electrical/wiring question

[portero72]

encountered a problem when i switched out my right side handlebar controls(kill switch, starter button). old switch has 3 colored wires where it plugs into harness under the frame. new switch has same 3, plus a 4th wire that appears to be a ground, as it is all black. both plugs are black and have 6 possible leads-3 on top, 3 on bottom. original switch has all 3 on top(and no obvious ground). the new switch has all 3 colored wires on top, black on the bottom. with new switch, bike starts fine but blows headlight fuse every time i turn key on. electrics are not my forte. should i just clip that ground wire, as it appears that is the only difference? anyone have some expertise they care to share?

[randy]

Portero,

Are you sure that black wire is a ground?

Have you measured the potential with a meter?

Have you compared the original switch wiring with the new to determine if the wires are matching their function?

[portero72]

made the change last night in the (almost)dark, so no time to explore too deeply. also, dont even own a multi meter(electrics scare me). i am just guessing the black wire was a ground.

[TopCatGr58]

A "short" answer!

Hey Portero,

Okay, your 79F used the handlebars as the GROUND for the starter button, when you hit the button, you are just completing the circuit to ground which activates the starter solenoid and the starter. The newer switch assembly is probably from an 80 or 81 model, it's wiring diagram shows the 4th wire, which IS a ground for the starter circuit! So...having it connected to ground is correct!! The other 2 wires should be red/white striped and they are for the kill switch.

There are NO wires in the right hand control set for the headlights or it's circuitry.......so....you've rubbed a wire that IS part of the headlight circuit so that it's grounding out to frame, and THAT's why the fuse is blowing when you turn the key on, NOT from the right handlebar switch.

You'll need to check the wires especially in the headlight bucket, and look for some that have been pulled loose or cut against the sharp edges of the bucket, etc.!
T.C.

[portero72]

thx TC-i'll check it out. let me probe here a bit-i suspected the bars were the ground for the switch, because before mounting them i attempted to start the bike, with no success, even WITH the 'new' ground wire attatched. after full install it started, albeit with no headlights/guage lights. i also am in the habit of checking the last thing i did for the newest problem created. it seems odd that this issue never reared its head before. but i'll check it out as soon as i can. thx again....

[GNEPIG]

.. the xs650s viberate so much that yamaha rubber mounted the risers to help keep the vibes from the rider, when they did this the handle bars could no longer be used for the ground. on the 1100s the controls are grounded through the switch housings to the bars
.. i could have sworn that i got those switches to work remotely by hooking that black wire to the frame/ground
. you could try pluging the old switch back in and hold the housing against the handle bars [for ground]and see if your new problem still exists
hope this helps

[portero72]

thx to all who responded, keep em coming. allow me to explain a bit more. the original switch worked fine, save for a loose killswitch, so i decided to replace it(andreas rox!). the new one, however, has the additional black wire which APPEARS to be shorting out the headlight fuse. still no time to compare all the wires, so i'll have to dive more deeply a bit later. but plz, any and all advice is welcome. cheers

[Bob Falter]

Check to see if it blows the fuse when the switch isn’t mounted on the handlebars (not touching ground). If is doesn’t blow the fuse then and does when you ground the switch I’d cut the black wire, tape up the ends, mount it, and try it. If that is the case then my guess is that the black wire is ground and the switch is for a bike that is wired differently. When you plug it in to your bike circuit the black wire shorts out the light circuit. You shouldn’t need it if the switch is getting a ground through the handlebars. If it quits blowing the fuse but the kill switch or start button doesn’t work try grounding the switch side of the black wire to the handlebars.

Bob

[John]

If all you needed was the kill switch assembly, then remove the old one by opening the whole switch housing and remove the two screws that hold the kill switch in place, They are the same screws that attach the wires to the kill switch. Remove the new one the same way and install the new switch in your old housing. The switch lifts off from the outside of the housing and the knob stays attached to the kill switch. I have replaced my kill switch that way. That should take care of your fuse problems.

[portero72]

killed 2 birds with one stone with the old MIT-approved 'guts exchange' technique. transferred the new kill switch to the old wiring, thereby restoring that function as well as eliminating the fuse problem that the extra ground wire was causing. who needs an actual ground anyway? thx to all who chimed in...