wiring troubles

[obivious]

so my friend gave me his old xs1100, because he owed me money. I like the bike and i had it running really well after cleaning it up a bit. The only problem was that all the lighting up front was messed up. Apparently it had a fairing at some point that was removed. Anyway none of the turn signals worked and i had no high beams, also the back light for the speedometer didn't work.

My first step was to check the wiring behind the head light, and everything was connected. After checking more of the wiring harness i saw several other splits and splices of wiring. I decided that replacing the whole harness was the best solution.

The first harness i bought was off an 80 xs1100 most of the plugs lined up on it and i made temporary connections for the rest but the bike wouldn't start. I assumed that the wiring harness was the problem so i found a complete one from a 79. I installed it and still the bike won't do anything. I have double checked all the connections and there is power travelling to all the different parts of the bike.

So i am at a loss right now because the bike ran fine when everything was jury rigged together but now that everything is properly assemble i get nothing out of the bike.

Any suggestions

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome aboard! You have inadvertently discovered the most troublesome part of these bikes. The electrical system can be a bit difficult to translate. First, which year and model bike do you have - Special or Standard? There are small differences between them that will make a difference, especially with electrical stuff.

[Rasputin]

Try going to this page http://home.ptd.net/~theragos/tci%20faq's.htm and test your TCI as is shown in the video available there. At least it will tell you if your TCI is at fault or the problem is somehwere else. It is Randy's page and I find it very informative.

[Larrym]

H'lo and welcome to the site: a great place to be regardless of whether your bike runs or not!

First, electrical wiring and the correct diagrams are specific to some models of the XS. Without us knowing on this side of the computer what bike/year you have none of us can truly provide accurate guidance. If you already know what year/model you own then you can go here to get a digital version of the repair manual:

http://www.ringler.us/family/mybike.html

That's a site belonging to one of our more helpful members. If you choose a paper version then Clymers has a manual as well. The point is that each and every wire has to go where it's s'posed to go and without a proper schematic for the exact model/year it's guesswork which can result in non-operation or the dreaded melting of wires or damaging of rare/costly components. The wiring harnesses may appear to be transferable from model to model only because they physically are made to go on a similar frame. Some connections and devices are different. So the best bet for full functionality even with the former PO's hacks is the original harness. JMHO

To Identify your model/year go here and scroll down the page a bit:

http://xs11.com/faqs/153-serial-numb...ry-colors.html

The you can include the info in your signature so we'll all know at a glance what we're dealing with.

Once we're that far then we can guide you to locations and tests you can make with a multimeter: May take a while and a few back and forth communications but odds are very high for success.

BTW it's nice to have friends that owe money and even have to be bailed out of jail every few years. Makes life less boring.

[BigDick]

Welcome. Electrical stuff isn't really as scary as it may seem. First thing's first, check the bulbs and fuses, it sounds silly but it's also easiest to fix.
Then check your switch and see if it's dirty or has bad connections, make sure you're getting power there too.

Look at the harness really close, kinda twist it around, see if it might be burnt in places. If everything looks right, the bulbs are good, the fuses are good, then you might have to start working through the harness, take jumper wires and a tester and see if you have continuity from one end of the wire to the originating point (the bulb socket to the fuse box, etc.).

There has to be a break in the system somewhere that's keeping the current from completing the circuit (not a literal break, maybe a bad connection etc.) All you have to do is work from one end to the other to find it.

I've completely unwrapped the harness on my bike and been from one end to the other. I now have no electrical problems on my bike.

I'm not saying that you should strip the wiring harness completely right off the bat, just that with the help on this site and actually getting your own experience with the bike, the electrical system isn't that big of a deal.

Be sure to ask here on the site with any questions you might have. You might get a little ribbing, but you'll also get the help you need. Good Luck!

edit**an accurate wiring diagram is worth it's weight in gold imho

[Rasputin]

Help us help you

but the bike wouldn't start.
I installed it and still the bike won't do anything.
i get nothing out of the bike.
Any suggestions

Yeah, I agree with what the guys have said about model Id and wiring diagrams etc.
One more point I have to ask is to try to be a bit more specific with what the actual problem is.
Things like bike won't do anything and i get nothing out of the bike can lead us in so very many ways. Things like the bike cranks fine but wont start gives us more info to work with and we can better help you.
Does the engine crank over? Do the lights work or not? Do you know if you have spark? Is your battery fully charged? Have you rechecked all fuses etc. Any and all info will help us help you. Oh by the way, I almost forgot, Welcome to the forum!

[CatatonicBug]

If you already know what year/model you own then you can go here to get a digital version of the repair manual:

http://www.ringler.us/family/mybike.html

That's a site belonging to one of our more helpful members. If you choose a paper version then Clymers has a manual as well.

Yeah, that's the site linked to in my signature. I should also mention that the Clymers manual is one of the manuals I host. I have the Yamaha OEM one, AND the Clymers version.

[obivious]

hi again,

Thanks for everyone's replies. The bike is a 1979 xs1100 special. It also came with the factory fairing, but that was removed way before i received the bike. When i said the bike does nothing i meant that it really does nothing except that the headlight still turns on. Other that that there is no crank or anything. I don't have a kickstarter on it currently so i can't even test to see if it would start that way. I'll try running through some of the test that were mentioned. But like i said the bike was running fine before so I think most of the parts are fine there just not all connected properly.

[randy]

Yeah, you're right in thinking that they're not all connected properly. The engine won't even crank and the headlight comes on? The headlight is designed to only come on when the engine is running, triggered by the alternator.

As suggested, get the wiring diagram and the manual and start studying. And welcome!

[oldyam80sg]

And the kickstart wont help if the battery is worn down.Did you check the voltage-should be around 12 volts or higher.If not TCI wont work and that's a start.How old is the battery?

[DiverRay]

If you have a '79 Special, you NEED the wire harness from a '79 Special ONLY! No other harness will work. You may be able to take the original, and "fix" it. Welcome to the site, and post your location. You may find someone near you who can help with it.

[Larrym]

Wires..Wires..Everywhere.

In case you're still guessing which wire is connected to what thingy:



Courtesy of TopCatGr58.

Click on the diagram to expand the image.

[obivious]

Thanks for the diagram but i have already been using this site for a while to troubleshoot some other things. So i have already found the different wiring diagrams that is why i thought the other harnesses might work. I'm starting to think i might just have to take the newest one back off and strip the tape off and compare it to the original. The battery is old but i have a battery charger/jumper hooked to the bike which i was using to start it before i started messing with things. Like i said the bike did run fine so i know the problem lies in the wires.

Thanks again for the help.

[oldyam80sg]

My SG ran fine too but a dead cell in battery will cause it not to start or at the very least give you issues.