Tail light bulb

[Rocketman]

Seems like there are two 5mm recessed cap head bolts. Looks easier if I lay the headlight assembly out of the way first. After that everything looks fairly accessible. I'll update more next week.

[Rocketman]

Well, I got the ignition switch out and apart. Pretty easy actually. Just unbolted the headlight assembly and let it dangle out of the way. Then removed the two hex bolts holding the switch in place, and pulled the switch down towards the fender. There's a dust cap that just pops off the bottom to expose the four riveted on wires. From the top side, the "guts" of the switch/connectors just pops out with little pastic "wings" that hold it in recesses in the switch housing; then a tiny little screw holds the wiring harness in place, and once removed exposes all four contacts. There are several miniature springs, and two check balls that popped right out into my hands, so be careful when you separate the two halves, not to lose any of the pieces. There are two copper contacts which rock back and forth, pivoting on a small spring, and they make contact with the four wires to control the parking light, running light, and direct to the battery. The electrical voltage I reported earlier at the bulb socket (in RUN, and PARK positions) are exactly the same at the contact points in the ignition switch. I cleaned the copper contact points up a bit with steel wool, although there appears to be some type of dieelectric grease in there are well. Didn't notice anything unusual as far as oxidation or corrosion, but cleaned it up anyway. I checked the wiring diagram and traced all the wires, and there appear to be no resistors in the circuit. So, I guess it is normal for less voltage to go to the bulb when it is in RUN position, then when it is in PARK position, thus a higher intensity light. Until I run into another '82 850 to check it against, I'll assume its normal and just keep riding.