- Joined
- Mar 25, 2023
- Messages
- 36
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Hiya,
I’ve been slowly but surely making a new wiring harness for my 73 roadster. I have been using Greg Marsh’s write up for a 74 Commando and have gotten my supplies from British Wiring.
Last weekend I had the harness finished and had it on the bike for testing before I wrapped it. I had everything finished except I had not yet spliced my battery sub harness (14 gauge/ 28 strand wires that connect to the positive terminal of the battery, the capicitor, and my Sparx voltage regulator) to the 14 gauge red wire that runs the length of the bike to the headlamp shell where all the connections are made. As such, I jumpered the positive terminal of my battery to the 14 gauge ground wire in the headlight shell (making all my red wires common) to test things. When I turned the key to ignition plus lights (a blue yellow wire running to the two position switch in the shell, through the high/dip handlebar switch to the headlight), my jumper wire started to get hot. The alligator clip from the positive terminal of my battery melted the insulation on my 4 way snap connector (connecting all my grounds in the headlight shell), the blue wire from my high/dip switch started to melt, and the fuse holder with a 35 amp glass from British wiring melted through the plastic finally breaking the circuit and stopping a fire. The fuse never blew; it just melted through the side of the fuse holder that comes right off the negative terminal.
Just today, I unplugged everything except my battery connections, the capacitor, the voltage regulator and alternator pick ups, and lastly, the bullets in my high/dip handlebar switch. The horn was left disconnected in the switch. I fitted a new a new fuse holder and a 25 amp glass fuse. I then jumpered the positive terminal to my ground strap wire, thus making the reds in my main harness and elsewhere all common. I activated the high beam by itself, then the dip by itself, and then the flasher button to activate the high beams without going through the two position switch. Each of these three tests independently smoked the fuse holder, but never burnt up the fuse. The bulb is the same one I got with the bike and never had issues with before. It is a halogen and it still works.
I don’t know what to do next and why my fuse never blows but the fuse holder melts.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
I’ve been slowly but surely making a new wiring harness for my 73 roadster. I have been using Greg Marsh’s write up for a 74 Commando and have gotten my supplies from British Wiring.
Last weekend I had the harness finished and had it on the bike for testing before I wrapped it. I had everything finished except I had not yet spliced my battery sub harness (14 gauge/ 28 strand wires that connect to the positive terminal of the battery, the capicitor, and my Sparx voltage regulator) to the 14 gauge red wire that runs the length of the bike to the headlamp shell where all the connections are made. As such, I jumpered the positive terminal of my battery to the 14 gauge ground wire in the headlight shell (making all my red wires common) to test things. When I turned the key to ignition plus lights (a blue yellow wire running to the two position switch in the shell, through the high/dip handlebar switch to the headlight), my jumper wire started to get hot. The alligator clip from the positive terminal of my battery melted the insulation on my 4 way snap connector (connecting all my grounds in the headlight shell), the blue wire from my high/dip switch started to melt, and the fuse holder with a 35 amp glass from British wiring melted through the plastic finally breaking the circuit and stopping a fire. The fuse never blew; it just melted through the side of the fuse holder that comes right off the negative terminal.
Just today, I unplugged everything except my battery connections, the capacitor, the voltage regulator and alternator pick ups, and lastly, the bullets in my high/dip handlebar switch. The horn was left disconnected in the switch. I fitted a new a new fuse holder and a 25 amp glass fuse. I then jumpered the positive terminal to my ground strap wire, thus making the reds in my main harness and elsewhere all common. I activated the high beam by itself, then the dip by itself, and then the flasher button to activate the high beams without going through the two position switch. Each of these three tests independently smoked the fuse holder, but never burnt up the fuse. The bulb is the same one I got with the bike and never had issues with before. It is a halogen and it still works.
I don’t know what to do next and why my fuse never blows but the fuse holder melts.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.