The wiring to the Console (or Instrument Panel) on the Norton Commando MK3 is a bit of a mystery!
The colors of the wires shown in the Factory Workshop Manual are as follwos:
| Description | Console Wire Color | Main Harness Wire Color |
|---|---|---|
| Main Beam | P (purple) | R (red) |
| Main Beam | P (purple) | UW (blue/white) |
| Indicator | Y (yellow) | GW (green/white) |
| Indicator | Y (yellow) | GR (green/red) |
| Neutral | W (white) | – (wired straight to ignition switch) |
| Neutral | S (slate grey) | G (green) |
| Ignition | W (white) | – (wired straight to ignition switch) |
| Ignition | R (red) | WN (white/brown) |
I have a major issue with the factory using a red wire to connect to the WN (white brown) on the ignition light.
This is bad, as several people have assumed the red is a permanent ground, and connected it accordingly.
The result of that means the red light will never go out – not at any RPM!
…too many people have started tearing down their charging system looking for issues because of this!
Here is an improved diagram that better shows how the console sub-harness connects to the main harness.
Hopefully, by publishing it here, it will help address the issues, and save a few people the time and pain of looking for issues!
Luckily, the use of these colors in the instrument console sub-harness was not all through production.
Norton/Lucas swapped to the same colors that are used in the rest of the main harness – which makes much more sense!
However, the diagram in the Factory Workshop Manual, and the early bikes are all wired as above!
Here follows details of a few sources for the Instrument Console sub-harness – from what I can see, they are all supplied now in the correct (later) colors:
| Supplier | Picture | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |  | Wassell Part Number: WW19161 |
 |  | Lucas Part Number: LU06-5902 |
 |  | Andover Norton Part Number: 06.5902 |
Here is a downloadable PDF that you can print out and keep with your notes:
