OK, I am embarrassed to post this, but I am at my wits end!  Where is the diode on a 2004 GS500F?  I am diagnosing a neutral light indicator problem and have reached the diode, but I cannot find it.   I bought a service book and even looked at the schematics to the wiring harness and I still CANNOT find the dang thing!!!  Pics will help GREATLY! 

Thank you in advance,
Dan


PS I do consider myself a fairly smart person; relatively speaking, I guess.

Yeah....the diode pack can be tricky to find. Its not fixed to the metalwork, its loose and the pack and its socket is taped into the wiring loom. The pack itself is quite small , its black and rectangular with 3 terminals and about half the size of a blade-fuse.

Difficult to say exactly where it is located as in my experience it varies. but if you lift the seat and pull the covers then carefully examine the harness where it crosses over the frame behind the battery it will be somewhere in that area.

What exactly is the diode for ? (I know diodes act as one way devices for electricity)

What would be the symptoms if the diode failed, open, or shorted ? 

There are two diodes in the pack arranged face to face. Its purpose is to allow the neutral light circuit and the starter interlock circuit to share but at the same time operate independently of each other from the one neutral switch.

Diodes tend to fail open circuit and dependent on which one goes fun bags up it will cause an inoperative neutral light or a faulty starter interlock circuit and the bike wont crank over.

Testing  is straightforward and doesn't require a meter. Pull the diode from its holder, short the green and blue wires and the bike should start without the light being on, then short the green and black/blue, the light should come on (assuming its in neutral) but the bike wont start.

Thank you Sledge!  I found it!  Once you told me the size and followed the wires and found it.  It was wrapped up with another wire, so at first I thought it was just another connection. 

Thanks again!

Good info, Thanks Sledge