Motorcycle Repair: 1996 Honda Magna VF750C electrical/lights, 1996 honda magna, regulator rectifier

Question
My bike is a 1996 Honda Magna VF750C. The problem that I am having is with the lights. The bike starts and runs just fine, but the headlight will not come on and the brake light and rear turn signals will not come on. The front turn signals both come on, but when I hit either the Lt or Rt TS switch the opposite one stays lit while the one I selected switches off. Once I cancel the TS it will come back on. All of the fuses are good, and I have been unable to locate any shorts or compromised wiring. A friend mentioned to me that if I had used a vehicle to jumpstart my bike I could have killed the Voltage regulator, is that a possibility?  I am about at my wits end, and have no Honda shop nearby as I am currently stationed in Germany. Any and all advice will be most appreciated.

Answer
Hi Jason.

Your friend is partly right about the jumpstart thing.  If you used a RUNNING vehicle to jumpstart your bike, then yes it could damage some of the electrical components, but not the regulator/rectifier.

Remember that the vast majority of shorts are not visible, so there is the possibility of a short in the wiring harness at the steering head.  Also there is the possibility of dirty contacts within the ignition switch and/or burned out headlamp bulb.  Did you check these all with a multimeter?

 There may also be the chance that both of the signal lights up front are both burned out.  Remember that those are dual filiment bulbs in the front.

Start with those and see what you find.
Good luck and ride safe.
FALCON