Latest problem......

[Rebel]

Well, just when I thought all was well, my bike is repeatedly blowing the top fuse. Going by the schematic that is the fuse for the tail light, front parking light, and instrument lights. I may have pinched a wire under the handlebars when installing the fork seals.......... who knows, I just have to find the short.

[enigmaT120]

Can you fit a test light in place of the fuse, to save on fuses, whilst you wiggle various bits of wire?

[Rebel]

Yes, I can use a test lamp, but I will be using my trusty Simpson analog meter. I should be able to pinpoint the bad spot pretty quickly with it. Digital meters take too long to respond.

[Rebel]

Got her sorted out last night. The issue was the fuse box. The top screw under the top fuse is at ground potential. When I had recently "spun" my fuses in their holders, I apparently had turned the fuse so the metallic "fuse link" of the ceramic fuse was facing towards the front of the bike. Either due to vibration or whatever, the metal strip in the fuse had contacted the screw in the fuse box creating the short. When the second fuse blew, it was due to the same issue, however, there is a slight twist. I did not have any of the German style fuses, so I used an F size ceramic fuse and soldered the pointed end pieces of the blown German style fuse onto the ends of it. Worked fine, EXCEPT the metal bands of the fuse had come in contact with the screw. I will purchase the correct fuses, but for now I am using my modified F style fuse with electrical tape wrapping the fuse to prevent contact.

[Rob]

You need to dump those OEM fuses and replace them with modern blade fuses. Much more reliable, and if you are good, you could locate the fuse holder outside the headlight.
Here is how it is done on the circuit board:





images courtesy of the late Bill "Airhead" Emory

It would be best, of course, for convenience, to get them outside that bucket, though.

[Rebel]

Thanks Rob for the idea!! My fuse holder is in between the engine and battery on the RS. Just 2 fuses under a plastic screw on cover. I will "engineer" a solution to go with a more "standard" type of fuse.

[Rob]

Sorry Rebel, I forgot what year your bike is.

That is good that the fuses are already back there. You can just use two weatherproof inline fuses if you like, or you can get more sophisticated, and put one of these little boxes on your bike. It will allow you two more circuits if you have things like heated clothing or driving lights, or any of a hundred electrical accessories.

http://www.wiringproducts.com/4-circuit ... block.html

I put a 6-gang box on my R65 when I had it. I kept it and installed it on my Honda.

[Rob]

Sorry Rebel, I forgot what year your bike is.

That is good that the fuses are already back there. You can just use two weatherproof inline fuses if you like, or you can get more sophisticated, and put one of these little boxes on your bike. It will allow you two more circuits if you have things like heated clothing or driving lights, or any of a hundred electrical accessories.



http://www.wiringproducts.com/4-circuit ... block.html

I put a 6-gang box on my R65 when I had it. I kept it and installed it on my Honda.

[Rebel]

Very Good, thanks again for the advice. I stopped by Advance Auto Parts on the way home last night and picked up 2 packs of the GBC style fuses for the bike. The original fuse was an 8 amp, and after looking at the load on the system, installed a 5 amp fuse into the bike. I also used electrical tape to wrap the fuse to prevent the problem again. I will probably be stopping by Mc Donalds to get a large diameter milk shake straw to cut down to use as a "sleeve" over both of my fuses for future issues until I get around to converting the system.