Headlamp dims when servo brakes applied - buy new battery?

[luckylucian]

Pulled my 04 ABS servo 12 out of the shed after being parked for 2 months on an Optimate charger, started fine but noticed headlamp dims when I apply the brakes and servo kicks in, rev'd it to 2500 rpm and same dimming happens.

Bike seems to be on the original battery so is this a bettery problem or alternator problem?

Lets not get into the type of replacement battery required:augia

Many thanks in advance for the helpfull suggestions.

 

[bmwrich58]

Pulled my 04 ABS servo 12 out of the shed after being parked for 2 months on an Optimate charger, started fine but noticed headlamp dims when I apply the brakes and servo kicks in, rev'd it to 2500 rpm and same dimming happens.

Bike seems to be on the original battery so is this a bettery problem or alternator problem?

Lets not get into the type of replacement battery required:augia

Many thanks in advance for the helpfull suggestions.

When I owned an '05 model it did the same thing from new...

 

[Dennis the Menace]

All servo B M bikes do it

 

[luckylucian]

Ta, will keep riding on same battery

 

[AberdeenAngus]

6 years on the original battery is good going.
I wonder how much longer it can have in it ?

 

[tigerjohn]

My '05 does exactly the same - can be alarming when breaking before a corner. Battery is fine - seems like a design issue. Wouldn't be so bad if the lights provided good illumination, but they don't.......they're probably the poorest headlights I've had on a bike. Have thought about taking the HID route but other threads suggest there may be some issues there as well. Will keep eating carrots instead!

 

[vfxmark]

........they're probably the poorest headlights I've had on a bike. Have thought about taking the HID route but other threads suggest there may be some issues there as well. Will keep eating carrots instead!

obviously never owned a Triumph, Norton or BSA through the seventies...

HID a mixed bag - humans seem to be able to differentiate things in the road better at the lower color temperatures of Tungsten Halogen than at the more daylight HID color temps.

If your headlamp is so horrid, you might have it mis-aligned...there are both L/R and H/L adjustments available - worth a look

 

[TLSgazza]

obviously never owned a Triumph, Norton or BSA through the seventies...

HID a mixed bag - humans seem to be able to differentiate things in the road better at the lower color temperatures of Tungsten Halogen than at the more daylight HID color temps.

If your headlamp is so horrid, you might have it mis-aligned...there are both L/R and H/L adjustments available - worth a look

I wonder if he will see this reply nearly 2 years after the last post.
How did you find this thread.

 

[Pukmeister]

My pearls of wisdom from owning/running a 2004 bike for 5 years:

The servo ABS pump draws a lot of current when operating, hence the lamp dims a little.

When you stop at a junction or hill, hold the bike on the rear brake only as the pump pressurises then cuts out, whereas if you hold the bike on the front (linked) brakes, the pump keeps running draining the battery/loading the alternator heavily (plus causing more wear and tear on the ABS pump).

You may feel an odd 'kickback' now and then from the rear brake pedal where the ABS pump gives the odd boost to maintain brake pressure, this is quite normal and nothing to worry about.

I don't recall any of this being in the owners manual it's just from experience.

 

[seadog]

My '05 does exactly the same - can be alarming when breaking before a corner. Battery is fine - seems like a design issue. Wouldn't be so bad if the lights provided good illumination, but they don't.......they're probably the poorest headlights I've had on a bike. Have thought about taking the HID route but other threads suggest there may be some issues there as well. Will keep eating carrots instead!

I put HID on my 04 and touch wood never had any issues at all.


Mike

 

[davegs]

HID's

I have had these on both an 1150 and 1200 both of which had really crap head lights no probs except you can now see where your going, no excuse not to ride in the dark!

 

[Bendy toy]

HID can use cooler light temperatures. 5000K might be better than 6000K.