/5 headlight wiring questions (with pictures) for the experts

[backdrifter]

Thanks again, Big Bamboo. That seems to make the most since to me. I'm not sure why the brown/black wire would have the male connector on it if it wasn't plugged into another terminal, and there ar no other choices left. I'll try that and start from there.

[Big Bamboo]

I think it's probably the remains of the wiring from the original switch. The male connector is not factory, and it saved the PO cutting and spicing the end off the brown/yellow wire from the switch... Like I said, you could cut and spice them together, and eliminate two connectors in the process.

[bmwhacker]

Hang in there and keep the right methodical state of mind.

My first BMW was a 1971 R75/5 twenty some odd years ago. My heart sunk when I opened the headlight shell and found nothing but red wires. a PO had "rewired" the headlight shell after a major short had melted everything. I was surprised to see that no fuses were used in the early systems. A lot of head scratching went on while tracing / identifying everything, but I eventually got everything working.
Now days I have a couple sacrificial wiring harnesses laying around so that if anything added on my rat bike, I use the proper color coded wires to match the diagram.

[kwb210]

I am "fixing" a couple of headlight buckets on my slash 5's right now, man, what is it with PO's? Sloppy black tape, lousy blue "connectors" none of it really connecting anything!!! This site was helpful to me. I also have a few more pics that i use in making sure I am headed down the right path. Interesting comment about switch gear from a 1974, and from a knowledgeable source. I have a 74 and will have to take a look at it! I had not thought about it but with the circuit board it does make sense it is different.
Take a look here: http://www.stephenbottcher.net/BMW/R...ion/wiring.htm
Keep us posted. I am helping a friend with his 1970 /5 wiring, a little bit different it seems, or maybe it was the turn signal indicator that I saw, it was made of glass! Really cool. Mine are a 1972 and a 1973.
Regards,
kurt

PS: take your time, when you get stuck, clean your work bench. (not my quote, but I like it) Also, after you have done it right it will be done forever.

[Big Bamboo]

Yes, there are differences between the early non-fused buckets and the later ones. I have a '72 and a '73 R75/5 too. It would really simplify things to eliminate all the extra connector blocks and such, and just hard wire everything together, but then the next owner would say nasty things on motorcycle forums...

[backdrifter]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the help. Yeah, the connectors are kind of cheesy, but I'll clean them up later. I don't want to eliminate them, they make life easy. I *think* I have it all sorted. I'm at least confident enough that I'll hook a battery up to it once I buy one (this week, hopefully) and start checking everything. More to follow soon, but probably over at the build thread for my bike.

Thanks again!