Headlight question...pardon my ignorance

[Hard Luck Rodeo]

I've got a Cobra light bar wired into my headlight system.  When the Headlight goes to high-beam the road lights go out.  The light bar has an on off switch also.  All of this has been working for the past 10 years.  Now I've got no headlight or road lights but everything else electrical works.  The fuse is good.  In this kind of configuration, if the headlight went out would you expect the road lights not work either?  I'm thinking I just need a new headlight.  It could be wiring but wouldn't installing a new headlight be the first option?  Is there a way to test the old headlight?

[Bagger John - #3785]

I would be looking at the Hi/Lo-beam handlebar switch and associated wiring. Sounds like yours might be bad.

[Duey]

Repairing the switches is easy check Shop Talk > http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/VSGPages/starterbutton.htm

After you fix the problem you should go to Chet's page and check out the mods that help prevent or cure some problems. Especially the over loaded start and light switches.
 http://www.rattlebars.com/valkfaq/circuits.html

[Tundra]

I had the same problem last week, my light bar is wired into the lowbeam in the bucket. Disassembled the switch, cleaned the contacts, lubed with diolectric grease, works smoother and better, much gooder! That Diolectric grease is expensive, Radio Shack charged me $10.00 for a tiny little tube, similiar to the size of a tube of Super Glue.

[Thunderbolt]

the headlights run through the small contacts in the starter switch.  If the Cobra's are running off the same feed as the headlights, the load is too high and eventually burn the normal contacts.  Take the start switch apart, clean it up, be careful and don't let the spring fly out.  If indeed it is wired this way, you would do yourself a favor to rewire it to the battery through a fuse and a relay actuated by the headlight low beam to keep it functioning as in the past.