hi beam indicator weirdness

My hi beam indicator light flickers when the bike is first started (and the hi beams are switched on). It eventually goes out and stays out over the course of a ride. It will come back on again and flicker the next time the bike is started (with the hi beams switched on), as long as the bike is cold. If the bike is still warm, it won't come on at all. Everything else on the dash works fine, and the hi beam headlight works properly, no matter what the indicator is doing. Voltage through the blue wire into the dash plug is the right amount (10v) and consistent when the hi beam switch is on. I suppose the indicator bulb could be loose? Do I dare open the back of the instrument module?

Well, I took the instrument pod apart by removing the four tiny screws in the back. Instead of the back cover coming off, the front cover came off. This reveals the faceplate, which is loose but cannot be removed without pulling off the tach needle. I've pulled as hard as I dare on the needle, but it won't budge, and there are no visible retaining screws on it. The faceplate is a thin, flexible sheet of plastic, and I can lift it a bit and look underneath. I can just barely see where the indicator lights are recessed, but cannot access them to check or replace the offending bulb.

I hooked everything back up again, just to see if all this fiddling might have solved the problem, but it hasn't. However, instead of flickering, the indicator light now just glows very, very faintly. What kind of bulb would behave like this? Are they LED's? If so, does this behavior indicate a faulty LED or something wrong with the circuit board? Anybody know how to get that tach needle off so I can have a better look underneath the faceplate?