[Half Squid]

So I get my new LED Tail lights w/integrated directionals which I have been waiting for.

Well After work Saturday I was to install them. By reading the directions it was going to be a snap....
Not so much....
I took out the stock light assembly and disconected my turn signals. I set up the new asssembly in place so I could wire it all up. This is where things got difficult.

The New set up should plug right into my stock rear wire harness leads for the tail/brake lights. Well As most know I have always had issues with my tail lights/signals... When I went to connect the plugs into the new sockets I pulled the wires out of the connectors, ( Due to not crimped well enough ) so now I have wire crimps I can no longer use and they are stuck inside the socket assembly I need to plug in the new tail lights.. The directionals worked ok, but only for a minute.. Now I went to sauder the wires into the socket in order to use it, but it wont take, the sauder will not adhear to the connectors. Now it looks like I need to order a new stock socket assembly. ( Which I really should replace anyways) Only problem with that is they don't sell them seperately, you have to buy the whole rear wire harness... What are the chances the store in Needham " Do It Yourself Electronics" could set me up with a connector? Or what else can I do to get this set up installed permanently. I never want any more light issues ....

But wait there's more... I also shorted out something else or sliced a wire somewhere and I lost my digital spedometer cluster??? I have no idea how I could have shorted that out?? What the heck could have done that? I checked the fuses I could get at and they are all fine, I am going to break out the manual and find the rest of the locations for fuses. Hopefully thats all it is...

HELP.................

[ZX-12R]

In terms of the socket for your brake lights, your best bet might be to call a motorcycle salvage yard. There are several in New England and a large one in CT that I have used before (but the name escapes me now). Do you know if there is any kind of custom mounting hardware on your socket? If there isn't you can find standard ones for your bulb type in lots of online automotive stores or electronics catalogs like digikey.com or mouser.com.

You might want to try soldering the connection again. The trick to it is you have to get both the wire and the contact hot for the solder to flow properly. Clean the tip of your iron and put a small amount of solder on the tip; just enough for a small drop worth. Next touch the solder blob to both the wire and the contact and wait a second or two. The small bit of solder helps transfer the heat more efficiently than just the tip alone. Next feed solder into the joint making sure you are keeping both the wire and contact hot. If it doesn't flow right way, leave the iron on it and the solder will flow once everything is hot enough.

On your spedometer, did you lose everything including the back lights and indicators or did you just lose the LCD display? Or does the LCD come on but not update? This could be much more of a hassle to fix. First check for any obviously loose connectors. If you can't find any, you will have to break out your shop manual and your multimeter and go through all the electrical connections to the spedometer one by one until you find the problem. Electrical problems are a pain in the ass!

[R7]

Honda makes a nice electrical repair kit, it costs about $80 but it is the shizzle. It has a bunch of odd connectors in it and all the soft single weather tight connectors. It's just like the factory connections
I doubt anyone will have the actual connection you're looking for, I just went throught that with my KTM and I just bit the bullet and bought a complete harness. I don't like cutting into any wire harness, the chances of getting it 100% weather tight like the factory is slim to none. By the sounds of things, your harness is hacked up anyways so I'd just get a new one

[TheIglu]

I can solder anything Mike. Let me know when you want me to give it shot. I'll be around tomorrow night. I also have a very powerful soldering iron that will help and some decent flux.

Clean + Bare + Hot = Good Solder Flow

[Half Squid]

I think the bike is going to sit all weel until I can have day light to look at it on Saturday. Work is crazy, and I have other obligations all week.. thanks for the offer Clay!

Bill thanks for advice.

Mark, I am going to look into the repair kit, but most likely just go get a new rear wiring harness like you suggested! I may use Bills idea and check bike salvage yards. I am pretty sure most salvage yards sell everything on E-Bay now, so chances there are slim unless they just happen to get a wrecked RC51 the week I call...
I might also tell my friend to keep an eye out for a totaled RC and buy it up cheap so I can steal the extra's I want from it....

[benVFR]

Yah right.. I wouldn't get a whole new harness from Honda...

That could end up being like $200-300 depending on which particular harness got hosed. Therer could be 2 to 3 "subharnesses" on that bike and in that case if it's a "subharness" it should be less then $100.

The biggest PITA with soldering on the bike is that you can't yank all the wires out and do the job on a workbench.

[ZX-12R]

I just had another thought about why you were not able to solder the connection. On many motorcycles (not all), the wiring harness uses double insulated wires which means besides the normal PVC jacket, each individual strand of conductor that makes up the wire will have a thin epoxy jacket. This gives it better corrosion resistance but makes it alot more difficult to work with; as in solder will not flow on it.

If that is the case, after you expose the wire you will have to sand the conductors to remove the epoxy using a medium grit sand paper. Normal cleaning of the wire will not remove it. Years ago I was stranded on the side of the road for several hours until I realized I had this problem. I had to use two rocks to strip the second insulation layer off the wires.

[ZX-12R]

Also... If you have a shop manual I could help you track down your spedometer gremlins some weekend. I'm pretty good with electrical problems.

[bump909]

bill, it's like you're suddenly smart with the lo pan avatar.

[Hardcore]

Originally posted by ZX-12R
I just had another thought about why you were not able to solder the connection. On many motorcycles (not all), the wiring harness uses double insulated wires which means besides the normal PVC jacket, each individual strand of conductor that makes up the wire will have a thin epoxy jacket. This gives it better corrosion resistance but makes it alot more difficult to work with; as in solder will not flow on it.

If that is the case, after you expose the wire you will have to sand the conductors to remove the epoxy using a medium grit sand paper. Normal cleaning of the wire will not remove it. Years ago I was stranded on the side of the road for several hours until I realized I had this problem. I had to use two rocks to strip the second insulation layer off the wires.

HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!---------YOU'RE LIKE MAGYVER!!!!

[ZX-12R]

Originally posted by bump909
bill, it's like you're suddenly smart with the lo pan avatar.

Jareth the Goblin King says:

[ZX-12R]

Originally posted by hardcore
HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!---------YOU'RE LIKE MAGYVER!!!!

Necessity is the mother of all invention. Middle of no where VT, no cell phone, had to get home, time to get creative!

[beet]

i can solder any thing i wish i was closer mike
good soldering iron that will help and some decent flux .
make sure you clean up the flux acid after your done
hey mike i wish i lived closer so i could watch you work

[SVRACER01]

tail lights and blinkers are for pussies

[Hardcore]

Originally posted by ZX-12R
Necessity is the mother of all invention. Middle of no where VT, no cell phone, had to get home, time to get creative!

DUDE--- can you teach me how to make a rocket launcher using only a paperclip,some vaseline,a piece of raw fish,+ a bottlecap?