Motorcycle Repair: taillight, honda nighthawk 650, 1985 honda nighthawk 650

Question
I have a 1985 Honda Nighthawk 650.  Recently the taillight has stopped coming on when I start the bike, and the taillight indicator light comes on.  The light comes on fine when I pull either brake.  I don't have the owner's manual, so I'm not sure exactly what to do to fix this.  What is keeping my taillight from coming on?

Answer
Hi Brian.
 Here's what to do for this;

1)  Smack your forehead with the heal of your hand and loudly say "DOH!!" (That part is optional), then pull the taillight bulb and look at it.  You will find (99.99999% probability) that the taillight has burned out on the dual filament bulb (unless the ignition switch is bad).

2)  Replace the bulb and test.  Feel free to repeat the optional part of step one if you like at this point.

If that doesn't fix the problem then check the fuses, fuse connections, wires to the taillight circuit (with a multimeter) and the connections to the ignition switch. jiggle the key in the switch around a little to check that.

The taillight and brake light are on seperate circuits.  This is a safety feature to save you if one or the other fails.

Let me know what you find.
Good luck.
FALCON