Wiring question

About 5 years ago I had the pigtail for a battery maintainer (that I stupidly had not considered the consequences of using on a positive ground bike) touch the engine and catch the wiring harness on fire in the battery box area. Fortunately I was standing beside the bike and caught it quickly enough to get the fire out before there was any damage except a cooked battery and wiring harness. I am finally getting around to rewiring it. I have been procrastinating because I have three other running bikes and I was scared to dig in to it because I am colorblind. Well now I am semi-retired and with the Covid situation I have the time so I decided to face my fears and started it a few days ago. It's a 1974 MK2 with a Podtronics and Boyer and I bought a factory main harness and headlight harness from RGM so unfortunately there are lots of un-needed wires. I have a Haynes manual and a wife that can help me with the colors so what could go wrong? I've looked at some of the pretty color schematics available here but I prefer the black and white one to the color versions because it has the colors labeled so it's easier for me because of my color vision issue. Anyway I started at the taillight and worked forward towards the rats nest of disconnects at the headstock cutting out short sections of old harness and installing the new one as I went along. Then I did inside the headlight bucket and worked that back to the main harness. I'm just about done joining the two new harnesses behind the headstock but I was double checking my connections and I'm having some difficulties chasing wire continuity with my multimeter. I finally discovered what I think is my problem. The Haynes schematic (and some of the color ones here as well) seems to have the labeling of the left and right handlebar switches reversed. I know it seems a stupid question but is the clutch side not considered the left handle bar on the wiring schematics? All the blue and blue with a tracer wires (colors which I can see) are coming off the clutch side switch on my bike not the brake side but Haynes says the blue wires are on the right side switch. So is Haynes incorrect or am I missing something besides my color vision?
Thanks for any insight.

Don 't have a Haynes but sounds like it matches the factory manuel as the factory is reversed.
It's not you, just need to turn your brain around on the switches...

What could possibly go wrong ? Was what I yelled as we sped through New Delhi in a powered tricycle . The driver yelled back the same to us as we sped along the crowded sidewalk. Only 8 months ago , followed by Lockdown. So you are lucky to experience only a meltdown. It's all colour coded stuff so correct to ask for lots of help on this.

The factory swapped the switch clusters (not the handlebar controls) over during 1972 so they can be opposite to how they are marked on the wiring diagram therefore just read 'left' for 'right' and vice versa.


Or, if you'd prefer to have the direction indicator switch on the left then swap the switch clusters over to match the wiring diagram.

Yes I did that , director indicator switch should be moved to the Left switchgear assembly , if so inclined.

Unfortunately, left and right can be relative terms. If you're sitting on the bike, then the clutch side switch cluster is the left switch cluster, but, if you're standing in front facing the bike, then the clutch side switch cluster is the right switch cluster. I've always assumed that the diagram is intended to be read as if facing the bike. Clutch lever side of handlebar is the right side and throttle side is the left side. ???

WEM said:

I've always assumed that the diagram is intended to be read as if facing the bike. Clutch lever side of handlebar is the right side and throttle side is the left side. ???

Click to expand...

No, just down to the factory reversing the switch clusters and not updating the wiring diagram.
Early:

Late (pre-Mk3):

Thanks guys. With your help and my wife's color seeing eyes I have it all connected. I still need to be sure all the left over wires in the new harness are indeed unused. Lots of loose wires on the left side behind the headstock that I am hoping are for the old coils and ignition (Boyer and dual output coil there now) and for the turn signals which I do not have. I have checked continuity in all circuits that are wired and I am pretty confident it's right. Now I just need to get up the nerve to put power thru the harness for the first time and conform it works as it should then dress the wires up and out of the way. Since I don't have a battery I will use a small 12V power supply that I have and attach it to the battery cables to check all is well. Hopefully I can get it tuned up and roadworthy for this Spring for the first time in a long time.

I ended up removing the unused wires from my new harness. All of the points and Interpol stuff. Neatened it up nicely.

gortnipper said:

I ended up removing the unused wires from my new harness. All of the points and Interpol stuff. Neatened it up nicely.

Click to expand...

It takes care but if you're familiar with the harness, the diagram, and you're careful, that's a good thing.

One last question before I cable tie everything together and tuck it all in. What's the community wisdom of opening up each connection (one at a time so I don't have to go through trying to get the colors right again) and putting a dab of dielectric grease into each connector to keep corrosion at bay? Worth the time? The bike will live the posh l;ife in the garage or my heated shop and never be left out in the weather or (hopefully never) ridden in the rain.
Thanks!

I first used dielectric grease on a new harness in the early 1980's, still have the bike and that harness is still on it and never given any issues.