Hey guys, I'm installing an aftermarket front left turn signal on my 83 shadow 750 and I'm just not sure which wire goes to which. I've got red, black and black/white coming off the signal, and green, orange and white coming off the bike. Thanks!!
While you electrically savy folks are here, my tail light and plate light haven't been working, could this be due to the signal not being connected? I looked behind the headlight and there is a brown wire that isn't attached to anything. Brown and green are what comes from the tail and plate light, the greens behind the light go to the front turn signals. Hope that all made sense. Thanks!!
Easiest thing to do is buy a test light ( their cheap ) and check the wires, front signals have ground, running, and turn. I assume the new lights tell you what is ground, running and turn. Have you checked the bulb in tail light, does brake light come on? I'm pretty sure the front signals have nothing to do tail light.
I am familiar with ground running and turn, I just don't know which is which. Bulb is not burnt out, as the brake light does work. I've tried just guessing with a few configurations, and one made the tail light work, but made the blinker blink really fast. I feel like there should be just a really clear "this goes with that" answer, but I can't find anything.
As far as tail light, that should be a 1157 duel element bulb so the running light element could still be burnt out and brake light still work.
I didn't think the turn signals ran thru the tail light but if you got it to come on I guess it does. Test light would be a big help.
Well, coming off the bike green is your common ground. Orange would be your left turn signal, and white (probably has a stripe of another color on it) is your running light. Now you just need to figure out which wires coming out of the new turn signal correspond to those. For your rear running lights (tail and license plate) you need to remove the seat (and right side cover) and locate the wires running to the rear of the bike. Most likely they are in a bunch inside a clear (might be dirty) rubber sheath, and are bullet connected. Locate the brown wire. That provides 12vdc to your rear running lights. Make sure it's connected. Use a multi meter and measure voltage from that wire to ground with the key on. If you have 12v you need to open up the taillight and see if you have it there (measure from the bulb contact to the socket shell with the bulb removed). If you do, change the bulb or you could possibly have a bad socket. If you plan to work on your own bike, get a multi meter (or test light in a pinch) and learn how to use it...same for the tech manual for that model. You'll waste a lot of time without those two tools. Yes the manual is a tool, and probably the most important one. Advice - get a Honda OEM Tech manual, not Clymers or the other junk. A Harbor Freight or Radio Shack multi meter is fine for occasional use. You don't need to spend a lot of money. You mentioned a wire (brown) in your headlight that is loose. I'd guess it is for an uninstalled accessory. Concentrate on the rear wiring on the bike for the taillight problem.
Edit: One more question. Are your taillight assembly and rear turn signals stock? If not, then you have some additional challenges and we'll need detailed pics of the wiring to help you. There's nothing worse than inheriting a bike where 'work' was done by someone with no grasp of the right way to do things, particularly wiring.
well, green is almost always ground, and I'm pretty sure brown is the "running" circuit for the taillight (as @Harryc mentioned), so the others should be brake and turns. Usually, on the bike, blue is one side and orange is the other, but I can't remember which is right and which is left. Sounds like you might have an "integrated" taillight, which serves as taillight and both turn signals.
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