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Ok so i bought a 1997 sportster 1200 custom. I changed the headlight and ended up blowing a fuse(i think). None of my lights work. Such as headlight, brake or blinkers. I took my seat off to look for the fuses and seen a box made by badland motorcycle products. It has a black wire coming from the top of box going to nothing. But it is stripped as if it is suppose to go somewhere. The bottom of the box has 2 wires that run to the rear blinker. Could someone please tell me where i connect that wire and what fuse would be blown. Also does anyone know where i can get the rear fender mounting bolts. Seeing how the previous owner had it mounted with ****ing zip ties. Thanks
No there is no part number on that box. There is 2 of them boxes from badlands on the bike now. I think this bike use to have l.e.ds and underglow. There was another mini wire harness that was connected to nothing except the battery.
You have more than one issue by the sound of it. I suspect you can shelf the query about the Badland boxes for the moment, concentrate on solving the lights problem. When new your bike didn't have any fuses, so unless it has been significantly modified it still won't IMHO. It has circuit breakers, which will overheat and trip, when there is an electrical problem, but will cool down and reconnect. If the problem is still present they will repeatedly overheat, trip, reset, etc, whenever the bike is switched on.
That loose black wire is probably a ground and was once fastened to a convenient point on the frame close by, possibly the battery. See if there is a suitable candidate within easy range of that wire.
At the moment you are working in the dark, in more ways than one. To cure that you really should get a FSM, which will have wiring diagrams and tell you which CB does what, etc. You may be able to download electrical details from the H-D website, go to the Owners tab. I haven't tried it myself, but have read of other members doing that. You may also be able to download the owners manual. Information is power!
Ok i will try to download the wire diagram. How do i tell if i have a bad circuit breaker. As soon as i turn the bike on, a clicking happens under the seat. Almost like a bad relay on a car.
That clicking is probably one or more of your CBs tripping out, indicating the fault is still present. As 'we' haven't traced it yet, that is no surprise! In many ways your comparison with a bad relay is quite right, although a CB is normally reliable. Start with what you changed, that clicking is a distraction at present.
Electrical problems are often machanical. May sound like an odd thing to say, but it is true. If say your new headlight has failed internally it may have created a short-ciruit, which is tripping your CB. So I suggest you remove it, to see if that cures the tripping problem. If it does then refit your old headlight and check if all your lights come back on.
I disconnected the new headlight last night. Never connected another one back up. Have the same issue. Does a headlight have to be hooked up to complete the circuit?
Shouldn't be necessary, your tail light should work, also brake lights, possibly indicators too. If none of those work it suggests there is a fault in the circuit for the lights CB. To track that requires some knowledge of your wiring and where those CBs are.
Zack,
Like grbrown says, get an FSM. The wiring diagram is priceless.
Most electrical issues on an older bike like yours are relatively easy to fix, but may take some time and effort to trace out. Be patient, take your time, document what you are doing.
Ok guys i figured it out. When changed my grips i ended up pinching the wires. So tomorrow i will resplice them all back together and see where im at. But im almost 100% positive that is my problem. Thanks for all the help
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Need help please
