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I bought a new, aftermarket, headlight assembly for my 2002 HD Sportster XL1200C. Excited to get this thing going and not wanting to pay almost triple digits just to get it installed I figured to do it myself. This new assembly has three wires (green = ground, white = low, blue = high). Now... The original HD headlight assembly has a yellow, white, and black wire. After reading a little I found out that the yellow = low, white = high, black = ground. Thought this would be simple... Boy, I was dead wrong. The ground wire to the original assembly has two wires! One straight to the connector and another from the connector to the actual shell of the assembly.
Here's where, for me, it starts to get a little saddening. I disconnected and cut the wires from the original to splice to the new... BUT NOTHING WORKS! I connected the wires as they should have been, minus that second ground wire because I have nothing to connect it to. Even then, I tried to connect the second ground wire to all areas of the brand new assembly! What's more saddening about this experience is that now no lights turn on at all. I can still use the turn signals, so that's good.
Can anyone help me bypass this wire problem to use the new aftermarket? Any and all info/help is greatly appreciated!!!
New assembly. green = ground, white = low, blue = high
Original wires, new assembly. Smaller wire is the second ground wire of the original assembly.<br/><br/>black = ground, yellow = low, white = high
Old assembly. The copper you see there is from the second ground wire.
I bought a new, aftermarket, headlight assembly for my 2002 HD Sportster XL1200C. Excited to get this thing going and not wanting to pay almost triple digits just to get it installed I figured to do it myself. This new assembly has three wires (green = ground, white = low, blue = high). Now... The original HD headlight assembly has a yellow, white, and black wire. After reading a little I found out that the yellow = low, white = high, black = ground. Thought this would be simple... Boy, I was dead wrong. The ground wire to the original assembly has two wires! One straight to the connector and another from the connector to the actual shell of the assembly.
Here's where, for me, it starts to get a little saddening. I disconnected and cut the wires from the original to splice to the new... BUT NOTHING WORKS! I connected the wires as they should have been, minus that second ground wire because I have nothing to connect it to. Even then, I tried to connect the second ground wire to all areas of the brand new assembly! What's more saddening about this experience is that now no lights turn on at all. I can still use the turn signals, so that's good.
Can anyone help me bypass this wire problem to use the new aftermarket? Any and all info/help is greatly appreciated!!!
New assembly. green = ground, white = low, blue = high
Original wires, new assembly. Smaller wire is the second ground wire of the original assembly.<br/><br/>black = ground, yellow = low, white = high
Old assembly. The copper you see there is from the second ground wire.
You need to run a ground to the headlight shell...like the original. Without that ground there is no return path for the voltage.
Use a screw, pop rivet or solder directly to the shell, but you need that ground...and it must be connected to the ground side of the bulb. You need a solid ground to the headlight shell.
You need to run a ground to the headlight shell...like the original. Without that ground there is no return path for the voltage.
Use a screw, pop rivet or solder directly to the shell, but you need that ground...and it must be connected to the ground side of the bulb. You need a solid ground to the headlight shell.
The 2002 has a black ground wire that runs back to a ground bolt under the seat.
Harleys have been grounded like that since about 97 or so, before that they were grounded at the point of installation. So the ground wire from the headlight would hook there and be grounded when the shell was in the bike.
It won't hurt to ground the head light housing but that headlight will burn just plugged in.
I am betting the shell is out of a EVO springer but without a photo that is just a guess.
The 2002 has a black ground wire that runs back to a ground bolt under the seat.
Harleys have been grounded like that since about 97 or so, before that they were grounded at the point of installation. So the ground wire from the headlight would hook there and be grounded when the shell was in the bike.
It won't hurt to ground the head light housing but that headlight will burn just plugged in.
I am betting the shell is out of a EVO springer but without a photo that is just a guess.
The front forks have a separate ground typically on the underside of the risers. Disconnect it and see what happens.
The front fork, and all it's electrics need a solid ground. The fork bearing doesn't guarantee a good ground to the chassis.
The front forks have a separate ground typically on the underside of the risers. Disconnect it and see what happens.
The front fork, and all it's electrics need a solid ground. The fork bearing doesn't guarantee a good ground to the chassis.
Nh, the 02 has a ground wire that runs from the headlight socket to a ground bolt under the seat, it does not ground through the shell.
The headlight shell might be grounded but the headlight does get it ground there.
When I get time later I will post the skematic.
Last edited by Harleycruiser; May 4, 2015 at 09:19 AM.
The front forks have a separate ground typically on the underside of the risers. Disconnect it and see what happens.
The front fork, and all it's electrics need a solid ground. The fork bearing doesn't guarantee a good ground to the chassis.
NHrider, First I want to show you a schematic for a 90 Sportster, this is what you are talking about, the headlight is grounded at the point of installation on the headlight shell, you can see the black wire is attached at the ground point inside the headlight shell.
You are right if the Ops bike was a 90 then not hooking up this wire to the shell the light would not burn, or if the shell was not on the bike then the light would not burn.
This is how a typical car is wired, and how Harley grounded their bikes up until about 97.
Here is the schematic for a 2002 Sportster.
You can see the black wire goes back through the shell through the connector and back to a ground bolt, (GND1) this bolt is under the seat, and is the ground for the whole bike. It is real close to where the battery is grounded.
Harley started doing this about 97, it is the same way that you wire a fiberglass boat.
As long as someone has not changed the wiring on the OP bike or as long as this ground is good the light will light even out of the shell and with the shell not grounded.
If you need me to trace the wire for you let me know.
Last edited by Harleycruiser; May 4, 2015 at 06:09 PM.
NHrider, First I want to show you a schematic for a 90 Sportster, this is what you are talking about, the headlight is grounded at the point of installation on the headlight shell, you can see the black wire is attached at the ground point inside the headlight shell.
You are right if the Ops bike was a 90 then not hooking up this wire to the shell the light would not burn, or if the shell was not on the bike then the light would not burn.
This is how a typical car is wired, and how Harley grounded their bikes up until about 97.
Here is the schematic for a 2002 Sportster.
You can see the black wire goes back through the shell through the connector and back to a ground bolt, (GND1) this bolt is under the seat, and is the ground for the whole bike. It is real close to where the battery is grounded.
Harley started doing this about 97, it is the same way that you wire a fiberglass boat.
As long as someone has not changed the wiring on the OP bike or as long as this ground is good the light will light even out of the shell and with the shell not grounded.
If you need me to trace the wire for you let me know.
I stand corrected.
The first schematic shows the grounded shell and handlebar ground wire grounding scheme. The last schematic has an updated ground to the chassis (GRD1) that appears to ground the entire lighting system.
Given that, I agree the ground to the headlight is not needed.
OP...Do you have 12V volts on the yellow wire with the headlight in the normal position?
1. Measure between yellow and black.
2. Measure between yellow and chasis ground (or battery negative).
Something isn't right with the wiring...or the bulb is bad.
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Aftermarket headlight ground wire problems!
