Amateur wiring question involving neutral indicator

[Beaman]

In the process of replacing my indicator bulbs with LEDS I ended up damaging a prong in the neutral boot. Ended up getting another boot - but the inside diameter is too big.....So, I sacrificed the high beam to get my neutral again. No neutral light, but ironically I was able to put the new boot on the high beam indicator and by squeezing it I made it work. My theory was that if the circuit for the high beam was dead it would affect the neutral as well. Still no neutral with spliced wires switched to both wires....

My bigger problem is that I have to have the sidestand up to turn on the bike now, even when it is in neutral. Is the neutral indicator circuit preventing the neutral switch from working? Thoughts?

Thanks!

P.S. Did a little research and it is the neutral switch. Guess I'll get it fixed the next time that I go for servicing...

 

[TC_Dick]

P.S. Did a little research and it is the neutral switch. Guess I'll get it fixed the next time that I go for servicing...

I need to find the neutral switch, I'm having the same problem with it having to be up, even in neutral.

 

[Beaman]

According to Haynes it's on the bottom near the filter.

 

[BlueJ]

1. Cut the red wire.
2. But first, cut the blue wire.

 

[Speed3Chris]

There are many workarounds to electronics. I have rewired the turn signal indicator by adding diodes to allow a typical polar LED in the turn signal indicator position...otherwise you have to run a Bi-polarity LED in the indicator position. In the neutral position a std. polar LED works fine. The fatter LED's are very difficult to keep seated in the factory sockets however. Some brands of bikes come with diodes built into the turn signal circuit but not Triumph so if you want a better pick of LED's for this position...my preference is the #74 Tri-Power...then you have to revise the circuit. See pic below for adding diodes. If you have a bad rubber socket or two there is hope however. You can solder leads right to the LED and cut the bottom off the socket to plunge the LED to the proper depth. This is really the best way to do it anyway. #74's do plug well however without having to do this...for example in the neutral position....but the fatter LED's don't stay in place that well.
Have a look at a pic of how to solder leads to the LED below and a sizing comparison of a large LED compared to small stock incadescent lamp.

 

[TC_Dick]

According to Haynes it's on the bottom near the filter.

Yep.. Turns out I never put that wire back on, I couldn't figure out what it was for (at the time). It was still sitting in the box with the rest of the parts.

 

[coopv2]

First of all put it back the way it was...
The high beam indicator is constant earthed, and activated by the power to the high beam light when switched.
The neutral indicator is constant +powered, and activated when the neutral switch is grounded to earth.
getting them messed up wires wrong could cause an electrical fire, or 'Bonfire Bonnie'
I hate it when people butcher the electrics to save a dollar.
But good luck with your problem

 

[Speed3Chris]

First of all put it back the way it was...
The high beam indicator is constant earthed, and activated by the power to the high beam light when switched.
The neutral indicator is constant +powered, and activated when the neutral switch is grounded to earth.
getting them messed up wires wrong could cause an electrical fire, or 'Bonfire Bonnie'
I hate it when people butcher the electrics to save a dollar.
But good luck with your problem

+1 A good tip on how the neutral switch works...the switch works by grounding. A couple more tips are....to coop's point about wiring or rewiring these bikes...consulting the overall wiring harness diagram in the service manual of the bike saves a lot of headaches. This helps unravel the failsafes for no start in particular...like the clutch, neutral and side stand switches. Also the carbed bike is wired very differently than the EFI bike in this regard.
The last tip pertains to retrofitting LED's. LED's by design are diodes and that means unless they are deliberately designed for bi-lateral current flow which most aren't, they won't work in a bi-pole circuit like the turn signal indicator...or if they are installed backwards in other circuits. For the neutral indicator...a regular LED will not work either if it isn't properly inserted. This isn't the case for the factory incadescent lamps...they will work inserting them either way as the filament and base are symmetric and there isn't any polarity assigned. Polarity matters for LED's. Because it is hard to deduce + and - with a LED because the base is symmetric, if it doesn't work, pull it out and turn it around and reverse its leads. Changing to LED for the indicators is one of the best mods I have made to my bonnie and well worth the hassle.

 

[Beaman]

Thank you so much for your help guys!