main fuse problems '81 650e

[underground]

hey guys,

i'm new here. also i really don't know very much about motorcycles so you should probably explain things as thoroughly as possible to me.

so a few days ago i was out riding and my bike died. after i pushed it home i noticed that the 15a main fuse had blown.

a friend of mine and i took the tank and headlight off looking for frayed or melted wires -- we went so far as to replace the 9 wire connector going to the headlight.

we have also tried grinding corrosion off of every ground wire we could find. nothing seems to help. the 15a fuse consistently blows after ~1 minute of the bike being on.

what could the problem be? which connections should i be focusing on? the previous owner put some aftermarket turn signals on and could have jacked up the wiring to them -- but i don't think they're even on the 15a.

like i said it's a 1981 gs650e.

[Killer2600]

Is the fuse blowing with the key off, key on/engine off, or with the engine running? Determining which will narrow down your short/overcurrent issue.

If it only happens with the engine running the battery and/or charging system are a prime suspect.

[underground]

it will blow in either:

key in/lights on/engine off

or

lights on/engine on

in both situations the 15a blows in ~1 minute

[Killer2600]

Are there other fuses on the bike? If so you can pull those and see if you still have the problem. If the problem persists then you know you don't have a problem on those other circuits.

If the problem goes away and all the other fuses are less than 15A (the main fuse) then you know you don't specifically have a short but have too much current draw in the system. As you already know, aftermarket and non-factory hook-ups are things to look at first.

It helps to have a service manual and wiring diagram, they and tons of other information can be found on basscliff's website http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

[tom203]

Buy lots of 15 amp fuses!
Pull the turn signal fuse- does main fuse blow?
Pull headlight fuse- does main fuse blow?

Still got original R/R ( recitifier/regulator) ? disconnect it and see if fuse blows

How long have you had this bike- get ready for maintenance demands!

A multimeter is a must for these creatures

[underground]

"...then you know you don't specifically have a short but have too much current draw in the system."

i've personally had the bike for 2 years. why would it suddenly draw more current than it was in the past?

[tom203]

"...then you know you don't specifically have a short but have too much current draw in the system."

i've personally had the bike for 2 years. why would it suddenly draw more current than it was in the past?

A wire could have finally worn thru its insulation and grounded out on frame. Kill switch or starter button wiring could ground out on handlebar. A R/R could fail internally and also ground out.

[underground]

Hey guys,

So I pulled the connections and ground for the rr and it stopped blowing the 15a. 90% sure that's the problem. I guess ill modify one of the Honda ones like you guys suggested -- they're 60 dollars cheaper anyway.