Triumphrat

R100Pilot · 09-27-2006

Day two in the shop. My worst fear - that it'd start and run normally and they'd lookit me like I's crazy - has not been realized. My second biggest fear - that it was some obvious bare wire or somethin' I shoulda picked up on from a quick inspection - is also unfounded.

Apparently everything checks out visually - no obvious abrading going on. But now it's behavin' even more oddly - for instance, it'll start an' run, but rev it an' the fuse blows. Perhaps vibration is causing a wire to ground?

Mechanic says he's been talking to Triumph's tech support an' they keep tellin' him things to test, but that they've not had any such problem before. So now we all be confuzzled.

Meanwhile, I'm just

pcn: an' ridin' der beemerschkooter.

Limey · 09-27-2006

Now all you need is a bright spark to fix it for ya :-D

Euro · 09-27-2006

Do you want the easy way to find the problem?
Take what ever fuse that keeps blowing, and replace it with a fuse that is about 10 times bigger. The added current some times blows up the problem area, and you know what to replace. One the down side, it some times causes fires and other severe problems... :???:

You could also just follow the wire diagram to what the fuse is connected to, but that's for wimps.

R100Pilot · 09-27-2006

A Bright Spark is the problem. Lights up the fuse real good.

And yeah, I thought about bridgin' it an' seein' what starts smokin', but there's all manner o' overpriced electronical gizmos that I could blow up, an' my guess is that if'n I done it myself, it wouldn't be covered by the warranty.

It actually blew three fuses - two 30 amps to the battery and the 30 amp ignition fuse. Wiring diagram shows it running into all manner o' things - neutral light, ignition switch, starter relay, rear lights.

Which actually gives me an idea. The wiring for the tail lights is wrapped up pretty tight under the tail tidy. Could it have rubbed through? Dunno. Have to call 'em tomorrow.

zooplancton · 09-27-2006

man, don't put a higher fuse in...
i put a "SLIGHTLY slower" fuse in an amp i had, and it started a mean projectile flame and screwed a lot of stuff up. if could turn back the clock on that one...
-b

Devious2XS · 09-28-2006

When it "blows a fuse when I rev it", is an indication of a dead short - your mechanic should know this.

As soon as the alternator is turning the rpm to produce correct output, the short is causing the fuse to blow. At idle rpm you do not have the amps required to burn/melt the fuse.

It is time to start testing wires.

Which fuse is blowing?

R100Pilot · 09-28-2006

It's the 30 amp ignition fuse (only 30 amp in the bunch).

Interesting side note: A local guy had an 05 Daytona 955 that had a problem with hesitation and occasionally it would just die. They gave him a new bike.

f1eric · 09-28-2006

If you know some one with a Megger it is like a ohm meter but it
uses a very high voltage low amp. I have one that is from 50v
to 1000v I would not go over 50v on a 12v system. remove
the ECU and DO NOT test sensors. The other thing is if the fuse
has a large gap with black it is a short. A small gap with black
over amp. To check buy a fuse holder and short a fuse and you
can see the difference.

f1eric · 09-28-2006

If you know some one with a Megger it is like a ohm meter but it
uses a very high voltage low amp. I have one that is from 50v
to 1000v I would not go over 50v on a 12v system. remove
the ECU and DO NOT test sensors. The other thing is if the fuse
has a large gap with black it is a short. A small gap with black
over amp. To check buy a fuse holder and short a fuse and you
can see the difference.

R100Pilot · 09-28-2006

Got a call from the shop. They've been back and forth with Triumph, who has apparently authorized another hour and a half of labor to try to find the problem. If they don't, they're just gonna put a whole new wiring harness in.

The tricky part is, it's an intermittent thing. So the circuit could be fine when they have a meter on it.

Electricity is weird.