Wires not connectedWires not connectedI opened up the headlight to replace the neutral lightbulb (hoping that's why its not working) and I found a red wire wrapped around the screw of the head light that's not attached to anything. I also found two other wires that weren't attached. One is yellow, and the other is kind of white-pink. Any ideas what they are for and if they are supposed to be attached to (maybe each other?) The brights work, but the low beam doesn't work. I'm horrible with all things electric. I have a wiring diagram, not that it helps me at all!
Kigs - I don't recognize that headlight, but I'm only familiar with the CA72/77. The Dream headlights should have red and blue wires for the hi and lo beam and a green ground wire. The yellow and pink wires come from the dynamo and rectifier and should connect to yellow and pink wires from the "combination" (ignition) switch in the big connector in the headlight shell. Study the wiring diagram a little. The colors are on there, but if someone has "customized" your wiring the colors may not match and you'll have to do some detective work.
My bike is a '62 Dream 305 CA77. It looks like the original headlight. The high and low beams are working (I forgot about the dimmer switch on the handlebar) This bike is SO different than my Yamaha but I'm learning a ton! I know the PO changed the speedo. I don't know if that had anything to do with the wires. I got her running yesterday and she sounds nice and strong. I'm still going to take apart and clean the carb, gas tank and do an oil change. I'll try and study the wiring diagram some more. I've never been good with electrical stuff, but I guess its time to learn! I'm hoping that maybe they are extra wires to hook up turn signals....I need to add them. Thank you for your help!
I've given this lecture to many that have the same fear or whatever you want to call it when it comes to working on things electrical.
Here's what I suggest. Search the web for basic electricity. The motorcycle electrical system is for the most part a DC or direct current system. The only AC is the alternator, which is rectified (converted) to AC to charge the battery and run the other DC devices. So don't worry about that for now. Learn how a simple DC circuit works. If you think of the wire as a hose and the electric current running thru it as water, that helps you understand how DC works. Under what volts, amperes or amps (current) and ohms (resistance) are and how they relate to each other. Understand those three pieces of a circuit and how it works will help you to troubleshoot just about any electrical problem. And you won't have to tug and pull on wires to physically trace them unless absolutely necessary. Anyway, learn how a simple DC circuit works and you have pretty much all you need to know to solve just about any electrical problem. It really is that simple. The problem most have is the wiring diagram is so complicated it is intimidating. But, it is really made up of a bunch of separate DC circuits all attached to the bike. In many if not all cases, each circuit does not know that the other circuits are there. This is why Davo and others suggest you trace out the wires to see where they go and then see if that matches what is on your diagram. The lighting circuit is just one circuit and you can trace it using the wire colors on the diagram and then find them on the bike. Often it helps to make a photocopy of the diagram (make a bunch while you are at it) and then use a highlighter to trace out the circuit you are working on. Many think the engine is the heart of a bike, and they are probably right. But the electrical system is a lot like the vascular system and the electricity is the blood. No blood, no life. No electrical system, no engine (diesels excluded from this analogy). I would encourage anyone who like to work on their own bikes, cars, mowers, etc., to take a basic electricity course at an adult education facility or perhap on-line. You will never regret it. Hope this helps. regards, Rob Thank you Rob. That helps and makes alot of sense. The diagram IS very intimidating, but if I look at it just one wire at a time, and ignore the others, may I won't be so afraid! I'm nervous because everything else seems to be working other than the neutral switch and I don't want to screw anything up! I will definitely look for some on line tutorials on basic electric. Thanks again for your help!
There are often extra wires/connectors in a wiring harness because companies like to make one harness fit a number of models. So you might have a two bikes going to different markets, one with directionals and one without, yet both will have the wiring for directionals included in the harness and those wires will just not be connected on the non-directional bike. This is the kind of stuff that makes those unfamiliar with electrical systems and OEM practices worry about issues or think the problem they are having is related to wires dangling inside their headlight or under the seat.
Not that a loose or disconnected wire is not a possible problem. But if you know the color of that wire and have the correct wiring diagram, you can figure out what system it belongs to, determine if you have that particular system on your bike and then decide how and what it should or should not be connected to. The tricky part of electrical systems is the charging system on vintage bikes and cars. Mechanical voltage regulators tend to mystify people and rewinding starter motors or generators is still a viable business. You don't need to know about that stuff unless you want to. Eventually, you should learn how to tell if you charging system is working properly and if not how to figure out what is wrong with it. Otherwise, you'll just be guessing, plugging in new, expensive parts that perhaps you did not need or getting ripped off by somebody that found a loose wire and fixed the problem but sold you a new stator/rotor set anyway. regards, Rob
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