blowing a fuse

[Patrick_Krivacka]

hey,
i rode home without turn signals again today. got home checked the fuses. one was blown. replaced it. checked the signals, left, working, right, heard a little electrical spark, got no turn signal on the right. checked the fuse and it was blown again. seems like a wirer touching something it shouldn't. besides doing a visual check, what would one of you folks who know what there doing do? would it involve a multimeter? I've been wanting to learn how to use a multimeter!

[Bob_Roller]

You're going to need to learn how to properly use a multimeter .

You can perform a visual inspection of the wiring looking for worn away insulation and bare wire, try around the steering head of the frame, a lot of movement there .

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I just Googled "how to use a multimeter".  This was the first hit:

http://www.ladyada.net/learn/multimeter/

[Patrick_Krivacka]

thanks!

[Bengt_Phorqs]

I Man, Harbor Freight has small multimeters on sale for $1.99!
How can you go wrong with that?  I've had my digital Craftsman for over 20 years now and use it almost every week for some kind of project.  Father's Day is coming up and I'm sure you are some sort of father figure to your R65.

[Patrick_Krivacka]

ok. i bought a multimeter, and thanks  to the site that Rob provided a link to, I feel confident that I'm using it right. I think I've cleared all of the wires connected to the blinkers and taillight, but I'm still blowing a fuse. So i guest I need to work towards the front of the bike.
when I put in a new fuse, everything works fine. all the lights come on. I flash the left blinkers- every things fine. do the right and the fuse blows. Can I be reasonably certain that I can disregard every thing else but the wires that are connected to the right turn signals? I'm enjoying learning the multimeter, but my time to work on the bike is limited, so I'd like to focus my search. thanks everyone.

[Bob_Roller]

Before you start taking too much apart ,why don't you remove the lenses on the right side signals, remove the lamps and take a good look at the sockets and the lamps themselves .

[Patrick_Krivacka]

as is often the case, bob was right. I opened up the right front blinker and -----FUBAR!! Time to buy a soldering iron. thanks Bob.

[Bob_Roller]

Just glad you found a simple problem before 'ripping and tearing' the wiring harness apart .

I've lived in a desert for 17 years now, and often forget how much corrosion can occur on these bikes .

I've had relatives live on the Gulf of Mexico coast of Florida for 55 years, after working on a few vehicles hat had spent their entire life there, I was shocked as to the amount of corrosion that can develop, on wiring connectors and connections .

A bit of dielectric grease will help keep the corrosion away on electrical connections .

[Patrick_Krivacka]

ripping and tearing the wiring harness apart was what I feared, so thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.
I'm sure that NC isn't as bad as FL, but it gets pretty corrosive here too. I don't pull apart any connection without putting it back together with some  dielectric grease. Just another good tip I picked up on this fine forum.