Getting ready for a 4 day trip, Ride the bike all day Saturday for a poker run, ride Sunday to make sure there are no issues..WELL this one popped its ugly little head up:
Running lights blow the "light" fuse. Here's the catch, ONLY when you start the bike. Discovered that there were codes for overvoltage and over voltage to the guages. Replaced the fuse this afternoon (while bike was sitting at the dealer) with the Badlands load equalizer unplugged and it did not immediately blow the fuse. After 3 starts it did blow the fuse. Has me wondering if the load equalizer (about 5-6 years old) is going bad. What also had me wondering that is on the Dragon in June one of the pics has the rear of my bike with no running lights. I thought that maybe that was because of the phase thing with LEDs that you see in videos, but now it has me wondering.

Anyone got any thoughts??

 

Pinched wire somewhere.

 

Suddenly after 5 years and 35000 miles? I guess but I would not have thought that.

 

I looked at the schematics and the starting circuit and the light circuit share the same ground. It is not the battery ground, but a separate ground. If the starting circuit ground has a bad connection it can get its ground through the lighting circuit and can blow the fuse. Will also cause the lights to be intermittent. Also check the starter bolts for being loose. If loose the starter can spike the electrical system severely and do ugly things. A loose or bad main ground can cause issues also. Hopefully it is something simple and found before you need to leave.

 

Thanks K. I'll call and see if they are on that track later this is morning. If these starters are like Ford starters, the starter itself could be going bad and pulling too much of a load causing the same result.

 

Time to trade for a Rushmore.

 

Gotta be a wire grounding out or a loose ground somewhere. Start with the wiring that goes directly to the turn signals.

 

Ya know....I have been tempted a couple of times! I have less than a year left on the notes and I have to worry about two kids tuition for the next 7 seven years. As much as I would like to buy a new one I am trying to hold out.


I relayed all of the information from our collective heads to the Service tech already. Hopefully he is listening!

 

Sounds like a wire shorted to ground. Get a schematic and start tracing wires. Look close were wires make bends over metal and for anything pinched, it only takes a little cooper wire grounded to blow a fuse.

Get you a circuit breaker to install in place of the fuse while working on it until you find the problem. I don't mean ride around with a circuit breaker in its place. Will save money on fuses.

Have you done any work to it lately were you had to take any wiring loose. Check there also.

 

Everyone that guessed a shorted wire was right. It was the license plate light wire.

I am seriously relieved now and can go get some stress relief!!!