Topic: i started with a new tail light, i ended up with a major project!

[johnspeck]

been doing some work in the evenings on the bike while the weather's been rainy and i've been working my day job straight with no days off for almost three weeks.

i started swapping a lucas-type tail light in place of my stock one.  i did my research here, and followed the directions...green with yellow goes to red (on the new light), brown goes to black, green gets grounded to the light housing.

i can't seem to get the light to work.  the light seems to have the brake light on permanently, no change when i apply either brake, very bright light.  swapping the brown and green/yellow wires doesn't change anything.

in the middle of doing the swap, i decide to clean and refinish the underside of my fender, and why stop at just the rear?  i have both fenders off before you know it, degreasing, wire brushing, and eventually, rust-stop primer and black undercoat.

fast forward to me taking apart the entire harness (labeling everything along the way), and now i'm going to rewire the bike, cleaning/replacing any funky connectors, removing any unused or redundant wiring, and re-routing the whole thing.  

any suggestions as to the best place to get wire in coordinated colors for the best price?  also, bullet connectors?  i'm removing the turn signal wiring, blinker relay circuit, and going to try and consolidate the grounds.  while i'm at it, i'll install a new brighter headlight.

hopefully, i can have this done before the harvest classic in lukenbach at the end of the month, but even if the bike isn't going, i am.

pics to follow...

[johnspeck]

ok, through the search function here, i've found http://www.vintageconnections.com/ for the connectors.

they also have a link on the home page to wire suppliers.

also, major good info in this thread: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=13258.50  page three has some great hints for re-doing your harness.

to recap, here's my "to do" list regarding the wiring, etc:

order new connectors and wiring
gel battery
halogen headlight
remove battery tray/fab new underseat mounting for battery/electrics
lucas tail light

i would like to run the harness into the frame at the downtube (where the tank ends and the seat starts, is this possible/is there a place i can drill that part of the frame safely (not damaging the frame's integrity?)


p.s.: i know this is a bit of an undertaking, but with the hondaman ignition, rick's stator/rect/reg, i have a bit of rat's nest wiring going on, so this is my opportunity to properly route and wire everything to be super clean and easy to troubleshoot should there be a problem.  i've worked with guitars/amps/electronics for a while, so i can do clean soldering/wiring.  in fact, it drove me nuts anytime i looked at the mess under my tank.

[Laminar]

I'd recommend Oregon Motorcycle Parts. Fair prices, great products, and super ultra fast shipping.

[Ogri]

Regarding the brake light on permanently problem, using a voltmeter or test lamp, turn on the ignition and with one wire grounded to the frame, test to see if both terminals in the bulb holder (that transmit power to the bulb, which for this test you've removed) show a reading or cause the test-light to light up.
If, on your particular bike, with the ignition on, there's always power to the rear running light and only one of the terminals shows a reading then it would suggest that the brake-light filament is picking up power from the running light terminal. Disconnect the brown wire to black wire connection. Put the bulb back in. If the brake light no longer lights then you've proved that the brake filament is receiving power from the brown wire. Take apart lamp and look for wires touching that shouldn't be.

If, on your particular bike, with the ignition on, there's always power to the rear running light and both of the terminals shows a reading then one of the switches is faulty.

If, on your particular bike, with the ignition on, there's normally no power to the rear running light (unless you turn the lights on) and one of the terminals shows a reading then it would suggest that either the front brake light switch or the rear one is faulty.

Disconnect the front brake light switch (if you have one.) Is the brake light out now? If so; front switch may be faulty.

Disconnect the rear brake light switch. Is the brake light out now? If so; rear switch may be faulty. Touch together the female connector of the black wire to the male connector of the green/yellow wire. You are now the switch! Observe the brake light. If it now works when you connect and disconnect get a new rear brake light switch. If the brake light remains on despite the wires being disconnected then the bulb is receiving power from the running light wire in the bulb holder (the only source of power with both brake light switches disconnected.)

 
 If it's one of those Lucas replica lamps the quality of the actual bulb-holder is probably pretty low, the non-conductive disc that holds the wire terminals may have twisted and the running light terminal might be touching the brake light pick-up on the bulb, or the spring might be misaligned and connecting the running light wire to the brake light wire.

If the brake light does go out when you disconnect the rear brake light switch then you either have a faulty switch or it needs adjusting. To be absolutely sure; disconnect the little spring at the rear brake pedal (NOT at the switch as the plunger will disappear inside the switch's body), this will allow the plunger in the switch to fully retract into the body of the switch. Now turn the ignition on, if the brake light still comes on (with the front brake light switch still disconnected) then either the switch is no good or the filament is receiving power from the running light wire. If the brake light goes out with the spring disconnected, gently pull on the spring and see if the brake light comes on. If it does cause the brake light to light up then you just need to lower the switch in the bracket.

[johnspeck]

thanks for the troubleshooting help, ogri.  it's one of the replica lucas lights, so i'll check that everything is correct there first.  i know the switches are both working, because the stock light worked fine, i just wanted to replace it for aesthetic reasons.


so, i start my saturday with wiring to tackle.  i don't have to re-wire my whole bike, but i DO need to clean up the wiring and routing.  i might just end up soldering some stuff, to get it back on the road as soon as possible.  it's a nice day, i'm off for the first time in almost three weeks, and i have a new helmet to try out!

here's where i'm at:

the rear fender when i started


i degreased it, scrubbed it with a wire brush and steel wool, washed and prepped for painting.  i used a rust stopping primer first.



i did both fenders at the same time.  here's how they look this morning...


and here's where i'm at with the wiring...










other than the new tail light gremlin, the bike works fine, so it shouldn't be too hard to get it cleaned up and back together.  i've labeled every connector.

[Ogri]

Looks like matters are well in hand!

Lovely little(ish) bike too - keep us posted.

[johnspeck]

got the wiring sorted.  re-routed a few things under the tank.

still not pretty, but much better than before...






i made sure all the wiring works.  the only casualty was one of the bullet connectors broke, so i just used a crimped butt connector for now.  lights worked, horn, starter, spark, etc.  first try!

got the fender back on after a little metal polish to clear up any surface oxidation.  looks much better!


i also received the new seat foam and cover in the mail yesterday, an unexpected surprise.  so i pulled the cover and foam, cleaned the seat pan, and primed with rust stop.


spent the next hour getting it on and looking good.






also got the tail light mounted.  i'll finish up the wiring today and make use of ogri's troubleshooting tips.




should be a nice day to ride, highs in the mid/upper 70's and sunny.

[johnspeck]

tail light is wired and functioning...thanks again, ogri.

now, to get those other needle jets i was messing with out and re-tune/sync the carbs, should be all set for a nice sunday ride!  looks like the bike will be headed to luckenbach next weekend, if the weather cooperates.