Problems with Denalis?

Phil Tarman

Phil Tarman

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Greeley, CO
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2010 Silver NT700VA (ABS)
Has anybody had any problems with their Denalis? I've got the D1s mounted to my front fender and have been very happy with them until now. But I noticed last night that I wasn't getting the light out of them that I have. When I got home, I got to looking and the left light was lit but very dim. I turned the Denalis on and off several times and some of the time, the left one would be just as bright as the right; some of the time it would be very dim.

I'll call Twisted Throttle tomorrow, but wondered if I'm alone in this issue. They were supposed to last 50,000 hours, not 50,000 miles.
 
No problems so far with my D2's. Mine have less than a year and not that many hours either.
Mine are just splattered with bugs that I haven't washed off for a while.

Brad
 
Might be an electrical issue. Just throwing the possibility out there. Hope the lights themselves aren't the issue.
 
What kind of electrical problem would give diminished light? No light or intermittent light I could understand. Less light seems strange.
 
Phil,

just a thught, Check your chargig system output on the bike, and insure that y our battery terminals are not building crud on them.

eldon
 
+1 on the battery check with the temps changing, 12.7v is optimal voltage for a battery. I believe something like 12.2v equals 70% battery capacity and progressively worse as it drops. Also perhaps them being mounted on a moving part is causing the wire to fray on the inside which would dim the light by adding resistance, just a thought.
 
My D2s have quit working all together. They act like they have no power. As for Bob's not switching to high, most likely you have missed the high beam power for that connection. I did the when I hooked mine up and had to have the dealer correct it as I could not find the right circuit. (Of course I am mechanically inept and work with "cave man tools")

Now mine are just not on at all. I need to call Twisted also but my current plan is to order a new wiring harness and have the dealer trouble shoot and install the new harness if needed. I need to know if the harness is a returnable item if it is not needed, like if all I have is a loose connection.
 
Phil Tarman said:
What kind of electrical problem would give diminished light? No light or intermittent light I could understand. Less light seems strange.
Click to expand...

LED lights have circuit boards, that the LEDS mount on, with other electronic components to make them work. You are using a light originally designed for yard illumination usage and putting it in a high vibration, wet, hot, nasty environment... So a cracked, corroded, loose, or otherwise damaged circuit board working intermittently, or with diminished light, isn't out of reason...
 
I just got off the phone with Matt at Twisted Throttle. He suggested that I try swapping the wires to the pods at the Y-connector. Now all I have to do is remember where that connector is buried. :)

He didn't suggest that as a fix, but as a diagnostic test. The way he talked, it sounds like TT and the Denali manufacturer will be working with me for a warranty repair to resolve my problem.

Twisted Throttle rocks when it comes to customer service!
 
For sure,Phil,
T.T. is real good on consumer relations. A friend, who repairs electronics for a living, told me that 98% of the problems he encounters are due to a faulty ground. A ground terminal could have loosened and as a result could manifest in an intermittent problem. The suggestion TT made about reversing the lights at the Y is a good diagnostic. If the light that worked on the other side does the same thing--then the problem would be in the wiring--which brings us to checking the ground thoroughly. I would be surprised if the light itself is the culprit. PC Boards are pretty durable and do handle vibration well. It could be as simple as a plug that has loosened. I think that you will find the problem. I would start by unplugging and plugging each plug. The results will surprise you. It just takes a little crud to cause a bad connection.
 
Thanks for the advice, Alex. I hope it's something that simple.
 
Phil,

When you are pulling the wiring checking it WD-40 makes a good crud buster on electrical contacts. Before you reassemble the cleaned connectors I suggest getting some dielectric grease, commonly used when installing headlight bulbs, and greasing all the connectors. You can get small packs of it at Auto Supply stores like Pep Boys / AutoZone in the lighting section. Not only will the grease keep any crud out it will make any future disassembling or reassembling easier....
 
Last edited:
Hard to tell but a corroded connection (on a circuit board or wire connector) may cause symptoms like yours. A bad connection can do strange things.
Let us know the outcome.

Brad
 
Thanks for the recommendation on dialectric grease. I wouldn't have thought of that.

Would WD-40 be better than contact cleaner?

I'll keep everyone posted on what I found out.
 
Phil Tarman said:
Would WD-40 be better than contact cleaner?
Click to expand...

Yes, for two reasons... First, and most importantly, WD-40 also displaces water as well as cleans and lubricates... Many, many, years ago I sprayed spark plug wires that had gotten very wet and were causing misfiring in my Jeep CJ-3. The WD-40, and my t-shirt, "dried" them enough to get me out of the woods... Note: Always, and I mean always, carefully check that creek that doesn't look too deep :eek1: before attempting to ford it... :rolleyes1: Second, WD-40 is generally a lot cheaper than "real" specific usage contact cleaners so you won't feel bad about blowing through a couple of cans cleaning everything very well...expensive cleaners tend to make most people get too "cheap" in their usage... I have both sitting in my shop and WD-40 is used first and then in some cases I may use a little contact cleaner as a follow up to help clean off old style brass or copper contacts...
 
I've seen LEDs from the Motolights do something similar. Turns out that the LED just went bad. Could be just as simple as a defective LED array. TT suggestion on the trouble shooting should identify the problem as power delivery or the LED so they'll know what to send you to fix it. :cool:

WD-40 is great for displacing water. It is also good for attracting dust/dirt so keep that in mind when using it.
 
Rob,
You are spot on concerning the WD-40. An application of WD-40 should always be followed by a blast of air from a compressor. If you don't have a compressor, canned air, available at any office supply, is a great alternative. It is good stuff to have around--blast keyboards, etc.
 
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