Connecting an aftermarket brake light

[Korr]

Hi guys!! So i was out htere last night unbolting and cutting. I have an after market lucas style tail light with 1 red wire and 1 black wire(got it from ebay). The two wires from the XS are yellow and light blue. The red is hot and the black is ground. What do i have to do to make this connection work?
Here are some pictures of what i have been doing so far.

[DiverRay]

The red is hot and the black is ground. What do i have to do to make this connection work?

Buy the PROPER TYPE OF LIGHT!! You have a tail light ONLY, NOT tail/stop light. You NEED a light with three wires, red, black, and white or brown. You MAY be able to change out the bulb holder, but it would be a LOT of work.
I'll be in San Jose Friday morning with about an hour to spare. If you want, we can try to get together and brainstorm. You MAY be able to build an LED light for the rear of the seat.

[fredintoon]

Hi Korr,
nice seat but a photo of your new Prince of Darkness rear light would be more helpful.
Like Ray sez, it may have a single element bulb in there and thus unusable for a stop/tail lamp.
Mind you, Joe Crap was always seeking to shave a penny wherever possible and with lights, the ground was up to you.
It may be that the red & black wires are to the stop & tail elements of a single bulb.
Check red to a ground on the lamp body then black the same, first with a meter then with a battery.

[Korr]

My fault! It will not work It is only a tail light. Good idea Ray! I think i will be able to cut out the oem ones and transplant them into the shell of the new one. It should work. Gonna be having me some fun with the dremel heeheheh! If your phone rings and it's me...it's probably because the transplant didn't work hahaha. Maybe my head is missing a wire too...

[Korr]

Just found a brake light on craigslist.

It is from a 2001 YZF 600R.
It has 3 wires like what i need.Would this work?
If it will work for the XS i will pick it up right after work tonight. The XS has 2 bulbs, this one only has one bulb from what is shown in the parts diagram from stadiumyamaha.com
Here's a picture of both lights.

My light which is only a tail light.


The one from the YZF

[DiverRay]

The YZF will work. It looks to have the three wires needed for stop/tail operations. check the bulb BEFORE you do any testing, to make sure it's good. You don't want to spend time looking for a problem, when the bulb in the light is burned out.
As I said, I'll be in SJ Friday, so if you need help, call.

[Korr]

Thanks Ray!

[fredintoon]

My light which is only a tail light.

Hi Korr,
you certain sure that's only a tail light? Have you taken the red plastic cover off to see if it has a single element bulb or a dual element bulb?
That thing looks identical to the Joe Crap stop/tail light on my BSA.

[Korr]

I have taken it off a few times, but never paid any attention to the bulb. If it was a dual filament bulb, how do i go about mounting it with only two wires? I looked on fleabay again and found a similar light for sale and the seller listed it with a dual filament bulb.

[DiverRay]

IF it has a dual filament, you just use one mount screw for the ground. The red is stop, black tail IF that is the case. You need to pull the lens to VERIFY, though.

[Korr]

Hey guys! I just drove home to pick it up. I took a picture of the bulb and it does look like it is a dual filament.

[Korr]

I just noticed that the two metal dots on the bulb and the socket for the bulb will not line up. Once i screw the bulb in and do a quarter turn to lock it. Is that normal? It seems like the two metal contact points have to touch in order for it to work?. Once again i am at the mercy of electricity with no idea what i am doing.

OH! The grooves that the bulb follows for putting the bulb in forces it to line up perfectly, then once you do the quarter turn to lock it in place it looks like it will not line up.

[DiverRay]

Try using a VOM to check the light. Install it, and put the black on the metal back, and the red lead to one of the wires. With a good bulb, you should have about 5 Ohms, I think. As long as it's not over 1K Ohms.

[Korr]

Alright, without everybody's input i would have gone through alot of trouble. I was out there testing it and it works. The mounting bolt is the ground connection! It works GREAT!! She'll be ready to ride by Friday!

Thanks guys