Headlight still won't shut off!!!!! (Help Needed)

Put a new ignition on the bike yesterday, hoping it would fix my problem. When I turn the key to the "on" position, the two front turn signal lights (not Flashing) come on, the neutral indicator light comes on, and the tail light comes on. When I start the bike, the headlight comes on. Everything seemed perfect. When I turn the key to the "off" position, everything shuts off except the headlight and the neutral indicator light. Cannot get the headlight or the neutral idicator off, unless I disconnect the battery. Is there another switch or relay I can check and where is it located on the bike?

1982 xj 650 Maxim

 

Try looking through the diagrams available here http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... er%2A.html

You need to click on the "Component key" page to see what each numbered item is.

There is a headlight relay, but I am not familiar with the US systems with conpulsory lights. I would look at something that is common to the neutral switch and headlight.

 

did it always do this? or did it just start doing it one day?

 

I just got the bike a month ago, so I don't if it just started happening or not. I am trying to get the PO to email me back about it.

 

i figure it's either gotta be a short somewhere, or something is hooked up wrong. in my opinion, the most likely opinion for a short would be in the ignition switch, and it looks like you've ruled that out by replacing it. i don't have a lot of experience with motorcycle wiring, but i'm thinking it's possible that you might have something like this going on:

+ battery ----> headlight/neutral -----> ignition -----> ground

when you should have

+ battery -----> ignition ------> headlight/neutral -----> ground

maybe if you open up the headlight and look at the rat's nest of wires you'll be lucky enough to find two pairs of different colored wires hooked up. something like a red-green and a green-red connection that should be red-red and green-green if you catch my drift (colors are for illustrative purposes only).

i didn't know there was a headlight relay, but if that relay is stuck on, then that would certainly, i think, cause your headlight to stay on.

worse comes to worse, i suppose you could put another, sneaky, theft-deterrent, kill switch somewhere on the bike and just use that switch to disconnect the battery when you're done riding it.

 

Could also be shorting in the start switch.
When mine shorted, the two headlight wires melted
the back of the switch causing the opposite prob,
no headlight/neutral light.Still had t-sigs.
Take a multimeter and do a voltage drop test at the
wire loom behind the headlight. All the connections
are of a diff shape so you wont hook them back wrong-
just trace the wires from componant to the loom via
the color.