31 Ford Tail light and lis. plate light wiring ?

[vert306]

stock harley is 3 wire (blue, red, black) light has two wires, one for brake one for LP light. any help, wiring just aint my thing. i can solder like hell, but when it comes to figuring what goes where, my brain takes a dump.

[Predator]

stock harley is 3 wire (blue, red, black) light has two wires, one for brake one for LP light. any help, wiring just aint my thing. i can solder like hell, but when it comes to figuring what goes where, my brain takes a dump.
Just connect the two wires to red and blue. The frame of the tail light will be ground. (Earth/black) Alternatively, connect the black wire to the tail light frame.
If you want to check it before installing it, connect the two wires and then the black wire of the bike to the tail light frame.

[Moved On]

Does the taillight you are using have two filaments in it?

If not, then it's going to be hard to get brake and tail light out of it.

If it does, then most likely the two filaments are contacting the small contacts on the bulb. The third connection would be the ground, or housing of the socket. Often times the ground in a lamp housing doesn't have a dedicated wire (it grounds through the chassis), you don't really want that. Relying on a chassis ground is asking for future failure. Solder a wire to the outside of the bulb housing if you don't have a ground wire on the light. Connect the socket housing (ground) to the black wire. The red wire is the taillight and should be connected to the filament (if you only have one, or to either filament if you have two). The blue wire is the tail light and should be connected to the second filament.

Gazza

[Takingabreak]

Hi.

Ok, the Harley tail light is a single bulb. Pre-2003 models use a 1157 bulb that has two elements to it, one for running and the other for brake.
The third wire is for a ground, as the fender is a poor ground. The 31 ford unit most likely used the body for a ground. Or is could be a single light.

You need to open the unit up (The 310 and look to see what you have, most likely you will need to replace the guts to a modern unit.
It is not as hard as it sounds, but you need to have a 1157 plug and wire it to work with your system.

Any tech can do it for you if you don't think you can do it.

[vert306]

the 31 ford light is a knockoff, it's not an original. the bike is a 95 sportster. so if i run red to the stop/ running, and the blue is the license light, and run the black to the license frame i should be good?

[Predator]

the 31 ford light is a knockoff, it's not an original. the bike is a 95 sportster. so if i run red to the stop/ running, and the blue is the license light, and run the black to the license frame i should be good?
Yup. Good to go buddy.

[Gone]

the 31 ford light is a knockoff, it's not an original. the bike is a 95 sportster. so if i run red to the stop/ running, and the blue is the license light, and run the black to the license frame i should be good?

I have that exact setup on my '96 and i just ground to the swing arm. Mine is also a knock off. Just keep testing it a few times before you heat wrap the wires and put the shocks and fender back on...had to pull mine apart a couple of times... big headache! BTW my light is super dim in comparison to the stock. If you have the time or money you should invest in the "Pro Street" aka yuppie style modern Ford model A light cuz it is filled with LED lights, much brighter! I'm probably going to switch mine out. Good luck. Post pics when you finish.

[vert306]

i will post em up when done, still just gathering info for the install, my bike is undergoing a complete change, so its just a little part of it.

[Scooter_Trash]

Listen to Gary. If I would have done what he said the day he told me it would have saved me a lot of time wiring my taillight.

Does the taillight you are using have two filaments in it?

If not, then it's going to be hard to get brake and tail light out of it.

If it does, then most likely the two filaments are contacting the small contacts on the bulb. The third connection would be the ground, or housing of the socket. Often times the ground in a lamp housing doesn't have a dedicated wire (it grounds through the chassis), you don't really want that. Relying on a chassis ground is asking for future failure. Solder a wire to the outside of the bulb housing if you don't have a ground wire on the light. Connect the socket housing (ground) to the black wire. The red wire is the taillight and should be connected to the filament (if you only have one, or to either filament if you have two). The blue wire is the tail light and should be connected to the second filament.

Gazza

[vert306]

now when you say solder a wire to the light for ground, you mean i can attach it to the light mount with an eyelet, or??

[Predator]

now when you say solder a wire to the light for ground, you mean i can attach it to the light mount with an eyelet, or??
That's right. Attatch an eyelet to that black wire on the bike (you may need to extend that wireas well) and then ground it to the light mount. I would be more comfortable making a new wire with a connector on one end, and solder the other end to the light socket itself. This will ensure you get a good ground.

[vert306]

alright i'll do that and and hopefully all will be well. thanks for all the input and help guys

[vert306]

so i hooked it all up today, lights blew out in 2 secs.

took it apart, all 6v bulbs. grabbed two new 12v bulbs, but didn't have time to get back to garage. HEADACHE, NEED BEER!