Nightmare on RoadKing Street...
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Stage III
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Washington
Nightmare on RoadKing Street...
Hello ill start by saying I have a 2004 road king and 2004 fatboy. I purchased both within a week... Fatboy Runs awesome but double the miles compared to the road king. the road king has 7000. Any way with the road king I have the most hated electrical short I believe. I have been trying to figure this out for a week now and no real luck, after reading a few threads no one really had all of the same issues... SO now to what the bike is doing. I went to go take it for a ride and noticed that I had no turn signals in the rear and no accessory. Pulled it apart and the fuse was blown, So i put a new one in pressed the trip switch and the acc fuse blew.. So thinking it could be in that area I pulled it all off the tank inspected nothing found.. Put a fuse back in the acc spot turned the bike on had blinkers and everything worked took it down the road... blew a fuse again with out using the blinkers or the trip button.. So i pulled the seat off checked the wiring going to the rear fender the housing around the wires and wires were bent a little so I inspected all of that and plugged all the wiring back into the connecters, put a new fuse in and started it then it blew again shortly after running. So I started with this issue thinking that it was the trip button because i could press it and the fuse would blow but now pressing it doesnt blow the fuse.. Kind of stuck the local Harley wants 100$ for diag plus hourly what it takes them to find it. Maybe some on here has a direction for me to look at next.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 924
Likes: 0
From: Elgin IL
Troll 1st post and he starts bitchin no hello I'm new to the forum, no just starts bitchin right from the get go. I think you joined the forum for the wrong reasons you would be better off talking to the wall, BS
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4,416
Likes: 88
From: San Quirino, Italy
Hello ill start by saying I have a 2004 road king and 2004 fatboy. I purchased both within a week... Fatboy Runs awesome but double the miles compared to the road king. the road king has 7000. Any way with the road king I have the most hated electrical short I believe. I have been trying to figure this out for a week now and no real luck, after reading a few threads no one really had all of the same issues... SO now to what the bike is doing. I went to go take it for a ride and noticed that I had no turn signals in the rear and no accessory. Pulled it apart and the fuse was blown, So i put a new one in pressed the trip switch and the acc fuse blew.. So thinking it could be in that area I pulled it all off the tank inspected nothing found.. Put a fuse back in the acc spot turned the bike on had blinkers and everything worked took it down the road... blew a fuse again with out using the blinkers or the trip button.. So i pulled the seat off checked the wiring going to the rear fender the housing around the wires and wires were bent a little so I inspected all of that and plugged all the wiring back into the connecters, put a new fuse in and started it then it blew again shortly after running. So I started with this issue thinking that it was the trip button because i could press it and the fuse would blow but now pressing it doesnt blow the fuse.. Kind of stuck the local Harley wants 100$ for diag plus hourly what it takes them to find it. Maybe some on here has a direction for me to look at next.
come lose sometimes and get eaten by the rear tire.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4,416
Likes: 88
From: San Quirino, Italy
Edited to add...This forum was a lot better a few years ago before all the negative douche bags showed up...Maybe they were always here but I didn't notice them as much???
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 14,744
Likes: 402
From: Phoenix '53, '88, '09 Big Twins
Welcome to the Forums.
very often riders lower the rear of he bike...and then the tire chews up the wiring inside the fender ( or a blown tire or road debris).
you need to get inside the rear fender and look.
a factory service manual ( not cylmers or haynes) will have a comprehensive wiring diagram for your bike
wiring colour code for your rear lights should be
black- ground
blue-run
red/yel-brake
violet and brown are the turn signals
Mike
very often riders lower the rear of he bike...and then the tire chews up the wiring inside the fender ( or a blown tire or road debris).
you need to get inside the rear fender and look.
a factory service manual ( not cylmers or haynes) will have a comprehensive wiring diagram for your bike
wiring colour code for your rear lights should be
black- ground
blue-run
red/yel-brake
violet and brown are the turn signals
Mike
Last edited by mkguitar; Mar 16, 2014 at 01:09 PM.
If you suspect the trip switch, replace it. It is cheap from the dealer. I think under $20? Mine was worn out and would erase the trip mileage if I flipped between that and the odometer. However I think you might have a pinched wire somewhere. I had one in my taillight that kept blowing the headlamp fuse.
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Club Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 5,816
Likes: 7,846
From: SE Louisiana
Post #1 sounds like a guy with a weird electical problem.
Post #2 sounds like BITCHING.
someone **** in your Chereos this morning?
Etherbike, is it possible to unplug the rear light harness, take it for a ride in a safe place(with no rear lights) and see if the fuse still blows?
If it doesn't, it should be isolated to somewhere in that harness.
There is probably one little nick or chaff in a wire shorting on some sharp edge somewhere.
Look inside the light housings.
Post #2 sounds like BITCHING.
someone **** in your Chereos this morning?
Etherbike, is it possible to unplug the rear light harness, take it for a ride in a safe place(with no rear lights) and see if the fuse still blows?
If it doesn't, it should be isolated to somewhere in that harness.
There is probably one little nick or chaff in a wire shorting on some sharp edge somewhere.
Look inside the light housings.
Last edited by Schex; Mar 16, 2014 at 01:08 PM.
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Road Master
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 800
Likes: 408
From: Middle Tennessee
You need to be looking for something going to ground...shorting out. As mentioned, under the fender is the most obvious place to start.
You have a 10 year old machine. With no history on how or where it was ridden before you bought it, all kinds of gremlins could be lurking. Start with a service manual. If you plan on doing most of the work yourself, it will be money well spent.
Good luck and give that bike a good check over before venturing too far with it. Nothing more distracting and dangerous than trying to diagnosis a rolling vehicle of any kind. Especially a motorcycle.
You have a 10 year old machine. With no history on how or where it was ridden before you bought it, all kinds of gremlins could be lurking. Start with a service manual. If you plan on doing most of the work yourself, it will be money well spent.
Good luck and give that bike a good check over before venturing too far with it. Nothing more distracting and dangerous than trying to diagnosis a rolling vehicle of any kind. Especially a motorcycle.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Highland Park, Il
Anyhow, tell us about the bike. Stock bars and controls? What aftermarket stuff do you have on it? Oem lighting? Etcetera...
There's a reason HD charges $100 an hour for trouble shooting... Shorts can be tricky and finding them through a forum can be near impossible unless someone with a RK has/had the same problem.
Good luck...