Maxim 650 Headlight and Turn Signal Problem

I recently bought a Maxim 650, my first bike. Everything except the tach works great, runs like a champ. First problem popped up on my way home from work - The headlight doesn't turn on anymore and the left turn signal doesn't work. When you put the left turn signal on, the rear flasher lights and stays lit, and the light on the console is lit, but not the front flasher.

Bulbs are all good, I don't see any bad/broken wires and the fuses are all good. Any ideas on what it may be?

 

get a voltage checker and check the socket and all the conectors

 

Check your start button as well. The PO of my bike had some issues with the start button. Under normal circumstances, the headlight goes off when the starter button is pushed in, but he had a coupld of occasions where he was driving and the lights went off until he wiggled the starter button. This may or not be the case in your situation, but it is something to check. Not sure what to suggest about the turn signal.

HTH.

 

Sounds like you may have some dirty connections in the harness I would recommend pulling the headlight out and checking the connections and clean them. That would cause your problem and many others down the road. Hope that helped. PS: don't let that mess of wires scare you they are actually fairly easy to take apart and put back together most of the wires only go to a certain spot so there is minimal chance of messing it up.

 

Tried the starter button, no luck there. I pulled apart the headlight and all the connections seem clean, but maybe going over them will help. Any chance it's in the relays under the gas tank?

Thanks for the help!

 

Greetings Macbeth, please let us know what year your Max is in your signature block.
First blush on your issue is that your signal light sockets are probably corroded (very common on these things). Pull the lenses and clean everything. Replace bad bulbs. A volt/ohm meter would be a wise investment.
As far as the head light, odds are against you that your fuse block is the cause (another weak link on these bikes). Replace your existing fuse block for a newer unit or individual weatherproof fuse holders (a pile of future problems will go away at the moment you finish this task). Also check to see that the headlight works with a couple of wire leads and a battery.
Let us know what you learn.

 

Thanks, will give the fuse box a once over when I get home. The turn signals are clean, no corrosion (been recently replaced).

 

Check your ground on the turn signals even if they look clear. One bad ground give exactly the symptoms you describe. Mine was the same and it was the front left ground...

 

Have you tried taking the switch apart to make sure that the left contacts are not corroded. My bike had been sitting in a crawlspace for 14 years when i bought it and I was chasing corrosion around for weeks. It could also be the flasher relay that is located by the coils under the tank near the mounting bolt. You can check it with a test light if you have one. As for the headlight you can check those terminals while you have your hand controls open checking for voltage on your turn signals