Need headlight help!!!!

[saturnthegiant]

My headlight on my '83 200e Big Red is beyond repair (busted all to h**l) and i am trying to use a headlight assembly off an '85 Big Red------the wiring looks impossible to figure out! I have a manual for the '85 and looked up the wiring diagram for the '83---it's like reading Chinese! I tried doing a forum search but turned up nothing- is there any way to do this? Can anybody help?:wondering

[Autophysn]

ahhh
mad scientist type stuff:beer

Here is what I would do,
tear apart the back of the headlight assembly you want to use, and get a 12volt battery with jumper leads. Find out how the light works just by it's self. record that, then put it back together and try to find your wires that will give you your illumination in high and low beam.

Now, when you have the wires identified, with an ohm meter, find the hot wires coming from the bike when it is running, as well as a good ground. You may use the bikes frame as a ground.
Do a temp hook up and see if it works. You will have a 50/50 shot of getting the high/low beam to work accordingly, but either way, it should work.

[FastEddy]

Now, when you have the wires identified, with an ohm meter, find the hot wires coming from the bike when it is running, as well as a good ground. You may use the bikes frame as a ground.


Don't forget that you get 12v AC (Alternator) when it's running. I was frustrated as hell trying to find 12v DC when I was working on mine.

The bulbs will work fine with either. :beer

[atctim]

both headlights from both bikes should just have white, blue, green. just hook up color to color - in this case - green is ground - blue is hi beam - white is lo beam. See what I mean - jellybean?

[saturnthegiant]

Well, i got the headlight assembly from the '85 taken apart yesterday, once i got all the wiring connectors apart it didn't look that bad. You're right atctim, the wiring is blue, white, and green ground. Once i realized that was all i needed it was just a matter of mounting the rack and headlight assembly onto the '83. Well, turns out the '85 light needs a new bulb, but the voltmeter reading was good, so i think the switch is ok. The rack doesn't fit EXACTLY right, but i made it work. The accessory plug is the same on both. I won't get to finish it up til this weekend due to work, but i'll post some pics when done. It's kinda cool because the original '83 front rack was missing, now i have one, and that big ol' '85 rack looks wicked on the '83..............:naughty:

[saturnthegiant]

Now all i need is the front fender..............got outbid again!:mad: Thanks for all the help fellas!