[exavid]

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I was out on the Green Machine today. On the way home the turn signals when into double time and I noticed my voltmeter was staying at 13.5V even when jazzing the throttle. I pulled over to check out the problem and discovered once the engine stopped I was dead in the water. No power at all, everything electrical was dead. Luckily I had my Leatherman tool with me so I pulled off the leftside cover, and checked the main 30A fuse link. Sure enough it was open. I was in luck because there was a spare link clipped in the fuse cover. Lucky because I'd never checked it out before. With the Phillips bit of my Leatherman it was an easy chore to replace the open link with the new one and I was off again. Don't know what caused the old link to fail, the current isn't too high, I think it was just time and a bit of corrosion that did the deed on it.

The main point of this diatribe is that one needs to check that you have spare fuses and the means to change them on hand. I don't know if newer bikes have these fuse links but they aren't available everywhere so you need to keep a couple ready in case of need. Of course you could use a piece of metal or wire in an emergency but it would need to be replaced with the proper link soon as possible. Forwarned is forarmed!:baffled:

 

[FitzAl]

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I had one of those fuses blow on me once. Had a spare, but the Phillips screw heads were ruined and I couldn't loosen them at the roadside. I had to wrap some wire around the two screws to get home.

 

[Goldwinger]

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I had a similar experience on my 85 Aspencouch shortly after buying it used . Fortunately I was close to home and when I got the side cover off at home, what once was the main fuse holder had turned into a molten mass of carbon that I had to break apart with a pair of pliers to repair. It was at that moment I decided I was not going to assume all bike riders take care of their bikes as well as I do, and I will never trust a dealer mechanics word again, and went over every inch of the electrical and every nut and bolt, and came across a few things that made me cringe when I thought about how fast I had been riding a few days earlier.

 

[weewillywing]

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Any old bike I ever had I put some enamel paint over the fuseable link. That way you can forget about it as one tends to do anyway.

 

[Guest]

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Gosh ! ! ! :action: It's so nice and consoling to listen to you "Gurus" discussing faults. :clapper:Not you weewillywing you are still just a member, :coollep:but it wont be long untill you arepromoted to "Guru" a lot of your posts are very helpful.:jumper:

:leprechaun: :18red: :leprechaun:

 

[Eamonn1200]

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Good tip about painting the fuse Willy.

 

[axelwik]

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The first thing I did when rebuilding my Wing, was remove the old fuse block and replace it with an automotive 30-amp, inline fuse holder.

They come with 10 or 12 gauge wire coming out of both ends, and a weather-tight holder that holds one of those automotive 2-prong fuses.

Simply cut and strip the 2 red wires going to the old fuse block, remove the block, slip some shrink-tubing down the wires, solder the new fuse holder in, slip the shrink-tubing over the solder joints, heat to shrink, and you're done.

Now you'll never have to worry about not being able to find a main fuse. Every auto parts store will carry them.

 

[Jason]

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Good tip Marco. Much easier to get one of those fuses in an emergency as well, and of course easier to replace in the holder too.