It depends on whether they were wired the same way. Some lights use the frame (or metal rear fender for ground, while others are rubber-mounted for vibration isolation. Usually, you have 3 wires: brake, tail, ground.
I have a 82 yamaha sr185 and i took the light off a 650 suzuki, the plugs aren't the same, but i should be able to cut the wires and join them right? well i have tried every possible combination of wires with no luck... am i an idiot or just ignorant?