TOPIC:

You have got to love a systematic approach to your fault finding   (given that the fuse doesn't blow instantly when you switched the right flasher on it would suggest it isn't getting a "full ground" due to paint and corrosion on the surrounding parts) if you switch the meter to VDC red lead to battery  + and black lead to the orange flasher unit wire - switch in the "right" position and push the damaged area against the fender/frame I suspect you will get a reading of maybe 5-6v when it should be 0v. Either way it's a fairly safe bet that you can put this one down as a "WIN" (in 24 minutes) 
PS: the reason for using the diode test function was so you didn't need to keep watching the meter while "manipulating"

*Edit* Took it for a very short ride to the hardware store and had no issues, fingers crossed when it's warm enough and I have time for a longer one it goes just as smoothly.

Well I had to move onto another project but definitely ran it and let the blinkers go while turning the bars right and left without issue. Will test ride later, fingers crossed I have no issue but given the intermittent-ness it seems it may have been partially to do with the 'load' I was putting on the seat into the corners and where that wire was floating around at the time as well. Ended up clipping it and adding a connector along with some heat shrink, now it's tucked up good and shouldn't be a problem.

Planning to take it out later today for a little longer 'shakedown' test ride and fingers crossed all goes well. That said now that we have the issues with the stock stuff solved I do want to get moving towards swapping it all for LEDs, with the headlight is this one simply going to be plug and play?

speedmotoco.com/led-motorcycle-headlight...h-headlight-black-w/

I'd bought resistors from Z1 for the blinkers on their recommendation but now that I have the LED compatible flasher, will I still need them? Or can I just splice in the wires and be good to go?

Shouldn't need the resistors now 

Thanks and anything special I'll need to do with that headlight? Seems it should just plug into the H4 plug no? Didn't look that closely when I had the headlight off but seemed there were some extra wires going into it besides that but maybe that's just to keep them out of the elements?

The headlight ? - is it an LED unit ? If so the extra wires may be built in turn signals ?

No, the existing headlight is probably the original, and I'm talking about all the extra wires sitting under the cover

It is original on most bikes of this age to have the front end wiring stuffed into the headlight, they could be a PITA to get back in even when they were new 

Good to know guess I'll ask if it's got any space behind the bulb before ordering unless there are other led lights people have had better luck with?

ThatYeti wrote:

Good to know guess I'll ask if it's got any space behind the bulb before ordering unless there are other led lights people have had better luck with?

will be interesting to see what other "400 guys" have done with LED headlights, your bike has an early "field coil" style charging system so you may have issues with the headlight "flickering" this can be improved by using a resistor but I don't know what size resistor you would need. 

Headlight will be here later this week but finally got the blinkers replaced, lot more work than it should have been mainly because the LEDs had super thin wiring, but that's more my fault, should have known based on how cheap they were. Had to make a ground for them but was able to reuse some of the original hardware and didn't have to cut anything but the power wire really so it could be swapped back if needed.

Now just have to decide what to do on the rear, thinking either use more of those for the blinkers and a plain LED brake light or getting a combo brake/blinker strip light and probably trimming down the fenders a little too.