electric troubleshooting help please

[bluecycle3]

well i bought the multi-meter and a circuit tester but to be honest im lost.

First some history of the bike im working on. I bought the bike for a decent price knowing that it had electric issues, the po had wired in a on off switch into the bucket because he said the keyed switch didnt work, said he rode it that way for awhile and then it just quit working altogether. When i looked at it the idoit lights would come on , but starter wouldnt work and there was a buzzing from the bucket.


I got it home put it on the battery tender and bought the gauges, i went out this morning and i couldnt get the lights to come on or any buzzing out of the bucket.


It has a pigtail wired into it for a windjammer and the on/off switch wired into it. I could only get the circuit tester to light at the battery, nothing else ahead of that.


I would welcome any advice as to where to start and what to look for.



Thanks Greg

[James.A]

I'm gonna think this one over for a while. How competent are you at reading a wiring diagram? First thing I would do would be to remove any extraneous wiring to get back as close to OEM as possible, then analize from there. Sounds like a nightmare to me. I am reluctant to offer guidance without seeing the thing in front of me.

[bluecycle3]

woodnsteel , thanks for the reply. I was thinking that i would take the pigtail and the on off switch out of the bucket and then go from there. I have a local guy that usually does most of my electrics but i thought i would try this one, now im not so sure, maybe i should let and expert handle it. Is there a way to test the keyed switch to see if it is bad? Thanks again

[James.A]

Like I said, If you have a good understanding of how to read the wiring diagram, you can do this. If not, your'e screwed. The diagram will indicate which circuits are energized in each switched position. You then confirm that all contacts on the switch are open (non-continuous) when the key is off, and then confirm continuity at the contacts that are supposed to be intact given the position of the key. The exception being the high beam flash function of the Hi-Lo light switch which is always enabled. You should be able to flash the high beam with the key off. You can teach yourself, as I have, but it is tedious.

[skiteach]

If you're going in, any red wire should be hot always, brown are ground. Brown with a tracer can be hot when switched or ground when switched. You should find power in the bucket. If not check battery connections, I've seen "clean" that wouldn't pass current, they look clean, had scale between bat terminal and wire. Ignition can be tested fairly easily, look for pwer to be switched, at the different connections. If the grounds are bad you will pull hair out! I usually try to ground test lite at battery or known good ground. Ohm meter between ground and battery neg should be 0. Make sure pos term is disconnected first. It's not a good idea to check continuity with the battery connected.

[airoilheadbeemerguy]

What year and model in case I've missed it somewhere? As some of the others have posted there are several possiblities. My hunch is bad grounds or corrosion in switches. For example, do you have power up to the ignition switch? If so, do you have power getting to the starter? Could be something as simple as a blown fuse. With a decent multi meter and circuit tester, you should be able to sort this out with time, patience and asking for help. A wiring diagram should not be hard to come by if others know what year and model.

[bluecycle3]

thanks for the replies, its a 77 R75/7. I have a friend that is coming over this weekend to give me a hand with it. I have a couple of Chilton Manual's around here somewhere so i should be able to find the wiring diagram somewhere. Thanks