Instrument Panel Replacement

Ok, so I'm planning on replacing the instrument panel on my bike this weekend. The speedometer is wailing and jumpy and most of the lights are burned out. Since I don't care much for how it looks, I am opting to replace it rather than repair/rebuild it.

Bike: 82 Maxim 750
Replacement Speedo: MikesXS Part 03-0748

I have never done any type of electrical work whatsoever. For the most part, it sounds like this wiring should be pretty straight forward. Each component has a positive and negative wire to it.

From the wiring diagram, I should wire the positive to the wire I can trace back to the fuse panel correct?

I've also seen mention that I may need to also jumper some wires for the headlight, tail light, and brake light as those are the only essential functions that have any type of "output" through the cluster. Everything else is simply an input and leaving it unplugged will cause no issues. Anyone happen to know what wire colors need jumpered on my bike?

Are my assumptions correct? Is there anything else I should be aware of or prepared for?

 

what bike year model do you have? I have done the swap with mike's xs gauges already. maybe I can help.

 

'82 Maxim XJ750J

 

'86 XJ700 Maxim X. My Speedometer is kind of trashed, I like to replace it ALL.

 

Your swap in should be very simple. Yes, there will be some jumpering but it will be no problem. I have your schematic at home and will be glad to walk through it with you. What time frame do you have in mind for the swap to occur? I'm willing to get you my # and we can real-time chat when you do this. Send me an e-mail when you get my PM.
Cheers!

 

It's tough for me to pinpoint a time to get it done this weekend. Depends on the wife and child.

I think what I'll try to do before then (hopefully by tomorrow) is pull the stock panel off and make sure the wiring looks relatively unmangled from the PO. I think everything should be in order when I replaced non-functioning aftermarket turn signals with other non-stock signals. I don't recall anything seeming odd when I had the headlight opened up.

Once all of that is confirmed as ok, I'll re-review the electrical diagram from the bike and the replacement gauges and post what I think should go where.

Sound fair?

 

Ok, so keep in mind that I've never attempted anything like this before just in case I'm way off base and you want to facepalm yourself...

So first, I have the following from the new gauges.

Speedometer:
Turn Signal = Yellow + / Yellow-Black -
Oil = Red + / Red-Black -
Neutral = Green + / Green-Black -
Back Light = Orange + / Black -
Hi Beam = Blue + / Blue-Black -

Tachometer:
Ignition On = Red
Lamp On = Yellow
Ground = Black
Coil = Green

Using the Haynes manual electrical diagram, I think things go in this order:

Tach / Bike

Black / Black
Green / Gray
Red & Yellow / Brown - ???

Current tach only shows three wires and now there is four. Can R&Y be combined or is there a more appropriate configuration?


Speedo / Bike

Turn Signal
Yellow / Dark Brown & Dark Green
Yellow-Black / Black & Black

(I assume I combine the two flasher signals due to now only having one indicator light now?)

Oil
Red / Black-Red
Red-Black / Black

I assume I pick up from the oil sensor directly. The "warning light" does no good without the computer?

Neutral
Green / Brown
Green-Black / Light Blue

The postive wire goes to what I can trace to the fuse box? Negative to the sensor?

Back Light
Orange / Blue
Black / Black

Hi Beam
Blue / Yellow
Blue-Black / Green

Not sure about the hi beam. Tracing the wires has me a bit confused.

Not really sure what wires I'll need to jumper either to get the headlight, tail, and brake lights to work either.

 

Ok, got the back light and neutral light to work. Stumped on the turn signals. How do I get the single indicator in the new gauge to work with both signals?

If I combine the wires, well, they all flash regardless of direction. Should have known better.

After that, I'm on to tackle the head light, tail light, and brake light dillema. I got the headlight to turn on, but when I flip the high beam, the high beam indicator in the gauge turns on but the light itself turns off entirely now.

 

Ok. Looks like I've got everything wired and working. w00t!

So I'm down to one final question. How can I make a one turn signal indicator work for both turn signals? I found only one other post and that person used the oil light for the one, and the regular for the other. I'd prefer not to go this route if possible.

 

yeah that would be me. you're supposed to wire the signals in series, not parallel in order for the signals to work. I haven't done it yet to confirm, maybe I will tackle that this weekend.

Did you ever get your oil light to work? another thing that you will notice is that if you ride at night at any given point (and you will) you will notice that the blue LED for the highbeam is so bright it actually disrupts your vision. I wish I could open the gauge and throw a bit of black ink or paint on top of that LED to make it tot be so bright. I ride with my highbeams at all times. it doesn't bother me in the daytime obviously.

So you also figured out how to wire and what to jump for your rear and brake lights already?

 

I did get a working combination for the tail light and brake light yes. It was a bit of guess and check because I apparently lack the skill or patience to read the wiring diagram. Of course, after I figure out a working combination, the wiring diagram seems to make sense.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I tested the oil light. I had it wired, but then undid it and wired it to the left turn signal as a test. If I recall correctly, the light wouldn't go on until I hit the start button. I didn't try to start the bike last night because it was late ad the kid was in bed.

 

Well, things are working. I wired up the oil light but it apparently didn't work. Never came on, even as I hit the start button.

I also went a different direction on the turn signal notification. I'm maintaining the square headlight, so I got two orange LEDs from radio shack and attached them to the back side of the headlight bucket that was normally covered up by the Atari box. So I have a left and right and don't use the speedo notification at all.

 

You couldn't get the single LED to work by wiring it in series?

 

I didn't bother to try honestly. I like having a left and right idiot indicator even though it's the same to cancel either way.

 

In order to use a single LED indicator bulb for two independent turn signal lines:

You have to add 1a rectifiers to each line coming into the instrument cluster, then merge the two lines and feed them into one side of the LED, the other side will now go to ground.

This allows for current to flow to the LED from either side (L or R). The rectifiers prevent the current from jumping to the opposite side.

 

Yep, diodes is the way to go. Did mine and had flashers. Added a diode into each line and now I have a single LED that flashes when either side is lit up and both sides work independently...

Ken

 

This sounds great. i need to do that. Where ddi you purchase these Diodes or rectifiers..

 

You should be able to grab rectifier diodes from any RadioShack or electronics depot.

The ones I used look like this. (The banded side will be merged and fed into the LED bulb.)

 

yep, what he said. around a buck a piece at the RShack nearest you. Best off if you solder them in (after verifying correct orientation and function...)

 

Dang the Rshack near me just went out of business and shut down 5 months ago...