[frenzy_rumble]

Just got back from vacation and I am hesitant to even look at the bike due to the major electrical issues due to a short before I left.



Currently, the blinkers are all jacked up. If I turn on the left signal, the right front even blinks a little. BOTH back blinkers blink in unison (assuming something is crossed over in the wiring)

Wondering if anyone has suggestions where to start to fix the problem.



I intend on disconnecting the back blinkers, starting with the front. If there's nothing messed up in the wiring, is it advisable to put resistors in the hot leads to the blinkers to help remove the light blink on the unselected blinker?

 

[CXPHREAK]

Myself, I'd try cleaning the switch. If there's no problem there I think you'll be looking at a short between wires somewhere.

 

[Sam I Am]

I would avoid resistors. There's a problem here and they won't fix it but they will more than likely cloud the diagnostic waters and will certainly become an unwelcome source of heat.



The problem is just lights? Not charging or engine electrical? It can be daunting but the wiring on these bikes is not all that complex. Typically this sort of thing ends up being a result of a bad ground, a shorted hot or corrosion in the light sockets/connectors/switch. If you don't have a colour wiring diagram you need to get one. I don't have one on my work computer but there must be a link to one here somewhere.



Found it here - here



I find the diagrams to be a little hard to follow so I usually draw my own wiring map. In this case I'd just use the colour diagram to locate all the signal wiring and do up a sketch of just that, making note of all the colour codes.



Frustrating? Yes.

Time consuming? Yes.

A waste of time and effort? Absolutely not.



You won't find a mechanic willing to chase down an electrical gremlin for less than a couple hours labour at best. That's if you can find one at all. There's more mechanical and electrical know-how concentrated on this site than there is in any bike shop.

 

[stern-69]

Electrical problems can be a huge nightmare, even for someone that does it professionally for a living like me lol. Here are a few idea's to help narrow the problem and make the process a little less scary and frustrating.



If this problem seems to be due to a "short" as you indicated, then best thing is to do a bit of "prep work" to make life a lot easier. I would try to expose as much of the harness as possible and look for obvious problems. I would;



- Take off the tank and the seat

- Pull the headlight from the bucket



This should expose the majority of the harness. Look it over and look for damaged areas as well as checking inside the headlight bucket for "bare wire" ends and bits that could short out when the headlight is in. With the bike in this state, try the lights again and see if the problem changes (would indicate the headlight bucket as the source of the problem) or remains the same. If it stays the same, the problem is elsewhere.



If the problem remains, follow the harness from front to back and nake sure ANY ground wire that comes out has good connection to the frame (there are a few ground wires). Make sure the harness shows no sign of "overheating damage" as a temporary short on some wires can cause overheating and melting of insulation, creating a NEW permenent short (happened on the kids shadow).





Most of all, take your time and dont let frustration get the better of you. If you get stuck, come in and take a 10 min "posting break" and keep us informed on what you have tried and what happened. I know someone here will give more ideas and help step you through it, this forum has the best of the best.

 

[DanCX500]

Myself, I'd try cleaning the switch. If there's no problem there I think you'll be looking at a short between wires somewhere.

OP.....I think you ment diode, which is a one way curent valve, instead of a resistor.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diode However, I agree that I don't think this is the answer.



I do think that you either have a bad ground, or like CXPHREAK said, a switch that needs cleaning. Unless you find a place where the mice have done a number on the wiring ....????



What is the history on this bike? Something that you just got? Has this problem been around for awhile?

 

[OU812]

Check your grounds to the lights & main ground from battery to frame.I've even added extra gnds to to many of my bikes from the battery to various parts on the bike.With a bad ground current will travel thru other lights to eventually find it's best path home (ground).

 

[[email protected]]

I'm troubleshooting my blinkers this weekend...I'll post some pix and share my little novice tricks.



Rule number 1...give yourself lots of time and don't get discouraged

. If you are frustrated and tired during an electrical repair on a vintage vehicle, chances are you are doing everything right,

 

[CXSarnia]

Check your grounds to the lights & main ground from battery to frame.I've even added extra gnds to to many of my bikes from the battery to various parts on the bike.With a bad ground current will travel thru other lights to eventually find it's best path home (ground).

I did exactly this. After years of riding, the rear signals began with the wonky work/don't work intermittent similar to either a short or open circuit. I hooked up a permanent ground to both rear signals and all the problems were solved. You can do (test) this with a couple of alligator clips and connector wire - just to test the theory on your bike. Ground the light sockets to a known 'good' ground on the bike. If the problems goes away, then make up a more permanent 'grounding ' solution.