Headlight relay questions....

[Grendel]

Hey Guys,

First off, I would like to apologize if this is covered elsewhere, I am just not sure where to look. Also, this is a long post and the actual question is after the headbanging emote (in case someone wants to skip ahead).

Ok, quick recap: I bought a 2010 Carpenter Rocket Roadster, but there was a snafu between when I bought it and when it shipped and the tank got dented. The seller was great to work with and he refunded me some money to cover the repairs. I thought while I was at it, I would have some paint work done that I had wanted to do anyway. So long story short, I got to ride the bike for about an hour and a half before parking it in a garage for a month while this got sorted out.

The previous owner told me that this bike takes a lot of juice (battery) for some reason and he threw in a battery tender as an added compensation and told me to pretty much keep the Rocket on it when parked.

Fast forward to yesterday. The paint work is all done and the bike is ready to go! So I excitedly move my butt to the shop to pick it up... and I get a call that the battery is dead and won't hold a charge.

Crap, oh well, life happens. I tell them to put a new one on there.

I get to the shop later and the guy tells me that he thinks there is a bad cell in the battery. Turns out the battery is a brand new Harley Davidson battery bought 5/13 and I take it to the HD dealership and they confirm that there is a dead cell and they replace it free of charge.

Awesome!:RockOn:

Now here is the actual issue and question. The guy at the shop says that there is something in the bike that is drawing power constantly, and upon investigation, he said it appears to be the headlight relay. Even with the bike tuned off, when he would plug the relay in, you could hear the electric "pop" as it made a connection. He had me touch the relay and it was very warm to the touch.

When I told him about needing to keep it on the battery tender, he said that that would compensate and keep the bike running, but that this should not be happening and that it could potentially cause a fire.

So, is this a common issue with the headlight relay? The guy is trying to look and see what would be the root cause, but I thought if you guys might know of this issue here, I could save him time, me money, and get me back on 2 wheels again!

Sorry for the too long post, but I wanted to get this all out there in case any of it mattered (and it was therapeutic for me!:mrgreen

I greatly appreciate any help you guys can offer.

Thanks!

 

[Blastedbones]

Has it had the Eastern Beaver relay done? This is essential to stop headlight current melting the ignition switch..( poor original design).Even so, something is wrong for current to be drawn all the time.

 

[warp9.9]

sounds to me like the relay kit was not installed correctly or one of the relay is stuck.

 

[Grendel]

Honestly, I do not know. In the limited reading that I have found on the headlight relay mod, that was supposed to be fixed (less of an issue?) on the 2010 and later models. Am I under the wrong impression?

I didn't know if the relay issue was part of what was drawing power or not, but it seems to not be the case from what I have been seeing...

 

[warp9.9]

If I remeber right Triumph had some type of recall on the headlight relay problem on the 2010 Roadster's. Older bikes bought the Eastern Beaver kit so we first need to figure out which kit you have.

 

[RocketEd]

Yep, recall on the 2010 Roadsters to have headlight relays installed. Your Triumph dealer can check your VIN to see if it's been done. Weird symptom at any rate.

 

[Grendel]

Alright, I have to stop over there today and drop off the new battery (and get a refund for the one I got yesterday). I can ask them to look and see if the recall was completed on this bike. Also, even if so, I will see if he will look at the relay to see if IT is the problem.
I really appreciate the help. I noticed as I lurked on the forums for months while looking for a bike, the community for the Rocket is great. :Tip-Hat:

In the mean time, if anyone else knows of anything similar, please chime in and let me know.

Thanks again!

 

[Grendel]

Ok, a little update. I took my replacement battery down to the shop and asked about the status of the bike. Apparently, they are scratching their heads a bit on this one. They aren't sure quite what the issue is, but they (my local Triumph dealer - I don't know if I ever said that was who was looking at it) contacted the Triumph company to compare notes. They were not sure if they were on the same page as far as knowing which fuse box and such that was on the bike so they sent off some pics to the manufacturer. The manufacturer service department is going to put their heads together to see if anyone has come across an issue like this one. So, I am in a holding pattern for now. The service guys at the manufacturer are not their on Saturdays and the local dealer is closed Sunday and Monday. At best I will know something on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I am going out of town Wed night for a 4th of July weekend with my in-laws and though I hoped to be able to take my new bike, I doubt very seriously it will be done in time. On the bright side, the dealer told me that he will do a recall part for the headlight relay and get it replaced regardless. If I am REALLY lucky, maybe that will fix the issue. If not, then I hope it is something simple (and inexpensive! :mrgreen. I'll post more as I know more. Thanks guys!

 

[Grendel]

Warp is right, that has to be the problem.
A relay has switches inside it and if one of them is stuck closed then it will be drawing power.
Easy fix to replace the relay.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/relay1.htm

Thanks for the link, it was very informative, especially as I have zero knowledge of electrical nor mechanical! Seeing that diagram and reading your posts, that would make a ton of sense. Even better, if that is the case, I might get out of this relatively cheap, ESPECIALLY if they do the relay as a recall. :mrgreen:

 

[RocketEd]

Interested in how this turns out.

The recall was to install headlight relays. There were 2 or 3 significant wiring changes done on an ongoing basis in the '09 to '11 era of Rockets. My '10 didn't get an updated subharness it was supposed to have and Triumph claims that's why my starter relay fried early on. I think late 2010s on had the headlight relays from the factory. Mine is a very early Roadster so mine was recalled for relay installation. Installed them in my tank bag in their original bag as I'd already installed, and prefer, the Eastern Beaver system.

Anyway, if your headlight relay is stuck on, I would think that means the recall has been done. Maybe there's a recall of the recall?

A question for the masses here: If the headlight relay is stuck on and draining the battery, why isn't the headlight on, and where is the power going?