and the terminal is worn out, it is safer to replace it because it may cause poor contact. In this case, you should also check the surface of the terminal at the bottom of the holder for roughness. If there is corrosion on the inside of the holder where the bulb contacts, you can kill two birds with one stone by scraping off the rust with rounded sandpaper and spraying with rust inhibitor or contact reviver to protect the surface and ensure conductivity.

The headlight is the largest of the lights and the current that flows through it is also large, so check to see if the connector part is burned out due to contact resistance at the terminals. If the contact resistance increases and the current loss increases, the headlight's light output will decrease and heat will accumulate in the connector, resulting in a series of negative effects. Before this happens, it is a good idea to apply contact revitalizer or terminal grease to the terminal contact area between the bulb and the connector. Applying the chemical here will make it easier to pull out of the terminal the next time you remove the connector.

In a routine inspection, there is no problem if you check the lighting and flashing status of lights and whether or not the lens is broken. However, if the motorcycle has been ridden for a long time, you can go one step further and check for wear and corrosion by removing and replacing the light bulbs, which can be preventive maintenance to nip problems in the bud. Lights are also an important means of communicating your movements to others, so it's important to practice daily maintenance to avoid panicking over sudden malfunctions.