wiring issues

[gene]

As a few know, I have been trying to get the tail light to work. I keep thinking it's the switch. I decided to pull the harness tape further back to double check if the last owner did something funky. Here is what I found.

[gene]

I do not have turn signals and do not plan on putting any. They spliced into the black and the red with white tracer.

When I connect my tumb stone tail light and hold the brake down it initially looks like a a stop light then starts to blink when I just hold it down.

[motoman]

Amazing what bonuses a PO will pass on to the next.........

[gene]

Other than a couple crapy splices, I didn't find anything wrong in the harness. This 2 wire tail light is sorta confusing me. I connected blue to blue and yellow to black.

[gene]

I pulled the fuses. The blue wire in the headlight area ohms out at the fuse box at the bottom where it comes in. The top ohms out at the tail light. I put the fuse in and it ohms from the headlight to the taillight. I turn the ignition on and the tail light does not light up. I hit the brakes and the light comes on. I hold the brake down and the light starts to flash like its a blinker.

Could I have a wiring error with the blinker switch?

[Ken Talbot]

The flashing brake light sounds like the way I've modified both of my Standards - using an alternating flasher inside the housing to make the brake light flash if held on for more than a second.

Are you checking the tail light with the engine running? It has been a while since I played around with electrical, but on 'later' models, there is a latching circuit that keeps the headlight off until the engine has a chance to start. I can't remember if this also applies to the tail light, or exactly which year this feature appeared.

[gene]

I might have found a problem I created. What do you do with the yellow wire with a black tracer? The switch I got from Mike's doesn't match up perfectly.

[DiverRay]

According to my Yamaha manual, there is no Yellow/Black wire! Yellow, Blue are the stop and tail lights, in that order. Chocolate is Left turn, Dark Green is right turn.

[gene]

Yah, I think the switch is for the xs650, but works for the 1100. Tail light is working properly now. I can clean-up the harness at the tail end now.

I found this when I googled.

Re: left handle bar switches, what's the yellow/black wire for?
I figured out that extra wire. I took both switches apart and luckily all i had to do is take them in half. The 1100 has that extra wire only it loops back to the solid yellow wire on the switch. So, i just spiced the yellow and yellow/black wire together. I got the switch on and all the lights and horn work correctly. Now i need to clean the rust out of the tank and get it started.

[gene]

Well, thanks for everyone's help again. I cleaned up all the wiring, tied everything down. Put the gas tank back on and hooked up all the fuel lines.

She started right up. All the lights are working properly. tail light, brake light, high beam, low beam, and gauge lights.

Wow!! does the engine sound good. Can't wait to get this beast on the road.

[MetalMaxx]

White wire with red stripe?

Hey can someone tell me where this wire.. WHITE/ red comes from? I can't read any of the diagrams on my manual, CD, too dark. Here's the pic..


To the left is the front of bike.. wire is broke just one inch out of frame.

[bikerphil]

On the XJ, the wht/red wire you show I believe goes to the battery fluid level sensor.