Newbie needs help wiring left hand control!

DB90

DB90

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How'd y'all! TOTAL newbie here haha. I recently picked up Angus67's 1980 XS Special. I am in the process of updating a few things to get it ready for the road. Right now I am trying to figure out the wiring of the left hand control!

I picked up a compact universal switch from TC Bros and I am having a hell of a time figuring out which wire goes to what. The schematic in my clymer gives me SUCH a headache when I try to study it I want to bypass the flasher cancelling unit.

Can anyone tell me which wires I should be connecting the new switch to?

I put a few pics of the wires coming from the switch and what the do. My switch does not have a brown wire btw, it has a blue and white wire and it is one of the 3 not in the white connecter.
108-0024_wiring_diagram.jpg
20190430_062320.jpg


Also, I wasn't sure where to post this, if it needs to be moved elsewhere please do!

Thanks!
 
DB90 welcome! The tech section is an invaluable resource, with pages of colorized wiring diagrams that are way easier to read

http://www.xs650.com/threads/some-wiring-diagrams.61/

Here’s the 80
A66613D8-2418-4B1D-B77B-F3643CB284D6.png
If you don’t have a multimeter on hand, get one and use it to confirm wire color/function on your right control and ignition switch, and if it all matches to the diagram you can connect everything into your new switch accordingly, using the diagram to keep track
 
DB90 said:
How'd y'all! TOTAL newbie here haha. I recently picked up Angus67's 1980 XS Special. I am in the process of updating a few things to get it ready for the road. Right now I am trying to figure out the wiring of the left hand control!
I picked up a compact universal switch from TC Bros and I am having a hell of a time figuring out which wire goes to what. The schematic in my clymer gives me SUCH a headache when I try to study it I want to bypass the flasher cancelling unit.
Can anyone tell me which wires I should be connecting the new switch to?
I put a few pics of the wires coming from the switch and what the do. My switch does not have a brown wire btw, it has a blue and white wire and it is one of the 3 not in the white connecter.View attachment 140118 View attachment 140119
Also, I wasn't sure where to post this, if it needs to be moved elsewhere please do!
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi DB90 and welcome,
your chart lists 8 differently colored wires and your photo shows 8, with 3 loose wires & 5 wires in a multi-plug.
I'd sort out the 7 colors that do match the chart leaving the one that don't to be the allegedly brown wire.
 
Hey Greasy! Thanks for the warm welcome and schematic! I have been going over it and just couldn't make sense of it then I had kind of an "ah-ha" moment and this is what I have deduced.

From switch to bike.

Main Power In: Blue/White to ?
Hi-Beam: Blue to Yellow
Low-Beam: White to Green
Blinker Power In: Gray to Brown/White
Right Turn: Orange to Dark Green
Left Turn: Lite Blue to Chocolate
Horn (which I will be using for starter instead): Lite Green to Blue/White
Ground: Green to Ground

I think I have it right. I still haven't figured out where the main power is coming from though. Can someone look it over and tell me if this is right, please?

Also, which wire is the main power coming from?
 
That sounds right, but I’d still go through with a multimeter and confirm that each switch and wire correspond. But that’s because im also very ignorant to electrical shit so I double check everything. Main power from battery is red wire with inline fuse, to fuse box, then to ignition I think, but again not entirely sure
 
LiveSlowDieWhenever said:
That sounds right, but I’d still go through with a multimeter and confirm that each switch and wire correspond. But that’s because im also very ignorant to electrical shit so I double check everything. Main power from battery is red wire with inline fuse, to fuse box, then to ignition I think, but again not entirely sure
Click to expand...


Yeah, I need to get a new Multimeter. Mine is fried. BUT! I got it!! Mostly all of it works! The only thing that doesn't is when I connect my blinkers to power, they don't blink. I did read somewhere on here that sometimes the bike has to be running for them to blink. It was late last night when I got it done and couldn't test that. I'll be testing it after work today
 
Multimeter is a must for sure but good to hear you solved that puzzle. You running factory lights? All 4 hooked up? The relay only works under a certain load, so if there’s not enough draw it’ll blink really slow or potentially not at all. If after testing you establish the relay is fried, they’re readily available and pretty cheap, the tridon 552 is a notable replacement. It’s a 2 prong but no rewiring required
 
LiveSlowDieWhenever said:
Multimeter is a must for sure but good to hear you solved that puzzle. You running factory lights? All 4 hooked up? The relay only works under a certain load, so if there’s not enough draw it’ll blink really slow or potentially not at all. If after testing you establish the relay is fried, they’re readily available and pretty cheap, the tridon 552 is a notable replacement. It’s a 2 prong but no rewiring required
Click to expand...

Welp. I thought I had the puzzle solved! Something funky is going on now. I am running a factory headlight but the PO put on aftermarket turn signals and tail light.

Back to the drawing board!
 
The factory flasher unit is designed to work with 4 stock turn signal bulbs. Change them to some other watt rated bulbs and the flasher won't operate them. That may be your non-flashing issue. Many switch to a generic flasher unit from the auto parts store. You won't have the self cancelling feature anymore but that "convenience" is "hit and miss" in my experience - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
 
DB90 said:
Welp. I thought I had the puzzle solved! Something funky is going on now. I am running a factory headlight but the PO put on aftermarket turn signals and tail light.
Back to the drawing board!
Click to expand...

Hi DB,
betcha your aftermarket turn signals have either 22 Watt incandescent bulbs or LEDs in them.
The stock flasher needs a 57 Watt load (27+27+3) or it won't flash, the signals just come on steady with a lower load.
Add more load (like the extra right turn flashers on my sidecar rig) and it'll flash a lot faster. Until it burns out.
Which is when Mr. Frugal found out the cost of a replacement stocker and bought a generic electronic 2-prong instead.
Note that LEDs & incandescent bulbs need different flasher relays to work 'em & that the stock flasher relay is the ONLY
one that'll work with the self-cancelling module.
 
fredintoon said:
Hi DB,
betcha your aftermarket turn signals have either 22 Watt incandescent bulbs or LEDs in them.
The stock flasher needs a 57 Watt load (27+27+3) or it won't flash, the signals just come on steady with a lower load.
Add more load (like the extra right turn flashers on my sidecar rig) and it'll flash a lot faster. Until it burns out.
Which is when Mr. Frugal found out the cost of a replacement stocker and bought a generic electronic 2-prong instead.
Note that LEDs & incandescent bulbs need different flasher relays to work 'em & that the stock flasher relay is the ONLY
one that'll work with the self-cancelling module.
Click to expand...

Hey fredintoon!
I'm not too certain on what bulbs are in the flashers at the moment. I haven't cracked em open to look yet. But I will say that I do have an aftermarket 2 prong relay and before I uograupg the switch, they worked. It's just that the old switch was worn out and didn't engage properly, hence the new switch.

I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I have the Hi/Lo beam and blinkers hooked up properly, it's just power that I'm having an issue with. I ran the Main Power off of the power being ran to my kill switch and I have found a couple different spots I could hook the blinker power up to, but everyone of those causes the blinkers to stay on and not flash.

Am I missing something??
 
DB90 said:
Hey fredintoon!
I'm not too certain on what bulbs are in the flashers at the moment. I haven't cracked em open to look yet. But I will say that I do have an aftermarket 2 prong relay and before I uograupg the switch, they worked. It's just that the old switch was worn out and didn't engage properly, hence the new switch.
I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I have the Hi/Lo beam and blinkers hooked up properly, it's just power that I'm having an issue with. I ran the Main Power off of the power being ran to my kill switch and I have found a couple different spots I could hook the blinker power up to, but everyone of those causes the blinkers to stay on and not flash.
Am I missing something??
Click to expand...

Hi DB,
Well something mustn't be right or it would work. eh?
Try bypassing the new switch and powering the flashers by twisting wires together.
If the flashers work like that it's the new switch that's causing the problem.
 
I don't think the blinkers get a main power feed wire or source. That would just turn them on constantly, and that's what's happening. They hook to the brown/white wire from the flasher and I think that "pulses" the power to them.

I don't think the hi-lo switch gets direct main power either. That would turn the headlight on with the key. The stock set-up runs power for the headlight to the headlight safety relay from the headlight fuse on a R/Y wire. When the safety relay is tripped, that power comes out of the relay on a blue/black wire and runs to the reserve lighting unit. From there, it is sent to the hi-lo switch on the blue/yellow wire, or on the blue/ green wire if the low beam burns out.
 
5twins said:
I don't think the blinkers get a main power feed wire or source. That would just turn them on constantly, and that's what's happening. They hook to the brown/white wire from the flasher and I think that "pulses" the power to them.

I don't think the hi-lo switch gets direct main power either. That would turn the headlight on with the key. The stock set-up runs power for the headlight to the headlight safety relay from the headlight fuse on a R/Y wire. When the safety relay is tripped, that power comes out of the relay on a blue/black wire and runs to the reserve lighting unit. From there, it is sent to the hi-lo switch on the blue/yellow wire, or on the blue/ green wire if the low beam burns out.
Click to expand...

Well then, that must be where I went wrong! Haha. Guess I don't fully understand the system yet lol! Thank you for the info!!
 
On your turns, In the early models without the self canceler power went to the flasher on a brown wire. Power came out of flasher on a brown/white wire to turn switch. The switch then sent power out on a Dark green to the right side. Out on a Chocolate to the left side.
On your new switch diagram the grey is power in for turns, hook the brown/white wire to the grey wire. Dark Green to orange.
Chocolate to Lt Blue. The other wires that went to old switch can be capped off.
On your new switch the main power in just feeds power to the headlight Hi/Low switch. Hook this brown wire to the Blue/yellow that went to old switch. Hook the Blue wire to the old switch yellow wire. The White wire to the old green wire.
These should make your lights function.
If you are doing this in the headlight bucket pay close attention to the turns dark green and the headlights green wire. Not impossible to mix up.
Leo
 
XSLeo said:
On your turns, In the early models without the self canceler power went to the flasher on a brown wire. Power came out of flasher on a brown/white wire to turn switch. The switch then sent power out on a Dark green to the right side. Out on a Chocolate to the left side.
On your new switch diagram the grey is power in for turns, hook the brown/white wire to the grey wire. Dark Green to orange.
Chocolate to Lt Blue. The other wires that went to old switch can be capped off.
On your new switch the main power in just feeds power to the headlight Hi/Low switch. Hook this brown wire to the Blue/yellow that went to old switch. Hook the Blue wire to the old switch yellow wire. The White wire to the old green wire.
These should make your lights function.
If you are doing this in the headlight bucket pay close attention to the turns dark green and the headlights green wire. Not impossible to mix up.
Leo
Click to expand...

Thank you Leo! I actually got this figured out yesterday after work! I did exactly what you said and it works perfectly! My signals flash inconsistently though. I'm thinking it's either the wrong bulbs or my flasher is on its way out.
 
DB90 said:
Thank you Leo! I actually got this figured out yesterday after work! I did exactly what you said and it works perfectly! My signals flash inconsistently though. I'm thinking it's either the wrong bulbs or my flasher is on its way out.
Click to expand...

Hi DB90,
or perhaps your battery ain't all it should be. Or any combination of all 3.
And yes, it's dark inside that headlight shell. It cost Mr. Stupid half a box of fuses
to find that what he'd thought was a dark brown wire was really a black one.
 

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