Hi guys!
Just joined up to help a brother in the wind. We're both old time bikers and his rides are still all Harley. He got hurt bad with an aneurism and can't do repairs himself so I'm trying to get his knees in the breeze again by fixing his bike.

Background: '92 Heritage Softail Classic PURCHASED NEW by him from LA Harley, real nice ride. LA Harley dealership did all his work as needed 'cause he was making tall bucks back in those days before we both got all busted up, then later he couldn't do his own work anyway. He hasn't done home repairs on it and made no wiring changes of any kind: Dealer Service only!

The basic question: I need to know which Stop Light Switch wire is the 12V feed coming in and which is the 12V going out to bulb filament? There's an Orange and a Red wire connected to Stop Switch and both are hot whenever Ignition Switch is on!

Stop/Tailight housing has a Red wire to Stop filament and a Green wire to Tail filament, so the Red at light housing is apparently the Red from Stop Switch? I thought the 12V feed going down to Stop Switch from Ignition Switch was the Orange wire because the wire to the Stop filament is Red: but the Red wire is hot all the time too!

The Orange and Red from Stop Switch are hard-wired up to a white plastic 6 pin connector under seat, as are the Green wire for Tail and Red wire for Stop coming from rear light housing. So it seems like this white 6 pin connector should put 12V feed from Ignition Switch on the Orange wire's pin for Stop Light Switch hot feed. Then when applying brake the Stop Switch closes and 12V comes from Orange, through Stop Switch and out on Red, up to 6 pin connector and out on another Red wire out of 6 pin connecter that goes back to Stop Light filament to light the bulb.

Problem is the Red wire for Stop filament where it's hard-wired into 6 pin connector also has another hot Red jumper wire coming from Ignition Switch, that's connected to the same pin in 6 pin connector, making Red wire hot all the time too! Looks like original wiring. That means this thing is hard-wired so that both Red Stop wire and Green Tail wire and both filaments are powered all the time with Ignition on.

What's screwy is it's either a factory Harley wiring job or LA Harley Dealership wiring job because my buddy bought it NEW and said he didn't make any wiring changes himself! Also the way this Red jumper is hard-wired at 6 pin connector you'd have to push the wires and pin out of that white connecter and solder the wires to the pin, so it actually looks factory wired, WEIRD!

What I don't know for sure is if the Orange to Stop Switch is supposed to be the continuous 12V hot feed from Ignition or whether the Red to Stop Switch is the 12V feed going into switch?

Any ideas from the Harley brain trust? Anybody else ever heard of this before?

Long as I'm asking for help: the Ignition Switch also has a suspicious Red 12ga jumper wire bridging 2 screw terminals, tying two screws together electrically. It looks like an add on, but could be original I guess. Does that fat Red external jumper bridging Ignition switch screws sound normal?

THANKS!
XL-erate

 

Just an added note: both the Red and Orange wire are continuosuly hot whenever Ignition Switch is on, even when they're both disconnected from Stoplight Switch.

Only thing I really wanted to know is which color of wire is supposed to be the 12V feed to Stoplight Switch?

Thanks again....

 

I really wanna help you here, but... I have re-read your post but still get confused. There will be 12v coming to taillight bulb forever as u correctly pointed out it's a dual filament. The brake light has to be on then for the second one to be "hot".
If what I just said is correct then it's easy. One of your switches is bad. The front can be junked because no shim was placed between the lever and housing when serviced. This would cause the plunger to not be making contact with brake lever thus not breaking current connectivity. Several peeps on this forum have VERY successfully tweezer dropped a switch plate screw tween the lever and plunger in the housing itself. These switches don't often go bad.
Rear switch is cheap and easy provided you have access. Mine needs exhaust removed, sux. Test rear by wedging hand and good flashlight near switch, behind tranny. Remove both wires and look at brake light. Out? Good. Put small jumper, paperclip, whatever connecting wires. Brake light on? Bad switch. Replace with HD cause it is made for damp locations. Have new one ready sitting in dot5 fluid full with 0 air. Remove oldie then swap. No bleeding needed, probably. If pedal is spongy u otta bleed rear brakes.
Wheeewww, one more thing, okay 2.
Welcome to the forum and post in the Evo section. Lotsa chaps more familiar with the blockhead than the Twinkie.

 

Welcome

 

Have you verified that the brake light activation switches open and close normally when front and (or) rear brakes are applied? You could have a switch stuck in the closed position.

 

Thanks for the assist, guys.

It's not a switch problem. Even with both wires [Orange and Red] disconnected from rear Stop Switch both wires stay hot. Only one wire should be hot continuously, the other wire to stop bulb only getting 12V when brake is applied, not both hot all the time.

Only one of the 2 wires to rear Stop Switch should be connected to a hot Ignition Switch source. The other wire to Stop bulb should be dead except when brake pedal is applied. Instead both are hot all the time Ignition is switched on.

I'm wondering which wire, the Orange or the Red, is the correct 12V hot lead to rear brake Stop Switch so I can wire the other wire to stoplight correctly.

Thanks!

 

I have nothing of value to add here, just wanted to say welcome and what a friend you are help your buddy.

 

OK, at work now but in your 1 sentence I can see what you're saying. Lemme get home and look @ GSM.

 

OK, at work now but in your 1 sentence I can see what you're saying. Lemme get home and look @ fsm.

 

Thanks, I'd really appreciate it!

It's not that I can't quickly get it working right, my way, no problem there. Just that I'd like to fix it the 'Harley way' in case there's a next guy to come along and work on this circuit, trying to 'Follow the book'.