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    Extra wire in headlamp needs a home

    PO seems to have left me another mystery:

    Found this lead which appears to have two brown wires (in and out?) which is using a bullet connector and have no idea where it goes.

    It is the wire pointing down, towards the bottom of the photo

    Any ideas?


    #2
    Hi,

    Check your wiring diagram. That should be an extra switched 12v line. It is often used to power running lights up front for those blinkers that have dual-filament bulbs.


    Thank you for your indulgence,

    BassCliff

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by BassCliff View Post
      Hi,

      Check your wiring diagram. That should be an extra switched 12v line. It is often used to power running lights up front for those blinkers that have dual-filament bulbs.


      Thank you for your indulgence,

      BassCliff
      Ooh, maybe I could use it to hook up things like glove warmer or something? Cool!

      I'll try to trace it down

      Thanks,
      -Bob

      Comment


        #4
        I agree that it is commonly used to power the running light filaments in the turn signals (if you have dual-filament bulbs, that is).

        I would really think twice (or more) about using it for "glove warmers" or any other device that draws a substatial amount of current. That brown wire is fed by the headlight fuse, so if you overload it with a heater, you could very easily be riding in the dark on a cool night.

        Feel free to use that brown wire to trigger a relay that will provide power to your glove warmer (or heated hand grips), as that will not tend to overload the headlight fuse. Since that brown wire goes OFF when you turn the key OFF, it will ensure that your warmers will not draw down the battery if you happen to leave them on.

        .
        sigpic
        mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
        hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
        #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
        #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
        Family Portrait
        Siblings and Spouses
        Mom's first ride
        Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
        (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

        Comment


          #5
          I think on most GS wiring diagrams you will see that the BROWN wire goes from the ignition switch to the rear parking light and has this connector up front in case you want to connect a parking light in the headlight in some way. This wire only becomes active when the ignition switch is in the PARK position and the key has been removed.

          I could be wrong, I have been before.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Suzuki_Don View Post
            I think on most GS wiring diagrams you will see that the BROWN wire goes from the ignition switch to the rear parking light and has this connector up front in case you want to connect a parking light in the headlight in some way. This wire only becomes active when the ignition switch is in the PARK position and the key has been removed.

            I could be wrong, I have been before.
            Well, you are at least partly right.

            Looking at your wiring diagram again, you should notice that the brown wire is, in fact, connected to the tail light when the key is in the PARK position, but it's not the only time it's active. When the key is in the ON position, the brown wire is connected to the Gray wire, which is connected to all the other lights on the bike, which are all fed by the headlight fuse.

            .
            sigpic
            mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
            hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
            #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
            #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
            Family Portrait
            Siblings and Spouses
            Mom's first ride
            Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
            (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Steve View Post
              Well, you are at least partly right.

              Looking at your wiring diagram again, you should notice that the brown wire is, in fact, connected to the tail light when the key is in the PARK position, but it's not the only time it's active. When the key is in the ON position, the brown wire is connected to the Gray wire, which is connected to all the other lights on the bike, which are all fed by the headlight fuse.

              .
              I stand corrected. As I said I have been wrong before. This just adds to the total. That's three times now.

              Comment


                #8
                Yeah, I sorta know the feeling, too.

                I thought I made a mistake once, ... but I was wrong!

                .
                sigpic
                mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                Family Portrait
                Siblings and Spouses
                Mom's first ride
                Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Steve View Post
                  Yeah, I sorta know the feeling, too.

                  I thought I made a mistake once, ... but I was wrong!

                  .
                  LOL

                  Rule 1.
                  I am always right...

                  Rule 2.
                  If I am wrong, see rule 1.

                  John

                  Comment

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