Tail Light Aftermarket Wiring Help

I'm an electrical noob. I am modifying my tail cowl to take an aftermarket tail light on the 550 Seca and would appreciate any direction on how to wire it up. It is a standard bulb - not LED. I want to go from this:



to this:

 

tail light is also the brake lights and plate light. is your new set up a dual filiment light using case as ground?

existing wires
L=blue running light
Y=yellow is brakes
B= black Ground


I would order the white connector from chacal and have him crimp connectors to wire of the proper color or rent the tool so you can use the existing harness connector .
and wire it to your new setup.

you can just cut the wires at the socket you will only need 1 set of the wires from original sockets and butt crimp the wires to your new light. your new light looks like it is just a single filiment bulb.
post a link to it if you can

with a single bulb you will diminish your visiability

 

https://www.dimecitycycles.com/chrome-cat-eye-motorcycle-tail-light.html

Doesn’t really say much. I’m not too concerned about viz, as I don’t ride at night and most of my biking has been on old Brit bikes with Lucas lighting

 

Is yours the two or three wire version? Looks like two from the pic. Would be red from light to yellow and black from light to blue. Make sure light mounting bolts are grounded either from mount or with black wire from factory harness.

I totally second @XJ550H suggestuon to buy a connector or reuse the one from the stock light. Unharmed factory harnesses are getting harder to find.

 

Thank you! So, if I go with the first route, as you suggested, I jusst need to worry about one bundle of wires of the two, right? Tape off the otter set?

 

If all the wires are shown in your pic, that light can be wired as either a tail light, or a brake light, but not both at the same time.
(Unless the case is grounded, and the wire colors used are nonstandard for a gounded case with dual hot leads, which I think is unlikely).
Pull the lens off and look at the bulb. How many filaments does it have?

 

Two filaments and bulb holder is grounded

 

Then follow Jayrodoh's wiiring description.
I'm not partial to the new habit of manufacturers (from a particular country) using red and black wires for everything, especially when both wires are supposed to be power feeds. I guess it's an improvement from where they were a decade ago; all wires the same color.

 

dime city link shows 3 wires green red and black or brown

 

Been having trouble with mine it just gives offa low glow. Went bright for about 2 min but now just a low glow. It is led

 

what do you have for a light got a link? should be 3 wires one is common ground the other 2 are running light and brake light .
check connectors at harness.
running light runs off of main fuse and key.
brake light runs off of signal fuse.
what bike do you have?

 

If you have a spare 12VDC battery around or can run two wires from the bikes battery, you should be able to trace out each light. I had to do the same thing with a aftermarket light I picked up for a project. If it is a LED tail light that also makes a difference too.

So let us have a little more info and we can walk you through it.

Welcome to the site by the way, lots of people here to help you out and make life with the bike much better.

 

83 xj750 not to sure on the sub model. Im bobbing her out and when go to hook up the 3 wire led after maket light. it just gives off a small glow so small you have to squint to notice it. Being that i chopped the back end off and havent hooked up the new blinkers yet. Would that cause the circuit to not function corectly?

 

No i dont have a link these are all used parts out of my buddies garage. I know the lights is good though because it was hooked up to his 82. Yamaha 750 v twin. Min is the yics. 4 cylinder. Ill look into the light brand after work and let you know.

 

I bought the bike for $200 not running and never have worked on a bike before but within four nights after work thanks to yall threads i had her up and running shes stiil running a little rich because im waiting on my carb rebuild kit. The floats need adjust just right and i just did it by sight...they were froze when i first opened her up. She cuts out here and there but nothing major. Havent missed a day yet taking her back and forth to work at 65 miles a day and 75-to over what shows lol on the speedo. Great bike. Im highly mechanically inclined and looking to make a little money off of it eventually when im done with everything. But who knows i might just fall in love like i already have and keep her

 

what color wires do you have on light ?

 

I also grab a regular round led brakelight that you would put on like a farm truck or something of the sort with only 2 wires it glowed like it was supposed to for about 2 min and then started putting off the same faint glow. I tried grounding the mounting brackets and also hooked it straight from the battery. It hasnt gave off the light its supposed to since i first hooked it up. Im stump at this point and thats saying alot because i synced my carbs and vac. With the hose and bottle method.....

 

Sounds like that LED brake light you have might have gotten damaged? If you can't make the bright brake like come on when you are bench testing it then it is done. If you have found the ground wire, have the running light working but can't find the "brake" light, it might be toast. The motorcycle doesn't surge more power to the running light to make it brighter. There is a separate ckt for the brake light.

Try a bench test again writing down all the wires and how you hook them up. That helps me from time to time with lights I get with no wiring diagram.

 

Maxim.