Wiring ---WHAT!?!? (help)

[xs11bobber]

I have a 79 special. I just installed a fairly nice wiring harness that was an eBay buy of my fathers. Little did I know, the wiring harness is for an '80 standard or at least appearing that way. When I took the harness off, the two front looms crossed under the triple trees before they went up towards the headlight area. I figured this was a 'regular' move so I did it on the way back through with the new one. Well, according to my turn signal wires, this was a good move. My left loom has what can barely be called connectors and I figured all/most of what they went to via comparing the 79F diagram to the 80G. A few odd connection will have to be used, but I can figure that out.

The loom for the right side has the headlight connector and I found the turn signal quiet easily, but the rest is just out there. How can I figure this out?
I have [R,L,T](x2) and G/W. My front brake (light?) is going to take that G/W I'm assuming? What is dangling there now is a G/W,T for the brake. Might I also add that I have no battery or the starter solenoid (right now). I'm pulling them from a '80G parts bike soon.

Another question is involving my controls. I'm upgrading to MikesXS LHC # 24-2061 and RHC # 24-2062. I have plenty of confidence that the left will be pretty plug and play, but the right has got me worried. The controls I have now are a 4 wire with the duel R/Y and the new harness has the 5 wire with the trip R/Y. So I guess the question is how do the parts above fit the '80G harness or am I going to have to play master mind?

I never really studied a wiring diagram until I got this bike. I've been looking at it for 3 days. It's deffintely no B&S setup, haha. So I'm learning a lot. Kudos to all you wiring gods out there.

HELP!!! PLEASE!

[fredintoon]

I have a 79 special. I just installed a fairly nice wiring harness that was an eBay buy of my fathers. Little did I know, the wiring harness is for an '80 standard or at least appearing that way. - - -

Hi Josh,
old Britbikes had maybe 7 wires in their harness or mebbe 10 if you upgraded to turn signals so why is an XS harness as thick as your wrist fer chrissake?
But enough whining from the old guy.
Had a wiring nightmare on a '79 XS650 trying to make one good harness from 3 partials of dubious origin. Ended up with everything OK except the green neutral light didn't light up because the big red brake warning light had taken over it's duty.
But what I'd do in your case is to carefully compare the '79 Special and '80 Standard wiring diagrams in Clymers to see what colour wires go to the '79s various switches, lights, etc. vs what colour wires do the same duty on an '80 Std vs what colour wires are on the (presumably) '80 Std harness.
Same procedure with the wires on the parts from Mikes.

[xs11bobber]

That's what I've been trying, but when I look at my Clymer's wiring diagrams, the all appear to only have 1 red wire upfront and that goes to the "main switch" where I have 2. The Tans are for the Hi Beams, both stops, neutral, tach, oil light, main switch, and horn. I've labeled the hi beams, rear stop, neutral, tach, and oil light. The problem is when I wire up the key ignition I'll still have a Red, Blue, Tan, Green/White and only a front stop to wire which is 2 wires.

[fredintoon]

That's what I've been trying, but when I look at my Clymer's wiring diagrams, the all appear to only have 1 red wire upfront and that goes to the "main switch" where I have 2. The Tans are for the Hi Beams, both stops, neutral, tach, oil light, main switch, and horn. I've labeled the hi beams, rear stop, neutral, tach, and oil light. The problem is when I wire up the key ignition I'll still have a Red, Blue, Tan, Green/White and only a front stop to wire which is 2 wires.

Hi Josh,
green/yellow & tan = front stop switch
green/white & black = speedo reed switch
But the second blue & red wires in the 1980 & 1981 harnesses are to hook up extra lights on a fairing that your bike don't have.
So long as those wires have insulated connectors on them leave them lie in the headlight bucket.
The dreaded PO had removed the connector from my spare red wire so ~1/8" of bare wire was hanging out.
An intermittent dead short is a really annoying thing to have.

[xs11bobber]

Thanks so much Fred. I'm gonna go out and have a look at her tomorrow mid day. I should be able to get my battery and solenoid off the parts bike tomorrow. When I test them, I should have current in just 1 of the Reds or will both?

I have another question with those right controls. The 80 harness has 3 Red/Yellows and 2 other wires for the right controls connector, where as my current right controls (junk anyway - knob wont twist, starter button half gone and wont budge) only have 2 Red/Yellows and 2 other wires

[fredintoon]

Thanks so much Fred. I'm gonna go out and have a look at her tomorrow mid day. I should be able to get my battery and solenoid off the parts bike tomorrow. When I test them, I should have current in just 1 of the Reds or will both?

I have another question with those right controls. The 80 harness has 3 Red/Yellows and 2 other wires for the right controls connector, where as my current right controls (junk anyway - knob wont twist, starter button half gone and wont budge) only have 2 Red/Yellows and 2 other wires

Hi Josh,
the extra red wire is paired off from the red wire that goes to a 4-way plug that hooks up to the 4-way plug from the ignition switch so yes, both reds and indeed every plain red wire in the harness is fed straight from the main 30 amp fuse and is hot all the time.
Are you sure the 5 wires are for the start button & killswitch module on the twistgrip and not for the '80's 5-wire turn signal switch? The '80 t/s switch has extra wires for the 4-way hazard switch that your '79 doesn't have.

[xs11bobber]

I'm sorry, I was wrong all along. I guess that's what I get for working on the bike in the dark between 11pm and 4am with the trouble light hanging from the handlebars, lol. I just went out in the pouring rain and looked. This connector has 2 Red/White's, Red/Yellow, bLue/Black, bLue/White. When I look at my '79 diagram, I see the "handlebar switch, right" has the 2 Red/White's and bLue/White. Now the question is do I hook up the bLue/Black in place of the black in the diagram and where does the Red/Yellow go? I notice the Black in the diagram is also running to a lot of the front lights. And also, none of them have a place for a Red/Yellow. I notice that the Red/Yellow goes from the "relay" (whichever one that would be) to the fuse box, which come right back from there as Red/White and Tan.

Again, thank you so much Fred.

[fredintoon]

I'm sorry, I was wrong all along. I guess that's what I get for working on the bike in the dark between 11pm and 4am with the trouble light hanging from the handlebars, lol. I just went out in the pouring rain and looked. This connector has 2 Red/White's, Red/Yellow, bLue/Black, bLue/White. When I look at my '79 diagram, I see the "handlebar switch, right" has the 2 Red/White's and bLue/White. Now the question is do I hook up the bLue/Black in place of the black in the diagram and where does the Red/Yellow go? I notice the Black in the diagram is also running to a lot of the front lights. And also, none of them have a place for a Red/Yellow. I notice that the Red/Yellow goes from the "relay" (whichever one that would be) to the fuse box, which come right back from there as Red/White and Tan.
Again, thank you so much Fred.

Hi Josh,
all black wires are ground wires. So no, as a blue/black is not necessarily a ground wire I doubt it would work right.
See the wiring diagrams' heavy black bars joining wires together? A black bar crossing 4 wires means it's a 4-way plug & socket connection & so on.
See the single box called "handlebar switch right" on the '79 diagram and the two boxes called "starter button & "engine stop switch on the '80 diagram?
They are two different depictions of the same unit and they both have 2 x red/white, a blue/white & a black wire that cross a black bar (that is, they join same-coloured wires via a 4-way connection) and have those same-colour wires leading away into the harness.
Now I have looked for a 5-way black bar on my '80 diagram and there simply isn't a 5-way bar with those colours of wiring going through it.
What is the provenance of this allegedly 1980 harness?
I suspect it is an orphan.

[xs11bobber]

Unfortunately, pop just went to bed. I'll have him pull it up on his ebay tomorrow.

[xs11bobber]

Figured out the problem Fred. Take a look at the '78E - '79F diagram. I haven't looked over everything, but that right control sure does match up. Thansk so much for everything Fred.