Triumphrat

sangsters · 09-15-2005

About one week ago one of the 15 amp fuses on my '03 Speed Four blew - headlights, instrument cluster lights (though not the instruments), and taillight all out.

I swapped out the fuse, away we go.

This morning on the way to work my iginition fuse blows, right in the middle of me swerving around a pothole in Midtown.

Pull over, get pissed, pull the fuse and replace it with the onboard spare. 9,000+ miles the fuse blows, no worries, ten blocks to the office. Three blocks later the new fuse blows. After negotiating with some traffic officers I push the bike over and not wanting to put the spare 40 amp fuse in I put in a 15. That blows two blocks later.

It is ***** near impossible to find automotive fuses in midtown Manhattan.

I find a hardware store and wait twenty minutes for them to open and I buy ten 20s and five 15s and I walk back the eight blocks to my bike to find it about to be hoisted onto a tow truck. Hilarity ensues.

I show my ID, explain where I am going and what I do and they let me off. Pop in a new 20, start the bike, ride off, the same 15a from a couple of weeks ago blows....

How do I go about tracking down, what I imagine, is this short?

:brk:

chefjpd · 09-15-2005

If you are blowing the main 40amp fuse on a regular basis, you have a HUGE short. Like maybe a direct battery to ground.

Since it started with your lighting fuse, check those first, see if all your lights work. Could be a bulb that blew, and when you hit a bump it shorts the connectors. Then POOF goes the fuse. It probably wouldn't be a circuit that is on a relay, so check the direct circuits first (horn, any light bulbs, starter relay)

Good Luck. And I know what kind of a wasteland manhattan is for any auto supplies. my closest resource is E110 and 3rd. (rs strauss) :kck:

tridentt150v · 09-15-2005

I'd check its not blowing when your using the front and/or rear brake,
or blinkers,
etc etc etc

It may not be so, but worth checking though. This will tell you which wires are shorting, narrow down the possibilities.

sangsters · 09-18-2005

Update:

Nothing to do with the brakes (front or rear).
All lights working (until the 15a fuse blows out).

The ignition fuse has not blown since then. Though the headlight/tail light fuse blew twice today on the way to work.

bobshields55 · 09-18-2005

You're going to have to physically "chase" this short in your 2 circuits. Start at the battery and check it's connectors for security and lack of corrosion, go to the battery earth strap where it bolts to the frame and do the same. Have power on, or the bike running with the lights on while you are doing this. Wiggle all the wires and connectors, disconnect where possible and examine pins, make sure connectors are clean and apply some lubricant to protect them from corrosion. You could have a short in a connection, or some wires starting to chafe, or perhaps your headlight/taillight no longer have a secure earthed connection. Wiggle the fuses while they are installed in the fusebox, put your hands and eyes on everything and anything you possibly can. Hopefully you will come across it and cause the circuit to fail and get your answer.

And last but not least, good luck to you. :-D

tango · 09-18-2005

Try narrowing it down to when it happens, ie when you use an electrical component.
My headlights fuse keeps blowing, but only when I switch to main beam, but not always staight away. I know what's causing it but it's a long winded explanation. Suffice to say, check your tail light wires and connections.

SpiderTex · 09-27-2005

Check for loose cables shorting with your frame.
Check the spots where the cables (related to the fuse) rub against metal parts. Maybe some isolation is "rubbed-off" causing sometimes a short.

If you can't see the obvious, remove all failing components and see if it still shorts. If yes, then the problem is definitely inside the wiring BEFORE the consumers (light bulbs, etc).
If not, reactivate step by step the components, try to
reproduce the short between each step.

good luck