Electrical failure

G'day. I need some help from the board members. 

Went for a ride (200Km) and when I was a few Km from home doing approx 50Km the dash info - speedo, tacko when blank.

Checked when I arrived home and the following not working; speedo, tacko, neutral light, tail light, stop light, indicators and horn. ** head light pilot, dip and main working.

It may not be connected but the cooling fan was working and stayed working for a long time after I stopped the engine and with the key in the accessory position.

Went to check fuses but I could not find them - some guidance please. This is the first time I have ever had a problem in 60K+.

Any help would be appreciated.

cheers

george

Fuse box is under L/h side cover in a black box

Fingers crossed rats haven't eaten into your wiring - happened here to a guy with a GSX1250FA less than 12 months old (insurance fixed it for him).

Update. Replaced fuse and turned key to start position. Started to initialise, tacko needle went through its swing and then the fuse blew. Pressed starter and engine started normally. Anyone and suggestions of which circuits to test first and the best way to do this.

cheers

george

It is obvious a short in the wiring of the circuit(s) connected to Fuse 5 (SIGNAL) but to find it might be a challenge.  

You had me stumped about the tacho working for a while then the fuse blowing until I realised that the initial application of 12v to the tach was enough for it to start it's test-come-needle-sweep, the fuse can still be blowing before the taco's needle has come to rest, this means the short is there all the time, not time delayed - i.e. there doesn't need to be something to switch on to cause the fault if you get what I mean, hence the fault would appear to be a "simple" short.

Just to prove the dash is not causing the fault, disconnect the white multipin plug from the back of it, replace your fuse and try the start procedure again, my guess is that it will blow as "normal".  

If this proves to be correct, I'd then remove all bulbs from the affected circuits to see if you have a (rare but not unheard of) shorted bulb, again my guess is that with all the bulbs out you will still be blowing the fuse.  Unfortunately with this trial and error you'll be going through a lot of fuses, however do not be temped to put in a larger fuse to save you a couple of dollars as you could be causing more damage and melt your wiring loom.

Back track any recent work where you have moved panels, bolts or other parts that are near the bikes wires.  It would be handy to get yourself a copy of the manual (either the free online PDF factory version or Haynes) so you can trace the circuits.

The fault will more than likely be a wire in the loom that has rubbed against the frame and worn through it's insulation, check around parts that move, i.e the head stock or under the seat area where the protrusions of the seat base touch or go near the frame.  

Hopefully you will find the short easily, but these types of faults can be real buggers if the short is hiding under a frame or cable clamp, good luck and let us know how it goes.

Problem sorted. I disconnected the: indicators, rear tail light, stop light, horn, brake switches and dash unit.
Reconnected them one by one. Left with the dash to connect and thought " This is going to be expensive" when I remembered I had not reconnected the horn. To my relief when reconnected the fuse blew and there was a blue flash from one of the horn connections. When I checked the horn it had an internal short.
Note, it was not the original horn but an aftermarket air horn.

Thank you for your help-much appreciated

Good to hear you got it all sorted.

aussie wrote:Problem sorted. I disconnected the: indicators, rear tail light, stop light, horn, brake switches and dash unit.
Reconnected them one by one. Left with the dash to connect and thought " This is going to be expensive" when I remembered I had not reconnected the horn. To my relief when reconnected the fuse blew and there was a blue flash from one of the horn connections. When I checked the horn it had an internal short.
Note, it was not the original horn but an aftermarket air horn.

Thank you for your help-much appreciated

Well done,so many seem to panic when they have a fault, good to see the systematic approach worked.

Great Result!

OOps! Got around to actually fitting the original factory horn and guess what- the fuse blew when I turned the ignition on.
Need to ride so I buttoned everything up except the horn and I am going for a ride. Will remove the tank etc later and check for damage to the harness.