headlight not working

ballr88

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Hey there. Just picked up my first '81 XS650, and am a new rider, so please excuse my ignorance.

I installed a new bar switch, and marked all the wiring beforehand.
upon the reinstall, both blinkers work, the horn works, but the headlight doesn't.

The headlight worked prior to installing the new bar switch.

I switched the green wires (I think the other if for the right turn signal? When I used the right turn signal the headlight came on! But, tried it again later and it didn't work.)

could it be a blown fuse?
Not really sure where to go from here. Any help appreciated!
 
Hi ballr88 and welcome,
yeah, first, check ALL the fuses. If one or more are blown, find out what's causing it.
You can rig up a headlight bulb on two wires to link the fuse clips instead of blowing fuses by the boxful during diagnosis.
The headlight is supposed to turn on automatically when the alternator starts charging so if your alternator has quit the headlight won't come on.
Another thing to use the voltmeter for.
Battery should read at least 12 Volts with the engine off and should jump to ~14V at 2,500 rpm & over.
If you do get ~14V then start looking for bad switches &/or wiring &/or connectors.
 
Thanks for the info!
More dumb questions: where are the fuses I should be checking located? I found 4 under the seat next to the battery and they seem to have continuity.
Also, my multimeter is reading 16.5V on the battery while the engine is off. Seems high?
 
Thanks for the info!
More dumb questions: where are the fuses I should be checking located? I found 4 under the seat next to the battery and they seem to have continuity.
Also, my multimeter is reading 16.5V on the battery while the engine is off. Seems high?

Hi ballr88,
those fuses are them, there ain't no more. One 20Amp and three 10s.
And if your multimeter is reading a 12V battery the absolute max it should read is 13 and a bit.
Check the meter on a second battery to confirm it's reading but I'd say that it's DC Voltage scale is f*cked.
 
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