Electrical Question

[RadioDolphin]

So I just bought a 2007 GS500F, and the running light(?) turn signal indicator, high beam indicator, and gauge lights are not working. I took the good bulbs from the neutral and oil pressure lights and put them in the sockets for the turn signal & high beam indicator. Still no light. So now I'm thinking its an electrical problem. all the other lights on the bike are working fine, how should I go about troubleshooting this? This is my first bike and I would like to learn how to fix these kinds of things. Any help would be appreciated!

[mr72]

Look at the wiring diagram.

Notice the gauge lights and the high beam indicator all share a common black/white ground wire. If all three of them are out then I'd suspect that wire is broken somewhere. Notice it's tapped into the same wire as the ground for the headlight, starter relay, etc. So if the headlight works and those lights don't work, good news is all of that wiring that you need to check is [probably] right there between the headlight and the dash.

Turn signal light may be unrelated. It's a whole different circuit and an entirely different kind of circuit. If the turn signals themselves work but that light doesn't work then I suspect someone has modified the circuit. Does it have LED turn signals on it that a previous owner installed? If so then they may have cut a wire in the turn signal dash lamp circuit to prevent all turn signals from lighting when any one is turned on. Anyway, if the turn signals work but the light doesn't, again it's a short length of wire somewhere between the front turn signal wiring and the dash.

Just follow the wiring diagram with a multimeter and check every wire to ensure continuity. You will likely find the problem pretty quickly. My honest guess is a previous owner did some modification that is the cause of these issues. Step 1 is verify it is wired stock and return it to completely stock (including an incandescent bulb (not LED) for the turn signal).

[RadioDolphin]

Thanks for the reply! Once I find this break, how would I go about fixing it? Thanks again.

[mr72]

Well, it depends on what's wrong. My guess is it'll be fairly obvious when you find it. As a generic rule, you likely have to splice the wire. But it may be a connector disconnected, some mod gone wrong, bad crimp, etc. Just have to find the problem then evaluate how to fix.