Hitchcocks Forum

another new to bullet question..
should the pilot lights come on when the front brake is pressed ? are dark forces at work?

No they shouldn't.

To find the cause, watch for smoke.

Problems like this are almost always caused by an earthing fault. Them pesky electrons always find a way to get through somehow, even if they can't go via their usual route!

To be serious, for a start I would remove the headlamp and have a look for any bare wires touching places they shouldn`t. Inside there, the wires are cramped close together and are often the source of meltdowns.

Does the stop-light come on when you turn the lights on? Easy to accidentally get wires transposed in behind the headlight...


Do you have an appropriate wring diagram?

What year and model? Redditch (UK built) bikes rely on the frame for earthing whereas Indian bikes have a separate wired earth to each of the pilots. Which would help suggest where to look!

REgards, Mark

hi,
its a 2009 500 g5 -I have six wiring charts but none relate to the wires that I have-

I'll echo the earthing thing. Especially if they are LED bulbs. LEDs light up with such low currents, they can do all manner of odd things. The LED oil and high beam warning lamps on my VFR glow slightly when it rains due to electricity tracking over the surface of the damp wires from elsewhere. A mates LED bathroom lights randomly flash at 10-20 second intervals even when off due to power induction in the wires from an adjoining mains cable.



If they aren't LEDs, I'd suspect someone has connected them up incorrectly.

I gave on fiddling about and replaced the whole rear end wiring - it had been cut and chopped with various colours that did not relate to the wiring chart - thanks for the advice