Soooo, I'm trying to put on a new taillight on my bike and miserably failing.
It goes a little like this: The new taillight has to wires, each going to a different bulb. One is the running light bulb, while the other, is the stopping light bulb.
Now this is where it gets complicated. I have three wires I have to wire into this thing. One is black (The ground), one is yellow (the running light), and the other one is gray with a red stripe (the stopping light.)
I have no idea on how I'm supposed to wire it in. I've tried any number of different combinations and all I can get is for the running light to turn on. Someone a little more saavy electrically please chime in.
Thanks
Is the a place to ground out the stop light? You may have to add an additional ground...
Quote from: NAKID on July 21, 2009, 10:26:30 AM
Is the a place to ground out the stop light? You may have to add an additional ground...
I've been fearing that.
How would I go about doing this.
Edit: to make it more clear
Each bulb should have a hot wire. but they both need a ground. you can either connect both bulbs' ground wire to each other ,and run 1 ground wire out. or have two ground wires( 1 from each bulb) connected to 1 wire and into the bikes ground.
since you only have 2 wires. when you open her up, it sounds like your missing the hot wire for the stopping light. you should have at least 3 wires.
Quote from: He Man on July 21, 2009, 10:33:10 AM
open the light up. if its two bulbs, one of the bulbs should connect to the other, or both bulbs should connect to a common ground.
Basically splice both wires to the black ground in the harness and then connect each one to their respective wire in the harness?
Quote from: El Matador on July 21, 2009, 10:10:57 AM
Soooo, I'm trying to put on a new taillight on my bike and miserably failing.
It goes a little like this: The new taillight has to wires, each going to a different bulb. One is the running light bulb, while the other, is the stopping light bulb.
Now this is where it gets complicated. I have three wires I have to wire into this thing. One is black (The ground), one is yellow (the running light), and the other one is gray with a red stripe (the stopping light.)
I have no idea on how I'm supposed to wire it in. I've tried any number of different combinations and all I can get is for the running light to turn on. Someone a little more saavy electrically please chime in.
Thanks
sounds like you just have to splice the 2 ground wires from the taillight and attach to the ground on the bike and then the other 2 wires coming out of the taillight go to either the stop or the running light. no biggie. if you are not sure which wires coming out of the taillight are ground, just try each set of 2 wires separately and try connecting them to the ground and running light wires of the harness (only one of 2 possible combinations) then you will know which is ground for each bulb on the new taillight.
Quote from: Bones on July 21, 2009, 01:12:26 PM
sounds like you just have to splice the 2 ground wires from the taillight and attach to the ground on the bike and then the other 2 wires coming out of the taillight go to either the stop or the running light. no biggie. if you are not sure which wires coming out of the taillight are ground, just try each set of 2 wires separately and try connecting them to the ground and running light wires of the harness (only one of 2 possible combinations) then you will know which is ground for each bulb on the new taillight.
But that's just it, the tail light has no ground wire I can see. Just one wire going directly into each bulb.
Quote from: El Matador on July 21, 2009, 01:21:33 PM
But that's just it, the tail light has no ground wire I can see. Just one wire going directly into each bulb.
Maybe it's grounding is based on ground/frame contact through it's (all?) metal parts/brackets/bolts?
Ground connects to the side/cylinder of the bulb, right? Trace ground from there?
If the running light works I would think you have a ground. Stopintime is correct on how the bulb grounds. Are you getting juice to the bulb when you hit the brake lever? Are both filaments in the bulb good? Is the tab that contacts the brake light filament making good contact? Is the bulb in backwards?
yes it may be a self-grounding taillight, but it would help TREMENDOUSLY if you post pics.
Quote from: Bones on July 22, 2009, 07:40:31 AM
yes it may be a self-grounding taillight, but it would help TREMENDOUSLY if you post pics.
The bulbs are single contact bulbs.
Pics:
(http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=25fecd9a35&view=att&th=122a4e204137d9ab&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw)
(http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=25fecd9a35&view=att&th=122a4e326a572fc1&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw)
(http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=25fecd9a35&view=att&th=122a4e3d92bac549&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw)
(http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=25fecd9a35&view=att&th=122a4e45a38e31ba&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw)
Quote from: El Matador on July 22, 2009, 03:59:06 PM
The bulbs are single contact bulbs.
Pics:
(http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=25fecd9a35&view=att&th=122a4e204137d9ab&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw)
(http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=25fecd9a35&view=att&th=122a4e326a572fc1&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw)
(http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=25fecd9a35&view=att&th=122a4e3d92bac549&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw)
(http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=25fecd9a35&view=att&th=122a4e45a38e31ba&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw)
Pics don't work, you can't link them from your email account...
matadormoto man. use your space!
Quote from: NAKID on July 22, 2009, 04:01:59 PM
Pics don't work, you can't link them from your email account...
Weird, it works just fine for me. I'll host elsewhere
lets try this again:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/SmeryTSb9KI/AAAAAAAAAO0/yChWHyOewks/s720/IMG00028-20090722-1850.jpg)
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/SmerySbrNmI/AAAAAAAAAO4/KEuCLNbV1-E/s720/IMG00029-20090722-1850.jpg)
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/SmeryueCC3I/AAAAAAAAAO8/NlzA0nyjLhc/s720/IMG00030-20090722-1850%282%29.jpg)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/Smesf8QkVAI/AAAAAAAAAPE/6VFPzjRjFT4/s720/IMG00027-20090722-1850.jpg)
Pics worked for you since you were logged in.
Anyway. Looks like the bulb grounds to the taillight housing. I would try running a ground wire from the inside frame of the light housing to the ground wire from the bike...
Someone correct me if im wrong, but the dot in the middle is your hot, and the metal base it locks itself into is the ground. but the ground connects to the unit so it is automatically grounded when it touches your frame. or there is a screw in the back of the unit that you can loop a spade tougne into and secure then attatch to the frame. if either fails, id solder one directly onto the base of one of the bulbs base plate
Have you checked to see if the other bulb is burnt out?
i believe if you run both the wires from the unit to your power lines on the bike, they should both be on (well the other would turn on when you hit the brakes). the ground is obviously working. the only way both bulbs wouldnt turn on is if u plug the ground from your bike into the power of the unit and power into hte other wire, that might of caused the bulb to break (or it could of been broken to begin with from shipping)
But if it's bolted to the plastic bear tray, it never touches metal.
Quote from: He Man on July 22, 2009, 05:22:25 PM
Someone correct me if im wrong, but the dot in the middle is your hot, and the metal base it locks itself into is the ground. but the ground connects to the unit so it is automatically grounded when it touches your frame. or there is a screw in the back of the unit that you can loop a spade tougne into and secure then attatch to the frame. if either fails, id solder one directly onto the base of one of the bulbs base plate
Have you checked to see if the other bulb is burnt out?
i believe if you run both the wires from the unit to your power lines on the bike, they should both be on (well the other would turn on when you hit the brakes). the ground is obviously working. the only way both bulbs wouldnt turn on is if u plug the ground from your bike into the power of the unit and power into hte other wire, that might of caused the bulb to break (or it could of been broken to begin with from shipping)
I sautered ground cables from the base of the bulb holders and connected it to the ground from the bike.
I also just got two brand new bulbs. It still does not work. What the make the beast with two backs am I doing wrong!?!?!?!?!?!?!
[/img]http://lh3.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/Sme9YmxZr-I/AAAAAAAAAPg/MG8JOg1dsX4/s720/IMG00031-20090722-2026.jpg (http://lh3.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/Sme9YmxZr-I/AAAAAAAAAPg/MG8JOg1dsX4/s720/IMG00031-20090722-2026.jpg)[/img]
Quote from: NAKID on July 22, 2009, 05:35:06 PM
But if it's bolted to the plastic bear tray, it never touches metal.
ok dude. heres the next thing to try.
remove your soldered grounds, and being that there are only 2 wires, and 3 connections theres only 6 possible combos. do each one and tell us what happens, (which bulb does which wire connect to and which bulb turns on)
this sound stupid, but dont forget to actually squeeze the brake lever otherwise it wont turn on. also, try the old unit out to make sure your switch isnt broken.
Quote from: El Matador on July 22, 2009, 05:35:30 PM
I sautered ground cables from the base of the bulb holders and connected it to the ground from the bike.
I also just got two brand new bulbs. It still does not work. What the make the beast with two backs am I doing wrong!?!?!?!?!?!?!
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/Sme9YmxZr-I/AAAAAAAAAPg/MG8JOg1dsX4/s720/IMG00031-20090722-2026.jpg)
Fixed the pic, but I have to second He Man...
Where did you get the light? What is it listed as working on?
Quote from: NAKID on July 22, 2009, 06:07:24 PM
Fixed the pic, but I have to second He Man...
Where did you get the light? What is it listed as working on?
I'm an idiot. I had blown the duse and didn't realize it. Ill get a new one tommorrow and try it out.
Seriously? Well, then hopefully it's just as simple as that...
thats what you get for plugging sticking it in unknown places. your lucky its not full blown aids.
Quote from: He Man on July 22, 2009, 06:27:41 PM
thats what you get for plugging sticking it in unknown places. your lucky its not full blown aids.
Yup, that was it. Just put in a new fuse and it all works. The grounds are good. I guess I must not have noticed when it blew while I was drowning in frustration.
Here are some pics:
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/SmiZW6sr9gI/AAAAAAAAAP8/VsT9bOnZFDE/IMG00033-20090723-1158.jpg)
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/SmiZWw8m2XI/AAAAAAAAAQA/axDv1eyqwoY/s512/IMG00034-20090723-1159.jpg)
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/SmiZXJ0ZPcI/AAAAAAAAAQE/RDUKS3wyy1k/s512/IMG00035-20090723-1159.jpg)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/SmiZXHFWKJI/AAAAAAAAAQI/bP8sy-616F4/s512/IMG00036-20090723-1200.jpg)
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/SmiZXTYe1MI/AAAAAAAAAQM/FQans39mUbg/s512/IMG00037-20090723-1200.jpg)
that looks pretty sweet man. but id get a ticket in a minute with that thing.