Turn signal fuse keeps blowing

Hello all!

About 2 weeks ago, I laid my bike down. Made a trip from Houston to Livingston tx afterwards, and had no issues at all. when I got back to Houston though, my turn signal fuse blew.

replaced the fuse, then it blew again. Took apart the switch, cleaned it, did a continuity test, replaced fuse. blew again.

So, I've been going connection by connection checking for continuity.

I've taken the entire front off of my bike, plus the floorboards, seat, and under seat access panel. it seems that there's no continuity from the connectors which attach from the signal switch to the fuse, but all of those wires are bound up with all the other wires, so I don't see how they could be shorting.

I can't find any pin connectors for the orange and blue wires between the main switch connection and the fuse box to test. Are there any, or do I just have to unbind all of the harnesses, then pull and replace the individual wires?

Apologies if this is too vague, it's my first foray into electrical work (other than replacing fuses, lights, etc.). I'd like to learn how to solve this myself, but is it the sort of thing where you're just better off going to the shop?

Anyway, thanks for any help!

I would make sure both front and rear bulbs and contacts are corrosion free, first.

John, I checked for corrosion, and there is none.

The 9 pin connector for the signal wire going from where the turn signal attaches seems lack continuity, but I may be doing this wrong.

But, just to be on the safe side, do you know if a bad bulb (which still lights and flashes) can blow the fuse? I've found mixed info online.

Could the relay be playing up?

Loosemarbles wrote:

Could the relay be playing up?

Maybe so. I'll have to look at the wiring diagram again to check location. would it be one of the 2 main relays located underneath the glovebox?

Thanks for the suggestion!

Pull the fuse one side is power other to circuit to power up signal system. Check for continuity to a frame ground after fuse at least is a start to finding the short.

A bad bulb could be the issue if filaments are shorted. Rare though. Don't over think it DC circuits aren't that hard figure out. Any other lights out left-right Brakes?

Mech 1 twa wrote:

Any other lights out left-right Brakes?

Nope, it's just the signal. it's intermittent and inconsistent though: Doesn't seem to short under any specific circumstances (hard cornering, powering on, braking, etc.).

bikes half naked and I think I found the wire. just have to open up the harness and swap it. will report back on results.

well, after much head scratching, I've solved the issue.

started opening the wiring harness, then realized it was Pandora's box. decided to retest all connections, and lo and behold- continuity on all points.

yet, the fuse continued to blow. took apart the turn signal switch, and noticed that the washer, which goes underneath the toggle switch itself, had been knocked out of place, and was making contact with the wire ends at random points during motion. reset the washer, and voila, no more blown fuses.

wasted 4 days off chasing ghosts for such an easy fix, but got enough practice removing and replacing Tupperware to feel comfortable stripping the whole bike and putting it all back in less than 2 hours.

Might have to do a wrap or paint project

Yay! Thanks for letting us know you’ve found the problem. We all benefit from shared information.

4 Days tracing an electrical problem to find a simple fix? Yeah, that sounds about right.

It’s a job well done then when you fix it yourself.

Doesn’t matter how long it took, you sorted it.

Good job, call it a learning curve moment. Oh yeah had more than a few of those.

MUCHoldERwingguy wrote:

Good job, call it a learning curve moment. Oh yeah had more than a few of those.

a cheap lesson in time and money, with minimal injury when I laid the bike down. I've learned a lot about the wiring diagram, and gotten over the plastic barrier to repair, I just wish this wasn't the bike to experiment with.

it's my daily driver, and my dream bike. When this one goes, idk if I'll be able to find another one, so learning on it is tough. but it's back to peak now, so I'm thankful`