Tail light plug wire snapped flush

Need advice: a tail light socket PLUG wire snapped off flush with the plug.

I attempted to solder it but it snapped again a few weeks later.

Questions I'd <3 answers to...

1- are these wires super brittle or something? Bike is an 03 formerly from Florida.

2- is a turn signal plug interchangeable with a tail light socket (to double my chances of finding a replacement)

3- how can I get one? Purchase a headlight harness on eBay? Go to dealer (but will it come with at least an inch of wire I could splice into? ie:not just a bare plug?)

Thank ya much!

 

Perhaps I should start by stating the obvious




It is really difficult to respond to your questions without actually being able to see where/what has broken. I must say I have not found the wiring to the lights on my VFR particularly brittle. Has the tail of the bike been modified or damage been caused to the wiring during modifications or repairs? I guess if the wiring routing gets too close to the under-seat exhaust it might over time make it more prone to failure but whatever the cause finding the best solution really depends on being able to see what has happened.

Think of it this way. Electricity does not much care whether it passes through "proper connectors" or simple crimped or solder joints. As long as the resulting circuit provides suitably robust continuity to carry the load then the wiring should work even if it is not what Mr Honda installed. So the real question becomes - how pretty do you want the solution, and how much are you prepared to spend? If the answer is nothing then a solution using a soldering iron and insulation tape should work assuming you can achieve a decent soldered joint to whatever it is that has snapped off - hence we need pictures!

Obviously if you want the result to look OEM, then the quick but not cheap answer is to go to the dealer and get them to replace whatever connector/components you have managed to break. In between there are going to be various options - find a bike breakers yard and buy/fit a salvaged part. If you really need to extend the wiring don't forget to feed onto the wiring some heat-shrink sleeving before making the connections - and afterwards heat the sleeve to make a watertight join.

NB If its just a problem connector and not a component - then you will find that Honda tend to use basically the same types of connectors on loads of its other bikes. So provided you know exactly what bit you need - then don't just limit your search to VFRs - things like CBRs Hornets etc. may have similar connectors on their looms. Finally if the problem is basically to re-join two bits of a circuit then maybe consider deleting the existing connector - note carefully what wire goes to what and make the connection using a suitable mix of spade or bullet type connectors.

Good luck



SkiMad

 

I thought someone familiar with the tail light bulb plug or harness might be able to reply.

Here are the pics:







Why I can't solder it direct:



Doesn't have to look pretty when fixed. For now in threaded a screw with a wire stripped back down into the back end of the plug. It's ok- but not as solid as I'd like. I don't want to blow the tail light fuse if it doesn't hold and hits a ground.

I should probably mention that the doohickey wired in there is a tail light flasher to pulse one tail light when braking.




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Now we can see the problem.:thumbsup:

You are going to struggle to get a reliable bond trying to solder to the remnant connector pin. I also think the screwed solution which you have at present may not last and over time will vibrate loose.

A few better solutions spring to mind. Looking at the final picture it is clear the connector pins on the fitting are still present and in a reasonable state. So they should offer a reliable connection if you simply remove the rest of the broken connector and fit suitable size spade connectors to the wires instead. This should give a quick cheap and reliable join - the downside is those connectors are designed to ensure the right wires to go to the right place - if you remove the connector then you are working from memory which wires go where...

Another option would be to modify the broken connector. Get a sharp knife - making sure you don't damage the two intact wires in the connector just cut off the bit of the connector which held the defective wire. Refit the connector (2 wires only) into the fitting, fit a suitable size spade connector to the wire which has broken off and fit it directly to the other pin (in the gap in the connector).

Finally a more professional looking solution can be achieved if you can source a suitable replacement connector from a motorcycle breakers yard. Take a few close up pictures with you so you know exactly what you are looking for. Ask at the office first as people running these places will know what you are looking for and may have dozens lying around on shelves stripped from long gone bikes.

However don't limit your search to just your VFR model - you will probably find that type of three pin connector was used by Honda on many other motorbikes of similar vintage, and it looks very similar to ones used by other manufacturers.

The key point to stress is that you are looking to cut off a connector together with a few inches from the loom. What you will find is that whilst the light clusters fitted to motorbikes may look totally different - the people making the looms connecting to those light clusters are often the same. So where a cluster needs 3 wires attached to it, you will probably find the connector on the loom is exactly the same as the one on your bike. Once you source a suitable connector and length of wiring you can solder and shrink wrap them in place of the old connector. Take your time and the results should outlast the bike.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.




SkiMad

 

why don't you use a small copper wire needle thingy (from a much more thick wire, old wire lying around in some old thing in the garage), use it in the wire, and the rest of the conector wire, and secure it with some tape so it doesn't unplug more often than the way you temporarily fixed it? use also a very small piece of plastic to keep apart the two wires in that temporary joint, so you don't have short circuits.

probably will last more time until it's possible for you to make a permanent fix for it

 

Bite the bullet. Get a new connector. If you are riding at night, you are not going to know that your tail light suddenly fails and that is dangerous. Have those shits out there in their cages either can't see past the front of their bumpers, or are pissed. You need every defense you can muster to remain safe.

 

Those sockets are the same as in the 5th gen. They're 7443 sockets, and the convenient thing about them is that they're universal for all 7440 and 7443 bulbs (both dual and single filament), so they should be easy (if somewhat pricey) to find and replace. I found that the plastic in them does get brittle from the heat generated by the bulbs over time, and recently had to replace 2 of mine. I found them for about $30/pop on bikebandit IIRC. Not cheap.

If it's the wire harness that broke, I'm not sure where you'd get those or for how much, but the easiest couse of action rather than trying to crimp or solder wires in, is to just buy one with wires attached, and splice and shrink tube the wires together.

 

Thanks- that helps as the harness is the issue but the socket is a bit cracked too.

Any online salvage yards anyone knows of?


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Any salvaged parts are going to be just as brittle as the ones you have already, so i'd recommend just buying new.

 

Still need the cut harness tho


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Check it out- new sockets with wires!

I'm sticking with 12v standard bulbs- not LED. Too much junk out there- wouldn't trust it to last unless it's a standard bulb.

Also- this could make it easy to add running lights (dual filament bulbs) in the turn signal housings.






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