2005 KZ1000p electrical issues

Attached is an electrical wiring diagram of a Kawasaki KZ1000P. My model is the last year of manufacture, 2005, and it seems for the most part the electrical diagram is accurate. I thank ahead of time, anyone that has the patience to read and understand this issue and perhaps lend a response.

Symptom: headlight does not light – high or low beam (could be additional lights and gauges not lighting that I have not as yet determined.) The motorcycle runs normally.

The way it is supposed to work:
When you turn the ignition to “on”, 12 volts travels from the fuse box on the blue wire to the right handle bar switch-box and specifically to the lights power switch. This is a three-way switch; 1. off, 2. running lights, and 3. head-light. You can turn on the running light circuit without turning on the headlight but the running lights circuit remains on in addition to the headlight when the switch is in headlight position. The running lights circuit is a red with blue stripe wire and the headlight is on a blue with yellow stripe wire.

The blue/yellow wire goes through the side kickstand switch to the headlight dimmer switch on the left handlebar where you select low or high beams- delivering 12 volts on a red/yellow wire for low beam and on the red/blue wire for high beam.

From the light switch, the red/blue wire divides and goes to the left and right running lights; the speedometer light, illumination light in the left-dashboard cluster; the illumination light in the middle-dashboard cluster; the tachometer and illumination light in the right-dashboard cluster; and back through the ignition switch to the tail light and lights right and left of the license plate. Each of these 5 circuits are served with an individual connecter having a red/blue stripe and from the diagram the power for each of them originates from the right handlebar light switch red/blue wire.

What I found so far:
With the ignition switch (key) turned to “on”, 12-volt current is on the blue wire and makes it to the light switch on the right handlebar switch cluster. Examining the switch, if I detach the 5 red/blue wire connectors that lead to the various lights that originate from this, I get 12-volt current to ground from the red/blue solder connection of the light switch turned to the “running light” selection and 12-volt current to ground from both the red/blue and blue yellow solder connection of the switch in “on” position.

If I leave any of the 5 red/blue stripe connectors mentioned above, connected I do not get any DC voltage to ground when testing the switch from the red/blue wire solder terminal in the “running lights position” or from either the red/blue solder terminal or the blue/yellow solder terminal.

My questions:
Is my multi-meter just not making a strong enough circuit pathway to draw a reading when the red/blue connectors are attached to their circuits?
Would there have to be an electrical short in those red/blue circuits, strong enough to make an additional connection from the red/blue solder connection through my multi-meter to ground read basically 0 Volts? Or is it normal- the closed circuits (through the lights and tachometer to ground) on those red/blue connections cause my volt-meter to read 0-Volts to ground from the common red/blue solder connection?

I would think the meter would be another pathway with little resistance for the power in that solder connection to go to ground and there for, should still show a 12-volt reading with the other connections attached. Otherwise how could I add a headlight power wire from that same switch (that is on in conjunction with the running lights circuit) and expect the headlight to work?

If anyone is interested in responding- I will greatly appreciate it and I will probably have further questions.

Regarding the image- if it looks too small - right click and open in a new window- you can then zoom and see some detail. Here is a link to a higher res image: cyclepsycho.com/kz1000p/kz1000pwiring3.jpg

Thanks, Kirk