cluster lights

So after sitting all winter I went out to the shop to fire her up. The battery was dead so I went and purchased a new one since this one has gave me 4 faithful years. Well after I put the new one in I noticed my cluster lights came right on. Started the bike and let it idle for awhile. Turn it off and the cluster stays lit. Only way to get it to go off is to unhook the battery. I'm thinking maybe a faulty ignition switch. Any ideas what it could be? Any help is much welcomed....

You are saying all of the indicator lights turn on when you connect the battery, such as turn signal indicator, high beam indicator and so on? I am also assuming this is not typical of the 82 as it is in cars for instance?

Check the ignition switch.
Steve

Just the backlight on the cluster comes on. I think maybe a mouse chewed on a wire or something while its been covered in the garage this winter. I'm going to go through it real good this weekend and try and see what the problem is. I'm a good fab guy but not so much on the electrical part. Hopefully it will just be a grounded out wire or something.

Do you have a headlight switch?
Steve

swest wrote: Check the ignition switch.
Steve

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^+1
Steves right!
Ed

well I was fooling around with it today and I reached under the tank and shook the wires that go under my tank the light went off. If I keep shaking it they'll go off, on, off and so on. I'm thinking it has to be a loose or grounded out wire. The field mice are everywhere out here in the woods of Ky. Tomorrow I will remove my tank and check everything out. It's suppose to be in the 70's monday and I want to ride!!! This winter has been wayyyyyy too long for me. And yes I do have a headlight switch for changing from dims to brights.