Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > Dipped beam......

[bostrom998]

Seem to have a dipped beam that works only when it wants to.....2002 998S Bos Rep.....Fuse OK, bulb OK........doesn't seem to make any sense, just arrived back from a blast and it was working ...wheeled it into the garage, switched on and then off again, no dipped beam. Main works OK plus sidelights....any suggestions anybody?

[Rattler]

Long time no hear, what have you been up to? Riding in the Himalayas or similar do doubt!!

[bostrom998]

Ha Ha Tim......must get a trailer and some wets before I try that again!!!!!

Bin all over the place, the 'Ring, France, you name it.....off to the Pyrenees at the end of next week!!

Seriously though this is an annoying trait, esp if occasionally I'm caught out after dark.........

[skidlids]

could be a bad connection within the bulb itself, its worth trying another bulb

[antonye]

Andy Butters had exactly the same problem on his 996SPS and it just turned out to be a bad earth on the bulb as the spade connector kept coming loose.

We pulled the headlight out, checked the bulb (how f@cking annoying is it that you have to take the headlight out to change th fr!gg!ng bulbs!!) and it worked fine. We the put it all back together ... and it stopped working!

Solution was to mash the earthing connector (spade crimp) with a pair of pliers to make it grip the bulb terminal much tighter - I think it kept pulling off as the headlight is put back in place.

You might also want to clean the contacts with a bit of sandpaper and maybe wrap some insultating tape around them to keep the damp out, as they're not shielded as standard.

Hope this helps.

[bostrom998]

I've had fairing and cockpit off, but I have never removed the headlights before....is it easy and a quick guide on how to do so would be good......?

Thanks

[skidlids]

Headlight come out of the pod real easy, undo the screw at the bottom centre, spray a bit of lubricant into the top rubber mounts and they should come out with a light pull, dont pull to far as you then need to disconnect the wiring connector.

[antonye]

Once you've got the top fairing off, you simply remove the headlight angle adjuster screw and the headlights the pull out.

Don't forget to unclip the wiring loom, but you may find you need to remove the headlight slightly before doing that.

It all comes out as one big pod and makes changing bulbs much easier.

Refitting is the reverse of removal. You might want to make a note of how many turns it takes to remove the adjuster bolt, then screw it back in the same to get (roughly) the same headlight angle. Either that or make a mark on your garage floor for the front wheel, then mark the wall where the light falls, so you can get the same adjustment again.

BTW, I'd recommend a Haynes manual if you haven't already got one as it's great for stuff like this!

[bostrom998]

Thanks guys.....