Rear Tail-Light issues!

ScorpionNinja · September 4th, 2009, 01:40 PM

Hey, last weekend when my gf and i went for our ride to Port huron. at night on the way back a guy in a car yelled at us at a red light. told us my tail-light was flickering! (i thought this was due to me manually blinking my brake lights to warn cars behind me and such. MON night i hung out with djbeers and when we had our bikes warming up, while putting on our gear... he pointed out that my Tail-Light wasnt lit up!!!

Gave it a good SMACK and it came on. Now my brake lights would work just fine, just the 'red Running light' so to speak, would go off/on due to hitting bumps while riding!

all cnnections are tight, clicked,etc! So im going to take Nate up to the stealership and have them look at it, replace a bulb (not a warranty thing, but **** a Light Bulb SHOULDNT be flickering the Short 3 Months ive had my new bike)

anyone else have this problem? is our rear tail light defective, or is there a lil mod to help this from happening? I DONT need to get pulled over for having a 'tail light out' when its NOT out, just works when it wants too after hitting a bump hard enuff or whatever!

-thanks dave

KELPHYN · September 4th, 2009, 02:36 PM

Not sure how related this is , but when I purchased my '08 there was a factory recall on the rear taillight. The dealership couldn't release the ownership papers until they recieved a replacement from the factory. Anyway I haven't had any problems so may be you got one of those faulty bulbs. If it seems fine after they replaced the bulb that may be all it was. Anyways that was my experience.

zail · September 4th, 2009, 05:53 PM

Mine did the same thing after about 1000 miles... The filamament on the bulb was broken but still made contact and lit up at times... replaced it and had no probs over the subsequent 2500 miles....

kkim · September 4th, 2009, 06:21 PM

agreed. replace the rear tailight bulb. a few bucks at your nearest autoparts store.

JaeL · September 4th, 2009, 06:38 PM

Yeah this has been covered in another thread already. I believe someone even posted the part number of a generic bulb so you don't have to get one from the dealership.

Ichiro · September 4th, 2009, 09:49 PM

The part is a standard 1157 dual element bulb since the bulb acts as both the running light and brake light.

ScorpionNinja · September 5th, 2009, 08:16 AM

ahh thankie!

i went up to Oreilly's autoparts (formerly Murray's autoparts) and bought a pair of rear taillight bulbs! It works, i slapped the taillight afew times too see if it would go OFF/ON. It stayed on, but ill keep an UPDATE over the next few weeks if it flickers on/off like before!

Part # 1157
made by: EiKO
price: $3.17 for 2 bulbs

ScorpionNinja · September 8th, 2009, 02:59 PM

Hey, ill confirm that my rear taillight issues are GONE!

sugarbear and i went to see puddle of mudd @ Arts,Beats and Eats! annual event in downtown pontiac Mon. sept. 7th!

On the way home, i lead with SB behind me the whole way East on M-59. She said my rear taillight NEVER flickered or anything!

M-59 is pretty bumpy and such, so it was a Great Test* to see if the bulb itself i replaced was at fault, vs a lose wire (i already checked all the wires=OK)

so to anyone else that comes to this problem... IMO after looking at the stock rear taillight bulb vs the EiKO #1157 i bought at Muarry's auto, the EiKO is better made and is your Ideal FIX! Ill update this if the bulb flickering issue comes back, but for now the issue is Fixed!!!

If you would like a close up PIC of the 2 bulbs i can post them up if one needs!

Happy riding all!

adouglas · September 8th, 2009, 04:07 PM

In the middle of the long tour I just returned from I discovered that the running light filament had burned out. I noticed only because I left the bike running when I hopped off to take a photo.

Shame on me for not checking the lights regularly.

It was near sunset when I found out. I beelined straight to the nearest auto parts store... didn't want to get caught at night with no rear light! At least there would still be the plate light, plus the reflective bits on my helmet and jacket.

Bike is 15 months old, between 3,000 and 3,500 miles at the time I discovered it (a week ago...now I've got almost 4,500... whee! )

ScorpionNinja · September 8th, 2009, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Bike is 15 months old, between 3,000 and 3,500 miles at the time I discovered it (a week ago...now I've got almost 4,500... whee! )

aye my bike is close too 4,700 miles atm. At the time like 2 weeks ago when this issue was first noticed, my Nate had about 4,100. If miles measures the 'time' this stock POS bulb lasts! lol

cifex · September 8th, 2009, 09:10 PM

I don't think your problem was a bulb originally. Filament bulbs don't flicker when they are burning out. They are either burnt or they ain't.

The rear brake pedal actives a switch just above and behind it. If you follow the wire, you will see it. There is a little retaining nut attached to the frame and the plastic wire "doohickey" which screws into it. This adjusts when in the foot pedals stroke the brake light activates. I think you'll find that you are right at the brink of it being on all the time and it needs to be screwed in a smidge. I think your bouncing up and down on the freeway was turning the brake light on and off so much that it burned out the bulb.

kkim · September 8th, 2009, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cifex

I don't think your problem was a bulb originally. Filament bulbs don't flicker when they are burning out. They are either burnt or they ain't.

not true. they can be intermittent if the filament break is really small and vibration "makes and breaks" that small break.

zail · September 9th, 2009, 06:43 AM

Agreed. The filament breaking but mostly making contact was what made my tail light flicker. When I took the bulb out initially to look at it it appeared to be fine and the brake light was always fine on that bulb. However, after looking at other possibilities (including the one you have suggested cifex) and then taking the bulb out and passing current through it while shaking it about it flickered .. eventually looking at it through a magnifier I could see the break but it was very hard to see with naked eye... If your taillight flickers but your brake light works (or the other way round) it's almost certainly one of the filaments so try that first!

camaroz1985 · September 9th, 2009, 06:47 AM

Seems to be a common problem. Mine went out less than a month aftr I got it, with only a little bit more than 1000 miles on it. Simple fix, no big deal.

cifex · September 9th, 2009, 06:59 AM

Interesting. Glad I just ordered a couple extra bulbs to keep in the pillion.

September 4th, 2009, 05:53 PM	#3
zail ninjette.org member Name: zail Location: Bristol, UK Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 08 Ninja 250r Posts: 156	Mine did the same thing after about 1000 miles... The filamament on the bulb was broken but still made contact and lit up at times... replaced it and had no probs over the subsequent 2500 miles.... __________________________________________________ Bristol, UK - R&G Tail Tidy, Exhaust Hanger, Bar ends & Crash Protectors, Skidmarx Hugger & Double Bubble, SW motech mirror extenders, Scorpion Exhaust, Cycle Control levers & Rearset Adjusters

September 4th, 2009, 06:38 PM	#5
JaeL Bike Thrasher Name: JaeL Location: Omaha Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 EX250r Posts: 334 Blog Entries: 10	Yeah this has been covered in another thread already. I believe someone even posted the part number of a generic bulb so you don't have to get one from the dealership. __________________________________________________ Intuitive Sliders, Aftermarket pegs, Custom Paint, Seat Cowl, Tinted Screen, Aftermarket flush mounts, Wheel Tape, Fender Chopped, Stock Shortie Exhaust and Woodcraft ClipOns

September 5th, 2009, 08:16 AM	#7
ScorpionNinja ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Dave Location: Michigan Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 650RTE & 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R (SOLD) Posts: A lot.	ahh thankie! i went up to Oreilly's autoparts (formerly Murray's autoparts) and bought a pair of rear taillight bulbs! It works, i slapped the taillight afew times too see if it would go OFF/ON. It stayed on, but ill keep an UPDATE over the next few weeks if it flickers on/off like before! Part # 1157 made by: EiKO price: $3.17 for 2 bulbs Last futzed with by ScorpionNinja; September 5th, 2009 at 09:06 PM.

September 8th, 2009, 02:59 PM	#8
ScorpionNinja ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Dave Location: Michigan Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 650RTE & 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R (SOLD) Posts: A lot.	Update Hey, ill confirm that my rear taillight issues are GONE! sugarbear and i went to see puddle of mudd @ Arts,Beats and Eats! annual event in downtown pontiac Mon. sept. 7th! On the way home, i lead with SB behind me the whole way East on M-59. She said my rear taillight NEVER flickered or anything! M-59 is pretty bumpy and such, so it was a Great Test* to see if the bulb itself i replaced was at fault, vs a lose wire (i already checked all the wires=OK) so to anyone else that comes to this problem... IMO after looking at the stock rear taillight bulb vs the EiKO #1157 i bought at Muarry's auto, the EiKO is better made and is your Ideal FIX! Ill update this if the bulb flickering issue comes back, but for now the issue is Fixed!!! If you would like a close up PIC of the 2 bulbs i can post them up if one needs! Happy riding all!

September 9th, 2009, 06:43 AM	#13
zail ninjette.org member Name: zail Location: Bristol, UK Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 08 Ninja 250r Posts: 156	Agreed. The filament breaking but mostly making contact was what made my tail light flicker. When I took the bulb out initially to look at it it appeared to be fine and the brake light was always fine on that bulb. However, after looking at other possibilities (including the one you have suggested cifex) and then taking the bulb out and passing current through it while shaking it about it flickered .. eventually looking at it through a magnifier I could see the break but it was very hard to see with naked eye... If your taillight flickers but your brake light works (or the other way round) it's almost certainly one of the filaments so try that first! __________________________________________________ Bristol, UK - R&G Tail Tidy, Exhaust Hanger, Bar ends & Crash Protectors, Skidmarx Hugger & Double Bubble, SW motech mirror extenders, Scorpion Exhaust, Cycle Control levers & Rearset Adjusters

September 4th, 2009, 01:40 PM	#1
ScorpionNinja ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Dave Location: Michigan Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 650RTE & 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R (SOLD) Posts: A lot.	Rear Tail-Light issues! Hey, last weekend when my gf and i went for our ride to Port huron. at night on the way back a guy in a car yelled at us at a red light. told us my tail-light was flickering! (i thought this was due to me manually blinking my brake lights to warn cars behind me and such. MON night i hung out with djbeers and when we had our bikes warming up, while putting on our gear... he pointed out that my Tail-Light wasnt lit up!!! Gave it a good SMACK and it came on. Now my brake lights would work just fine, just the 'red Running light' so to speak, would go off/on due to hitting bumps while riding! all cnnections are tight, clicked,etc! So im going to take Nate up to the stealership and have them look at it, replace a bulb (not a warranty thing, but **** a Light Bulb SHOULDNT be flickering the Short 3 Months ive had my new bike) anyone else have this problem? is our rear tail light defective, or is there a lil mod to help this from happening? I DONT need to get pulled over for having a 'tail light out' when its NOT out, just works when it wants too after hitting a bump hard enuff or whatever! -thanks dave

September 4th, 2009, 02:36 PM	#2
KELPHYN ninjette.org guru Name: Calvin Location: Quesnel, B.C Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 250R (sold), 2013 300SE Posts: 276	Not sure how related this is , but when I purchased my '08 there was a factory recall on the rear taillight. The dealership couldn't release the ownership papers until they recieved a replacement from the factory. Anyway I haven't had any problems so may be you got one of those faulty bulbs. If it seems fine after they replaced the bulb that may be all it was. Anyways that was my experience.

September 4th, 2009, 06:21 PM	#4
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	agreed. replace the rear tailight bulb. a few bucks at your nearest autoparts store.

September 4th, 2009, 09:49 PM	#6
Ichiro ninjette.org member Name: Ichiro Location: So.Cal. Long Beach. Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2008 250r(sold). 2013 Kymco Super8 150 Posts: 223	The part is a standard 1157 dual element bulb since the bulb acts as both the running light and brake light.

September 8th, 2009, 04:07 PM	#9
adouglas Cat herder Name: Gort Location: A secret lair which, being secret, has an undisclosed location Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): Aprilia RS660 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 6 MOTM - Jul '18, Nov '16, Aug '14, May '13	In the middle of the long tour I just returned from I discovered that the running light filament had burned out. I noticed only because I left the bike running when I hopped off to take a photo. Shame on me for not checking the lights regularly. It was near sunset when I found out. I beelined straight to the nearest auto parts store... didn't want to get caught at night with no rear light! At least there would still be the plate light, plus the reflective bits on my helmet and jacket. Bike is 15 months old, between 3,000 and 3,500 miles at the time I discovered it (a week ago...now I've got almost 4,500... whee! )

September 8th, 2009, 09:10 PM	#11
cifex ninjette.org guru Name: Z Location: Long Island, NY Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R (sold) Posts: 356	I don't think your problem was a bulb originally. Filament bulbs don't flicker when they are burning out. They are either burnt or they ain't. The rear brake pedal actives a switch just above and behind it. If you follow the wire, you will see it. There is a little retaining nut attached to the frame and the plastic wire "doohickey" which screws into it. This adjusts when in the foot pedals stroke the brake light activates. I think you'll find that you are right at the brink of it being on all the time and it needs to be screwed in a smidge. I think your bouncing up and down on the freeway was turning the brake light on and off so much that it burned out the bulb.

September 9th, 2009, 06:47 AM	#14
camaroz1985 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Ryan Location: Carlisle, PA Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2008 WR250R, 2006 Ural Raven (Sold), 2009 Versys Green (Sold), 2008 Ninja 250R Green (Sold) Posts: A lot.	Seems to be a common problem. Mine went out less than a month aftr I got it, with only a little bit more than 1000 miles on it. Simple fix, no big deal.

September 9th, 2009, 06:59 AM	#15
cifex ninjette.org guru Name: Z Location: Long Island, NY Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R (sold) Posts: 356	Interesting. Glad I just ordered a couple extra bulbs to keep in the pillion.