Blown fuse leads to interesting source of trouble

[suecanada]

Hi everyone,
Well another fuse story and it is actually related to the last story when I fell over and then subsequently found the upper fuse (ceramic old style) blown. I now think there is possibly no relation between the two incidents. Why? Maybe just falling down wasn't the culprit as the fuse blew again...no turnsignals is the thing I see first when riding. Once at home, off comes the gas tank and instrument black cowling on my '83 R65LS. Luckily nothing more breaks  
So I replace the broken fuse with a new one and the turnsignals work fine for a minute then the right green indicator light gets dim and the add-on voltmeter swings wildly. So voila, the right side turnsignal is the first suspect for a possible short! Bottom line: the wire from the front turnsignals on a R65LS pass through two metal frame sections that separate the tach and speedometer; about  a 2" gap. The wires get chaffed or rubbed there over many, many years and miles of turning handlebars. My advice: Just something to check next time you are under there. The rub exposed bare wire but was very tiny. I covered everything with tape to buffer those wires for another 110,000 miles and 31 years of use! Tests seem to indicate I have solved the problem but hey, who knows. Another learning experience!

[nhmaf]

Glad that you found it and fixed it , Sue!

Whoever said that those Voltmeters on the RT bikes weren't useful never had to troubleshoot a problem without a pocket multimeter.

[montmil]

One of the items I carried on a recent 1550+ mile trip was one of those Harbor Freight multimeters that are frequently offered free with a coupon. Granted, it's not near as nice as my pro model but it's still a useful tool kit addition.

[Justin B.]

Suzie-Electron!!    Great job.  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]