Electrical Question

Joemsanc

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Ok I have two quick electrical questions. First, the push button for start has a ring terminal which i think was connected to the right turn signal. Looking at diagram and the fact the turn signal is metal this should be connected to ground. I don't have the signals in, but if i attach the ring terminal to frame, the 10amp ignition fuse blows when I turn the key. Seems a bit odd. Also for reference this bike was partial taken apart when i got it. I have no probs firing it up with kick start. Also has anyone done the regulator/rectifier to single box conversion? Is it as simple as buying an aftermarket and hooking it up the specific connectors?
 
Yes, the turn signal is metal. It is mounted through a rubber grommet. The ring goes around the mount stud that holds the turn signal on. This wire should plug into the harness ground.
The starter button has nothing to do with the turns. If your bike is like mine, power goes to the start relay on a red/white wire. The other wire on the relay is blue/white. This B/W wire goes up to the start button. When you push the start button, it grounds the B/W wire. This trips the relay and spins the starter.
You might want to study your diagram and trace your wires from the start button to the relay as well as the wires from the turn switch to the turn signals.
In the headlight bucket there are two brown wires, one of these is chocolate the other is brown.
The chocolate wire is a turn signal wire, the other is a headlight wire. Be sure the wire with a ring on it is NOT plugged into either of these wires.
Leo
 
XSLeo, thanks for your reply. Ok confirming the ring is supposed to go around the turn signal stud, which should be connected to ground. Makes sense, but Im confused why taking the b/w ring right to ground would pop the fuse. I'm not going to keep those large turn signals, so I will need to connect the ring direct to ground. I plan on going through this harness and making sure everything is good, as well as upgrade to blade fuses. Could be a bare wire somewhere, either way just making sure I didn't miss anything.
 
With out a turn signal you won't need the ground.
With the ring hooked to ground you are sending whatever power is coming out of the wire you have it pugged into straight to ground.
If this wire has power when you turn the key on it will blow a fuse.
This is why you need to trace the wires.
What color wire is the one with the ring? If it's black it is a ground wire and should be plugged into a black wire. If the wire you have it plugged into is not black you need to figure out where that wire goes.
The chocolate wire is power from the turn signal switch to the left turn signal. At the signal it flows through the bulb to a black wire, this wire goes to ground.
A brown wire is the headlight low beam. Power comes from the headlight dimmer switch to the headlight, through the bulb, out of the bulb on a black wire, this wire goes to ground.
If you have that ringed wire plugged into the brown wire you are grounding the power to the headlight, this will blow a fuse.
Leo
 
I believe the the wire with the ring is blue/white. The turn signals are ripped out so those aren’t even in the equation now. I took a small jumper wire and connected the b/w wire to cooling fin on the engine. Turned the key and pop. I took the controls apart and the start button and wires seemed to be in good order.
 
Ok finally had a chance to get back to my garage. So I was way off, and realized I should have snatched a picture. The blue/white wire goes right to terminal block, and there is a black wire with ring terminal that I believe goes to ground. Or at least was the wire that connected to the turn signal post. The black wire was the wire i grounded and popped the fuse. Below is a pic
 

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From looking at that pic the ring is not factory. If a PO has added that wire there is no telling what it is for.
Can you trace this wire to where it goes? The other end will tell us a lot about what that wire is for.
Leo
 
Those wires are coming from the controls. Black wire is connected to the controls right next to the b/w wire going into start button. Im assuming this is grounding to the bike and completes the connection when you push the start button?
 
If that is a ground for the start button hooking it up should not blow a fuse unless there is a problem with the starter relay.
At the start relay unplug the blue/white wire. Try turning the key on, If the fuse don't blow your problem is with the start relay. Perhaps an internal short that bypasses the winding of the relay.
I'm guessing on that. Most relay failures are an open on the winding. This would stop current flow.
Another thought, on the controls where the start button is does that black wire touch anything other than the start button?
If so that may be the problem. that black wire may have been added by the PO to get a ground for the start button. Usually the left control has ground wire, the right control grounds through the bars to the left side then through the ground wire. This is with chrome bars, Bars painted or powder coated wont ground the controls.
Does the horn work? The horn button grounds the same as the start button.
Leo
 
Leo,
Thanks again for your help. It's been a pretty busy few days, so I haven't had a chance to get back to the bike. Last night I got back to wiring, and moved everything to new fuse box. The bars were originally chrome, but I've swapped them out for black. The starter didn't work when it had chrome bars, so not sure this was the issue. I did test solenoid and it works perfect. Didn't test starter, but solenoid never clicked, so assuming issue is before it. Now one thing sticks out are the safety relays. Even if the bike is in neutral, I'm assuming if the relays are missing noting will happen? I found some relays in the box of parts when I got the back. Not sure if they are good or not.
 
Yes. If your wiring is pretty much stock then Yes you need the safety relay. Power flows through the safety relay to the start relay/solenoid, they are the same thing.
If you have a wiring diagram for your year, you can trace the red/white wire backwards from the starter relay to the safety relay clear to the battery.
Leo
 
Ok finally had a chance to get back to this. That black wire is hot which adds more to the mystery!!! I forget how handy a test light is!!! I'm having a hard time figuring out what this black wire is for based off wiring diagram. Looking at a pic of the harness coming from controls, this black wire was originally part of the plug. It looks like it may got o a relay, but the main harness doesn't have a black wire as part of that plug.
 
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