Overdrive
Overdriving the neon is fine for something like a bag check or no bag indicator as over the life of the machine the lamp will likely see less than an hour of operation unless it is a demo model and the lamp is being demonstrated constantly. It would also be okay for an overheat indicator as that should rarely operate. The "Plugged In" indicator on the 2100 is the one where you have to watch the current closely. The phosphor coated glow lamps (which are required for the green color) had shorter lives to begin with. Additionally, the plugged in lamp is going to see the most operating time.
As for how these fault indicators work, this is simple, the lamp assembly (neon plus series resistor) is wired in parallel across the switch. When the switch is closed, the current takes the path of least resistance through the switch and the motor runs. When the switch opens, the lamp assembly is then in series with the motor which provides a current path,. With the high resistance, the motor simply acts as a low value resistor (for all intents and purposes you would consider it a conductor) but can't run.
Edit: In the paragraph above I forgot to mention that the switch I'm talking about is the switch that detects the fault such as the bag full shut off switch, the no bag shut off switch, and the overheat limit switch (thermostat).
