My Super 8 headlights are P!$$ING me off!!!

[DMblues01]

So, awhile back, my light control module messed up and had to be replaced. Covered under warranty, NO cost to me.
Lights have worked fine since, until a couple days ago.

While pulling up to a stop light, I noticed my reflection in the truck ahead of me and guess what? NO HEADLIGHTS AGAIN!!
When I stopped, the dim lights came on, but went out when I started moving again.
I rode to the dealership, and was surprised when they took it in to look at it immediately.
15 minutes later, they had it out, and everything was working again.
When I asked what the problem was, their "helpful" answer was, "NO CLUE".  WTF?!?!
The LCM was fine, and they checked all the wire connections. When they put it back together, it all worked!

Lights were fine again for the last couple days, until this morning when I got off work. On the way home, NO HEADLIGHTS AGAIN!!!
Got home and parked with the engine idling, and I cycled the high beam switch a few times. I noticed a small flicker after a few switches back and forth, and when I spun the front wheel, the lights worked again. 
And they worked fine the rest of the morning while I ran some errands.

So I'm wondering, could my issue simply be a bit of corrosion in the high beam switch tripping the lights out? I do ride every day, even when it's raining, so the scoot does get wet on a regular basis. If anyone has any insight on this, I would appreciate any input. Because, frankly, my local dealer is proving to be no help!
I just want to be able to fully trust that my lights are going to work, and not fail when I need them!

Duke-

[Chris0381]

Pimpy did a direct wiring mod thats held up well for him using the European parking light slots I believe for running lights. I'd like to know a bit more about how to do that mod myself as it sounds pretty good.

[gnvernon]

I have had this same problem three times and it has only happened if it has been raining.....not sure if the humidity or anything has something to do with it

[DMblues01]

Yeah, mine have been fine since the last time, but it hasn't been raining this week.
I guess I'll know when it rains this weekend and I have to go to work.
I'm thinking that the switch for the high beams just isn't sealed from the elements well enough.
If it messes up again during the next batch of bad weather, I may just take it apart and see if I can waterproof the switch better and see what happens.
The scoot is my only vehicle now, so it needs to function in all conditions.
If the lights act up when I get off work, it's morning so the sun is up and I can at least make the 5 minute ride home. But when I leave for work at 9 pm, I kinda need to know my headlights are going to work!!

Duke-

[DMblues01]

Well, the headlights worked fine all weekend while it was raining, and now today when it's dry they crapped out again!! 

Dealer is closed on Mondays, so I'm headed up there tomorrow morning when they first open up! I'm really sick of this crap!!!

I called Kymco USA customer support and left a message with them about the problem. Hopefully there's a simple cause to the issue, because I'm Pissed at this point!!!
This will be the third time it's gone to the dealer for the same problem, so if it's not corrected permanently this time, they are not going to like me because I'll have to call and talk to the State's Attorney's office, and the BBB, and report the problem to them!

Duke-

[gnvernon]

These headlights have a mind of their own. When it happens to me, I simply pull over, turn the scoot off, turn it back on, and then they work. That has worked for me 5/5 times. They have cracked out more than once during the same ride but turning it off and on seems to do the trick for me.

[Chris0381]

So what is the proper procedure to directly wire these lights ?

[DMblues01]

So what is the proper procedure to directly wire these lights ?

I'm not 100% sure.
Someone posted about it on here somewhere, but I can't remember where.
That may be my last ditch course of action if they can't fix it right. 
I still think that auto-dim set up is stupid to begin with. I think everything would work 100 times better with normal headlight wiring, and no light control module.
I love the way my Super 8 runs and I love riding it, but this repeating issues with the lights are really souring my opinion of Kymco in general. I may end up following Stig's lead, and jumping brands before long!

Duke-

[blackhawkfan]

When you go to the dealer tell them to have kymco overnight the necessary parts to the dealer to fix this serious safety issue.  You are right about planning on going to the bbb and ag offices.  My threat to go to the ag office on my front cover issue was the only thing that got the ball rolling in my case.  Sucks that this can't be fixed right, esp. since its your only transportation.

[DMblues01]

I got a call back from KymcoUSA already!
The technical rep said that since it seems to be happening at random points, that it's probably a wonky relay or switch, or possibly a short that only hits from time to time.
So the dealer will have to test all the wires and find the point of fault.

However, now the lights are working perfect again!!  WTF?!?! 
So, if they are working in the morning, the shop won't be able to track the problem anyway!
So I guess I will stop by there tomorrow and just make an appointment for next week, when I'm on vacation from work, so they can keep it for a couple days to get it to act up.

These headlights have a mind of their own.

Truer words have never been said!

Duke-

[gnvernon]

lol DMblues. It really is the truth

[Pimpy1]

How to direct wire and bypass the light control box. If the key is on the lights are on. Stays bright no matter what RPMs you are turning. No dim lights when coasting down a big hill.

[Chris0381]

So the green and red also hang loose along with that brown pin connector ?

[DMblues01]

How to direct wire and bypass the light control box. If the key is on the lights are on. Stays bright no matter what RPMs you are turning. No dim lights when coasting down a big hill.

I don't know if that will work on my 2012. My LCM has a different looking plug ( all one piece). Plus, my lights don't switch up to full power with the engine rpms, they switch up when the front wheel starts spinning. I guess they're connected to the speedo somehow.
If someone knows if this will work on mine, let me know.

Duke-

[DMblues01]

So, after speaking with the Kymcousa rep, and being told that it's probably a bad connection somewhere, I spent a couple hours pulling off plastic and checking and cleaning ALL the wire hookups.

To my surprise, I found moisture in some of them, which appeared to be bridging between some of the wires.
So I blew them all out with a can of compressed air to dry them out. Then I used a little Electronic cleaner to clean any dirt, and blew them all out again. I also check the connections of the fuses, and found one that seemed a little looser than the others, so I squeezed the clip a bit so the fuse fit more solid.

I put it all together, and haven't had an issue with the headlights for the last 3 days, including riding to work in rain last night.
Maybe that's just something I need to add to the normal maintenance along with the oil change and checking the air filter. I'll just start blowing the wire connections out with air for time to time, just to keep the connections clean, and see if the hiccup comes back or not.

Duke-