Rattling Headlight

[NC Steve]

Has anyone else been into their headlights lately?
I replaced my on again/off again stock bulb last weekend with a new PIAA and took the bike out for a ride Sunday, whereupon I kept noticing a rattle up front: I must confess this wasn't the 1st time I'd heard this, either.
To make a long story short, I seem to be missing headlight "gasket", part # 63 12 1 243 595, see fiche, part 4:



It certainly wasn't there at disassembly, nor was it mentioned in my Clymer manual, but obviously something must act as a vibration insulator between the metal of the ring and bucket & the glass lens.
Before pulling up the fiche, I was thinking about trying to find a wide, thick rubber "band", sort of like what's used to insulate the glass globe lights on many ceiling fan fixtures.
Does anyone have other ideas, or know if this stock gasket is rubber or otherwise isolates vibration? I'm guessing this may well be why the stock bulb works intermittently also.

[Ed Miller]

My local NAPA has a selection including some pretty large O-rings.  Or you could try getting one from a BMW dealer?  My Windjammer uses it's own headlight, so I don't have an original example to look at.  

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

$10 retail from Chicago's website.  ($8 for their 6-month discount...).  I would order one for $10.

[westfalian_alien]

Hi Steve,
the lamp ring gasket only prevents the unit from water. The vibration insulators are the two rubber washers (No. 7 of Your fiche). Please check their correct placemant (on both sides of the lamp holder arm) and their condition - they suffer and loose their function if the M8 bolts are being tightened too much. As years go by, they get hardened too.
I replaced the 20yr old ones by thicker standard ones. BTW: on a correctly synchronized flat two vibes show only in a narrow band of revs - approx. 4500 - 5000 r. p. m.
Drive safely
+++
westfalian alien

[NC Steve]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the info and know the parts are available from BMW, but my problem is more a looseness where  the glass lens & chrome trim ring attach to the headlight bucket, causing the lens to vibrate and rattle. In fact, I can easily move the trim ring & lens by hand , maybe 1/8th inch.
I think I'm gonna have to improvise and come up with a rubber vibe isolation system, which might stop the noise, make life easier on bulbs, and maybe even prevent my headlight from someday "jumping out" of its' bucket: now that could be interesting!

Let's see now, pi x 7 in. = a 21.98 inch circumference.....

[Bob_Roller]

I don't know if you have a NAPA auto parts store near you, but they have access to a wide variety of items that would be difficult to locate on your own. I know they have helped me out in the past on some oddball parts that were not available from the manufacturer.

[NC Steve]

Yeah, thanks Bob, I'm already taking the day off work, and think I'll ride by NAPA to see what they do have. Them, and maybe even Home Depot, Lowes, etc., to see what sort of large, thick rubber bands they might have.
I'll figure it out, will wrap the hell outta the lens rim in electrical tape, if forced: won't see it anyway...

[Bob_Roller]

I've had PIAA lamps installed on both bikes for about 3 years now, and they don't take the abuse of a standard lamp. So get the head light assembly secure. I have been buying my PIAA lamps from Europartsdirect .com, they had the best prices that I could find on the internet.

[nhmaf]

I *think* that I recall seeing a rubber-like gasket there when I put in my new PIAA bulb last year.
It seems that $10 is a bit much for a rubber ring, but it isn't so much that I wouldn't order one.
Alternatively, if you have an old truck/car/tractor inner tube lying around you could probably cut out a ring
of close to the same thickness from that...

[NC Steve]

Thanks, nh (what is your name, anyway?), but I believe I've gotten it all figured out.
While gazing off into space this morning, I remembered my son had a pair of "Moon Shoes" about 10 years ago, that were basically strap-on boot things that would let you jump real high, "powered" by, yes, extra-heavy-duty rubber bands! A quick trip to the attic yielded about 200 of these things, so I should be set to go. It was a rainy, cold day here so I didn't actually put 1 or 2 on yet, but I can't see how these things could not work!

So, got that knocked, and got my idle readjusted after removing all the smog junk, now I think I'm out of things to work on! Just need to decide between the $25 bicycle speedo for NASA-like info (I've found the source, if anyone's interested), or a $200 fix-up of the old original gauge, never terribly accurate even when new.
Guess then I'll have to decide if I really want to start working on that R90/6 that's for sale in the local paper.....

[suecanada]

Why not get the bicycle speedo AND fix the original speedo by yourself?? Not much to lose as long as one speedo works. Just depends I guess if you want to tinker with the old one.....it's fun on a rainy day as long as nothing breaks any more than it already is.

[NC Steve]

Hey Sue, long time no talk!
I decided to go with a bike computer,  for speed and trips, as my stock odo always has worked well, and save the funds and aggravation for another day and/or project.
I think instead of starting something new right away, I'll just enjoy some riding this summer, and focus on a relocation I've been working on instead: maybe get more & better space to store & work on more bikes! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Here's a pic and the link to the best deal I've found out there, a top-o-the-line wired Sigma with backlight and 199 kph capability ( appx 122 mph, faster than my ol' R65 will ever run!)
As recommended by several R65.org-ers, including Rob's bud, Lurker no R65, (Stephen from Ontario).
Thanks again for all the good intel, gentlemen!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=017&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=270107449988&rd=1&rd=1

[nhmaf]

NC Steve -

You can call me Mike.

My last name starts with "F" and is a french one that was altered by my ancestors when they decided to go to New France
and become fur trappers in the early 1700s, and it seems very few non-French people can pronounce it . If you look want to look it
up, the original name means "fern".

[NC Steve]

"Mike" works: thanks, nh! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Hi Mike!