i cant see because the headlight on my 85 vf500f just went out. It went out one day randomly, so i thought it blew, but then it came back on the next time i rode it, then it didnt come back on the next time. I jiggled tons of wires, including the ones going to it and the switch, none made it come back on. sound like a switch to anyone?!
Sounds like your starter button. Mine sticks in, but I can usually pull it out with just my thumb. If that doesn't work, the starter button contacts have a tendency to heat up and melt the plastic. causing headlight failure.
starter button? as in the actually motorcycle starter button? not the switch for the headlights? the high beam light doesnt come on either when i turn on the the high beams, even thought they dont actually come on, haha
When you depress the starter button on most all bikes, it temporarily bypasses/cuts the circuit for the headlights in order to give more juice to the starter. Some people call it the "starter bypass switch"....call it whatever your fancy, but it is a good place to start. Many times you can just quickly partially disassemble the starter button control on your handlebar to spray some electrical contact cleaner in there, or sometimes use a Q-tip with some cleaner on it to clean the contacts and/or see if just the starter button itself is sticking in someway. If you are lucky, this is the case, if you are not, the contacts could be melted/broken or damaged in someway needing replacement.
Gen 1 and 2 had that style switch and they all fail , just a matter of time. The button has to little knobs on the back of it that is hinges on and they break off and when they do the switch gets misaligned and the contacts get cant return to turn the light back on. Later versions (I have a gen 5 on my gen 2) are a direct replacement and do not have this issue.
