Headlight Wiring Woes

[hudson]

This picture is of the starter/turn wires coming into the bucket. The wire to the right is bare. IS this a ground wire? Where does it go?



This is a tan wire coming from a bulb which I have no idea where it goes or what it lights up. It has a wire coming out of it that is not connected to anything.



This is a green & red wire coming from a black plastic unit at the bottom front of the case. It looks melted and not connetcted with the wire cap very well.



This is a blue wire that is not connected to anything and is by the same black plastic unint at the bottom front of the case.

[gspd]

Whew!
Kind of a mess, isn't it?
The standard maze looks even worse with that state-of-the-art photography.

I'd be weary of wires having melted in the main harness ( no fuses on that bike, right? )

I would suggest you un-tape the harness in all the easy-to-access sections and check for melting,
Find a good color wiring diagram and follow the current paths one by one.
It CAN all be fixed, you might have to splice in some new wires, and that has to be done properly.
The color of wire you splice in doesn't matter function wise, but it might be a PITA if you have to fix something later, and it will definitely piss off whoever buys your bike if you ever sell it.
You can possibly find sections of wires the right colors out of an old VW or BMW at a wrecking yard,

it might make more sense to buy a new harness.
Are there any good airhead shops around there?

[hudson]

not to sound too ignorant, but ifI buy a new wiring harness, is it basically a replacement of all these guts? I am not worried about the cost of the harness, but how easy it is to replace. Any comments on that?

[Major Softie]

not to sound too ignorant, but ifI buy a new wiring harness, is it basically a replacement of all these guts?

Yes, it is.

I am not worried about the cost of the harness, but how easy it is to replace. Any comments on that?

You have a mess to deal with regardless. Yes, replacing the harness is a good sized job, but it makes it like new, as opposed to putting a lot of effort into a repair that is still going to remain kind of half-assed, and may just lead to more problems in the future. You just have to look at just how much needs to be fixed and the overall condition of the current harness and decide what makes the most sense.

[wirewrkr]

usually when that green and red wire fries, it's because the brake lite switcg on the handle bar has short to the bar.
usually.
If you need one I have the factory schematic I can email you.

[hudson]

thanks for the input guys. I have went through the whole harness tonight and decided to get a new one. Too many wires showed bare spots and are brittle.

wirewrkr - sure if you can, please e-mail the schematic at hudson.ny24@yahoo.com
thanks.

Again I appreciate everyone input and once I obtain the new wiring, I will let you know how I make out.

[gspd]

not to sound too ignorant, but ifI buy a new wiring harness, is it basically a replacement of all these guts? I am not worried about the cost of the harness, but how easy it is to replace. Any comments on that?

I'd guesstimate you're looking at about $500- $700 to have it all done professionally to good as new.

For a friend, I could probably get everything working, with no guarantee and no 'Mechanic from Hell' signature for about $150-$200. Maybe there's a guy like me near you.

Replacing a perfectly functioning harness as preventive maintenance just because of it's age, that's one thing.
Not too complicated if you do one thing at a time.

BUTT - If you have all kinds of shorts and don't know where all the wires go,
you might end up frying the new harness too.

If you do attempt it yourself, get a few dozen 10 amp fuses, and use one between the battery positive and any wire you connect there until all is up and running.
It would also be a good time to integrate fuses into the system, the best place for them is near the source, ie the battery.
take GOOD pics before disconnecting stuff if you're not sure that you'll remember where each wire goes.
GOOD LUCK!

[wirewrkr]

Email with schematic is sent, contact me if you get in a jam.
robert

[hudson]

Thanks guys. New harness ordered. Going to take some pics and notes and replace in a slow, orderly manner. I have the schematic from Robert and there is one in my Clymer's manual. The more I keep looking at the charts while following on my /5, the more I am starting to piece it together. It looks like the previous owner has a blade fuse coming off the battery already. I don't think there are a bunch of shorts. I think the main culprit is the green/red wires shorting from the brake light switch as Robert (wirewrkr) mentioned above. But some of the other wires are in bad shape, so I'll get this headache over with...

[hudson]

Oh and if anyone is in the Raleigh, NC area and wants to help me out, please let me know - beer and some $ for your time is on me... : )