OK so I am working on a brothers bike. Its a 2005 EG Standard. It has a stock HD year correct radio that was installed using the stock harness. I installed a set of Apes and internally wired them. I used all soldered connections and have checked and doubled checked my work. The bike had externally wired bars on it before and when I started the project it was blowing the headlight fuse when the highbeams were switched on. I did find some pinched wires (eight in total) from previous shotty work. I stripped inspected and heat wrapped all damaged wires. After reinstalling bars and chacking that all wires were in fact correct it is still popping the headlight fuse. I checked all the wires and no damage can be found. However there is a rythmic hot feed back through the ground comming from the radio. All radio functions are working fine. When the radio is unplugged the ground feedback stops and all the lights work without popping the headlight fuse. So is anyone else of the opinion that this is an internal radio issue? Or is the ground for the radio a common ground for something in the lighting or handlebar circuit? Also why the rythmic feedback which is way to slow of a feedback for it to be a turn signal bleeding through???

 

Is this the Readers Digest version of your issue:
- Your headlight fuse blows when you turn on the high beams.
- I assume the fuse does not blow with the low beams
- If you unplug the radio, the headlight fuse no longer blows

I have a followup question.

You mentioned a "rythmic hot feed back through the ground comming from the radio".

Does this mean a test light lights up when connected between that radio ground you mention and the bike ground?

 

Correct... fuse does not blow with radio unplugged. Correct test light comes on when grounded to the frame and touching the radio ground wire. Light is constantly dim then brightens at probably thirty second intervals. Like i said to slow for some kind of flasher issue... sorry for the readers digest version just trying to explain fully.

 

is the radio operating when it pulses- or is the radio switched off.

use a meter - are you seeing DC voltage pulsing or AC voltage.
If AC then you have a wiring problem with the speaker outputs or a bad transistor in the radio

or bad grounding radio to chassis ground

2.) high beam & fuse

does it blow the fuse with the lamp plug pulled

yes= inspect wiring to high beam indicator- check for short

no= try another bulb ( could be bad filament)


and this IS the headlamp fuse blowing- not the other fuse for "lights" which is the marker lights etc.





3.) I solder for a living.
24 years ago I made an awesome wiring harness for my ex-CHP FXR

within months I had intermittent open circuits.

turns out there is a reason the oems don't solder joints- the wire strands will break right where the tinning ends due to vibration. even with shrink...really all it does is make it harder to find the fault...

If you have to do over your work, use crimps and they'll last a lifetime ( or at least 24 years)


Mike

 

I have tried new bulb with all connections made same result..bliwn fuse... will check for ac/dc... as far as crimps go i agree. But unfortunately internally wiring baggers there is not enough room inside the bars especially around the turns for crimp connectors. Thanks for all your help brother... if i cant find the short im just gonna put a 50a fuse in it and let it burn lol

 

I don't have anything useful to add. Please don't take my post the wrong way. I didn't mean anything bad. Electrical issues can be some of the worst things to fix and I wish you well

 

Well after hours of fumbling with wires and connectors I have found the issue. I got everything working fine and when reinstalling the outer fairing fuse started popping again. Turns out a bare wire in the harness was touching the inner fairing support. A little shrink wrap and some zip ties to prevent future chaifing and all is well. Thanks for all the input guys. No offense taken..