Brake light woes on XR250

[ragtop]

Just been rebuilding the electrics on a ex army XR250RV 1997/8 model , every thing had been hacked out of it. Started
with the brake lights and side lights, refitted the indicators, wired back in a flasher units and now
everything works apart from when the indicators are on the brake light flashes. Earth one might think
but have tried earthing the bulb holder direct to the frame with no luck, am a bit stuck on it now.

All electrics are stock Honda apart from a strange looking relay that sits under the seat. Any help
appreciated.

[TRANSPORTER]

MMM id go for the earth aswell, that strange looking relay under the seat, is that anything to do with the old lighting system, ie the old convoy light system or know lights etc, sorry cant be of any more help.

[Lutin]

Do you have any kind of wiring diagram?

[Sage]

Could it be your power suply from the alternator isn't powerfull enough, so that when your ind's flash the brake light is just going duller as the ind's take the power, try reving it to see if that makes any differnce.

[Scotty597]

Whats the front side light doing? All the circuits you mentioned are from the DC side as is the horn and front side light. Try indicators off and activate horn with the lights on, if there is a voltage drop this will give you an indication. If the front sidelight is also flashing its an earth. Try disconnecting the front indicators with the lights on and see if the fault changes and likewise the rear to give a clue for front or rear circuit problems.

[ragtop]

thanks for all of the replies:

I kind of have a wiring diagram, meaning I am using the honda workshop manual which on the 250 gives a diagram without indicators. All other wires were the correct colours so a good start, the diagram with indicators is for the 400, the same you may think but this shows a flasher unit with 3 wires (earthed) whereas mine has two(no earth), no big problem though. The military bikes have a 'push' stop button and a flick kill switch fitted used for the blackout system either side of the front brake, along with that big relay under the seat. Mine has the blackout switch missing and I cannot find out where it was wired in. Seems impossible to find the military wiring diagram.

brake light flashes when the the engine is revved hard with the indicators on but the head lamp on either dipped or main does not and the horn seems to work fine with the indicators on.

I wrongly bought a 2001 XR400 light/horn/indicator complete with flasher unit thinking I could use it but plug was wrong so is now available for sale if anyone is interested.

[Boris]

Remove the brake light bulb and try the indicators again. Do they still work? If so you have probably a short somewhere between indicator and brake light circuits. If not you have an earth fault on the indicator circuit and it's finding an earth via the brake lamp.

[ragtop]

Thanks for the reply, will be onto it over the weekend to see whats going on.

[ragtop]

Correction to a previous post, found the horn beeps with the indicators when pressed so seems like a
Bigger earth problem than first thought.

[ragtop]

Can anyone please tell me where the main earth is on a '97 XR? can only find one on the coil fixing bolt and the rear indicators are earthed on the rear frame.