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Need electrical advice on motorcycle wiring

I hope someone can help me with the wiring on my motorcycle.

I bought a license plate frame with turn signals from J & P Cycles. You can see it here >>>>

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Upon it's arrival, I noticed it only had one wire on each signal. No problem, I thought, I added a ground wire for each side. Now, I have the two proper wires needed to work.

My main idea is to remove my stock signals and replace with the plate/signal combo. Therefore, I had a second set of stock lights, which I used to cut off the connectors and solder them onto the two wires from the plate. All the while, I have my 14 volt cordless drill battery to test it's function, so far so good.

Now, all wires are soldered, connected and set. I plug the two connectors to the main harness. From the other end of the wire harness (the part which plugs in when I remount the rear fender) I used my jumper wires to make sure I'm getting connection all the way to the lights. One wire is on the positive side of the battery while the other is on the negative side. When I connect the proper metal contacts, "both" signals go on at the same time. Therefore, I try something else. I took the old stock assembly and reconnected those. When I jump the wires from battery again, it works as it should, one side, than the other, individually. Now I reconnect the plate/signal again and run the wires from battery to contacts and do it again and "both" lights come on at the same time again. That's my dilemma.

FYI...When I added the wires for ground, I used one wire per side and grounded to the frame, therefore, they are contacting each other. Could this be the problem? If not, anyone know why this is doing it and what can I do to resolve it.

Thank you

Reply to
SBH
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You do realize that many things automotive/motorcycle use 1 wire (to the battery

+) and the metal chassis provides the negative wire? Assuming you know that, how many wires did your old lights have -- one or two per light? If two, is each intended to be a separate powered wire to different filaments in the bulb (separate running light and turn signal), or is one + and the other - ?

If the old lights were two wires, + and -, then you need to determine how the blinking circuit works. You may be OK with a common wire (the grounds or maybe the hots), or maybe not. We need to know a lot more to answer your question unless all motorcycles are done the same (I don't know much about bike wiring myself).

-- Mark Kent, WA

Reply to
Mark or Sue

battery +) and the metal

did your old lights

powered wire to different

  • and the other - ?

the blinking circuit

or maybe not. We need to

the same (I don't know much

The stock lights have two wires coming out and the bulbs are single filament. If they were ok to use a single wire, how would I plug them into a two wire connection to make them function properly?

Reply to
SBH

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