Headlight Wiring Question

[bryand46]

Hi, I'm basically new to all of this so please forgive me if I come across very naive, but I finally did just picked up my first xs650!

The guy who sold it to me told me that the headlight was out and that it was probably just needed a bulb. After opening it up, I found that it isn't even wired. And I'm not sure which wires go where, so I was hoping that someone here could help point me in the right direction.

on the headlamp harness i Have a white, green, and blue wire and they aree labeled in the harness as white(pass), green(ground), and blue(drive)

on the bike I have two black wires, a blue wire, and a yellow. I can't really tell where the yellow one goes but the blue looks like it's going to the negative side of the battery?

Any help to understand this a little better and get this hooked up would be much appreciated.

 

[resto]

Not a whole lot of wiring in the headlight shell is there? Ignore the two black wires, they are the isolated (not grounded to the frame) grounds for the front signal lights. As far as the headlight, the green wire is in fact ground, based upon its connector location. (See attached photo from my 77D).

Since you only really have the blue and yellow wires coming into the shell and if you are certain that the blue one goes to battery ground, then the yellow wire hopefully is your +12volt feed from the light switch (if you have a switch.....). If that is the case, you can hook your green headlight wire to the blue wire in the shell (note: the shell is NOT grounded) and join the yellow wire in the shell to either the headlight white or blue wire, depending upon whether you want high or low beam to be active.

Importantly, you must confirm what the blue wire in the shell is hooked to, especially if you think the dimmer switch is still functional. There is a slight chance that maybe the yellow and blue could be high beam and low beam. If that's the case, you are missing a ground wire to the shell.
You will need either a voltmeter for this.

 

[bryand46]

Awesome, I will try this tomorrow for sure..... Just to confirm that the blue wire is going to the negative on the battery, I tried to get the best shot I could before I try anything. If this shot even helps.

I'd just really hate to really mess something up.

 

[resto]

If that is the same blue wire, it sure looks like ground.

As a simple test, you can hook the green of the headlight to the blue wire, and the white OR blue of the headlight to the yellow wire. That will confirm that the blue wire in the shell is ground. Does the bike still have a light switch?

 

[bryand46]

No light switch, just a simple on/off switch that controls everything.

 

[XSLeo]

From the look it in that pic it's a bobber or chopper. So any wiring will be harder to work on because the guy who built it didn't follow factory colors on the wires.
Do you have a Multi-meter? If so check continuity from the blue wire in the headlight bucket to a good frame ground. If it has continuity then it's ground.
On the yellow, check for voltage when all the switches are on. If it has battery voltage on it then it's likely power.
On the bulb the blue wire might be ground, so hook blue to blue. With switch on touch the yellow wire to the green then the white. One is high beam one low beam.The green is probaly low beam, the white high beam.
Only way to know is test them.
If it was me I might strip all the wiring out and rewire it to match factory colors.
Well maybe not all, leave the charging system and ignition, rewire everthing else. Use a key switch, engine stop switch, headlight on/off and dimmer switch, And more importantly lots of fuses.
But that's just me.
Leo

 

[YL82]

Not a whole lot of wiring in the headlight shell is there? Ignore the two black wires, they are the isolated (not grounded to the frame) grounds for the front signal lights. As far as the headlight, the green wire is in fact ground, based upon its connector location. (See attached photo from my 77D).

Since you only really have the blue and yellow wires coming into the shell and if you are certain that the blue one goes to battery ground, then the yellow wire hopefully is your +12volt feed from the light switch (if you have a switch.....). If that is the case, you can hook your green headlight wire to the blue wire in the shell (note: the shell is NOT grounded) and join the yellow wire in the shell to either the headlight white or blue wire, depending upon whether you want high or low beam to be active.

Importantly, you must confirm what the blue wire in the shell is hooked to, especially if you think the dimmer switch is still functional. There is a slight chance that maybe the yellow and blue could be high beam and low beam. If that's the case, you are missing a ground wire to the shell.
You will need either a voltmeter for this.

Resto,

I just came across your image of the mess of wires behind your headlamp (with all connections made). My situation is that all of the wires are DISconnected since I'm installing a new wiring harness (stopped COLD at headlamp) and also a new barswitch (Start button, etc. on throttle side). I've been told (correctly, I'm sure) to just plug everything back up and that sounds easy until I'm sitting there staring at all of the wires.

There are several single male/female connections of like color that I assume I need to connect.

Then there are a number of single wires with a double-wire connector on the other end where I need to determine which wires goes into those.

Several black (ground wires) and I've read that a green wire is a ground wire.

Thus far, I've hooked up those (2, I think) white, plastic multi-wire connectors. No Brainer, there. I've hooked up the Pink male/female for the Horn and I think a red/orange striped wire together. Not sure what the hell that is....

Tips for the electrically-challenged?

 

[Splexin]

I am kinda in the same boat as the guy above me, except I've wired the headlight a million times before (still can't remember which ones go where), but I bought a new harness and started over new.......I also bought a new OEM clutch-side switch.

I've got everything working, blinkers, speedo illumination, high beam indicator, etc.....except the damn headlamp.........headlamp yellow goes to split yellow, green to green, and black to black.........right? Plug is OEM type too. I've tried every configuration I can think of but really getting tired of starting the bike just to test it every time (no testing devices here). I'm stumped.

Res. light unit has been closed out btw.

I created my own thread for the issue here

 

[scrapper]

Sorry to hijack this one.
I'm having an issue with the switch on a 1980 G
I've got the lights working with two toggle switches one for on/off the other High/Low.
I want to use the stock high low but I can't seem to get this to work.
I'm using a simplified wiring system just want to figure out which of these wires to connect
The horn is working off this and the bars are ground.

 

[scrapper]

answer is the Blue/Yellow wire.. sorted!

 

[XSLeo]

On the XS650 the black wires are ground. Always was, always will be. Unless some one changes it. In the headlight bucket plug the wire connectors together, they only fit the right places. On the single wires plug the matching colors together.
Some of the wires have two plug in conectors and they get two single wires plugged into them. You may even find the black wire to have a three or four wire plug in.
Leo

 

[YL82]

On the XS650 the black wires are ground. Always was, always will be. Unless some one changes it. In the headlight bucket plug the wire connectors together, they only fit the right places. On the single wires plug the matching colors together.
Some of the wires have two plug in conectors and they get two single wires plugged into them. You may even find the black wire to have a three or four wire plug in.
Leo

I'm making progress or I've at least convinced myself that I am.

In the headlight bucket, I have connected all of the colored wires with like colored wires. Easy enough.

I'm left with several black (ground) wires: 7 males and 4 females (two double connectors - from Main Wiring Harness).

Black Ground Wires

1. From Right Turn Signal (male) Image 2
2. From Left Turn Signal (male) Image 1
3. Grounded (?) to Right Side of Bowl (male) Image 2
4. Grounded (?) to Left Side of Bowl (male) Image 1
5. From Speedometer (along with 1 blue on wire bundle)(male) Image 4
6. Grounded to Frame above Forks and runs into Headlight Bowl (male) Image 5
7. From Headlight Connector (male) Image 3

In contrast to initial post in this Thread re. Headlight connector and wire colors... See Pic. My Ground is Black.

Other available double connectors (with open slot for male connectors) are as follows:

1- Brown
1- Brown
1- Dark Green

So there are 3 available colored "slots".

Do any of the black wires go into these colored connectors?

I'm thinking that I do NOT need to use the 3 black wires that are (or appear to be but may not be) grounded to frame and simply connect the other 4 black wires into the 2 double female connectors. Am I correct? Basic question is how do I connect these black wires when it appears that there are more black male connectors than black female connectors?

I think I read somewhere that one does NOT need to connect those ground wires that are attached to left and right side of headlight bowl. Edit: Just noticed that Resto said something to this effect and that shell is NOT grounded

I fully realize that I'm taking a kindergarten approach here instead of using my multimeter, reading the wiring diagrams (I am to some degree), etc.

Thanks for any and all help !! I think I'm close...

 

[XSLeo]

Image #1 and #2 are the turn signal wires, the black wire that hooks under the nut for the turn signal mount is the ground for the signals. The wire coming out of the bolt is power to the signal.
On the left side it should be chocolate, or dark brown. The right is dark green.
These power wires should plug into connectors with the same color.
The blue and black wires from the speedo are the power(blue), ground(black) for the daash lights.
On your open connectors, brown, brown and dark green. The dark geen is the right turn signal power.
If you look at the two browns is on much darker thsan the other, if so the darker one is the left signal power.
The other brown is power to the neutral light bulb.
The black wire connector may not have enough female slots As I recal they usually only have three slots. If they had more than three males they used a short black wire with a male on one end and a three female on the other. Plug the male into one of the females to get three more females. If you don't have one of these you can make one.
No black wires plug into colored wires. Black is ground, colored are power. To plug power to ground blows fuses.
Leo

 

[YL82]

Obviously, I've misidentified some wire colors - all the more reason to pay attention to the wiring diagrams.

Can't wait to get home to make the proper connections.

I'm in a computer system training class.....Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

Thanks, Leo!!!

 

[YL82]

Image #1 and #2 are the turn signal wires, the black wire that hooks under the nut for the turn signal mount is the ground for the signals. The wire coming out of the bolt is power to the signal.
On the left side it should be chocolate, or dark brown. The right is dark green.
These power wires should plug into connectors with the same color.
The blue and black wires from the speedo are the power(blue), ground(black) for the daash lights.
On your open connectors, brown, brown and dark green. The dark geen is the right turn signal power.
If you look at the two browns is on much darker thsan the other, if so the darker one is the left signal power.
The other brown is power to the neutral light bulb.
The black wire connector may not have enough female slots As I recal they usually only have three slots. If they had more than three males they used a short black wire with a male on one end and a three female on the other. Plug the male into one of the females to get three more females. If you don't have one of these you can make one.
No black wires plug into colored wires. Black is ground, colored are power. To plug power to ground blows fuses.
Leo

I've got a follow-up question: As far as your reference (in red text) to the black grounded L&R signal wires (in images 1 and 2) that are hooked under the nuts on either side of the headlight, do these black wires need to be connected to anything? Seems like someone else had mentioned not to worry about those...? Is this correct? Hook em' up to a common ground or leave them alone? Thanks.

 

[XSLeo]

If you want the turn signals to work, then yes they need to be hooked up to ground.
The headlight bucket is mounted in place with the turn signals. There is a rubber bushing the seperates the headlight bucket and turnsignals from a metal to metal connection to the bike.
You need the ground wires hooked up to get things to work. So the headlight needs the black wire hooked into the harness ground as well as both the turnsignals. The dash lights ground through the harness grounds as well so the all need to be hooked up to work.
Leo

 

[YL82]

Here's an update on my wiring progress. Everything is working as it should except for the following:

1) Stop Lamp does NOT light up when I depress Rear Brake Pedal.
Stop Lamp DOES light up when I squeeze Front Brake Lever.

2) Stop Light does NOT light up when I depress the Rear Brake Pedal.

3) Stop Lamp DOES light up when I turn on the Headlight (Hi & Lo Beam).

I assume #3 should NOT be happening.

I'm guessing that I have problems with yellow wires and/or blue wires.

I checked the Taillight/Stop Light Bulb and the filaments appear to be fine.

The Yellow Wire on my headlight plug is labeled "Drive" for what its worth.

Can anyone quickly diagnose my miswiring?

I've come a long way from a fried wiring harness coupled with electrical incompetence!

 

[YL82]

Just to lay this thing to rest...

I've completed all wiring connections and addressed each of the things that weren't working. Everything works and lights up when it should.

In a nutshell, here are some of the problems I remedied and how I addressed:

1) Undetected unplugged or loose connected wiring (yellow and black) at Taillight area and in wiring harness leading to taillight.

2) Undetected unplugged wiring (Chocolate) in Headlight Bowl.

3) A few corroded connections which likely affected getting good grounding, etc.

4) I had incorrectly plugged in the yellow and brown wires into the connector for the Front Brake Switch (see image).


Thanks for everyone's help!