Smokin Joe Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 A nice two mile walk today pushing the GPZ500 home. I lost all the electrics and as the battery is newish I'd be looking at the main fuse I'd think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 its a start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeman Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 A nice two mile walk today pushing the GPZ500 home. I lost all the electrics and as the battery is newish I'd be looking at the main fuse I'd think? didnt you check the fuses at the road side?fuses blow for a reason... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 Didn't check at the roadside because I didn't have a spare anyway. All I looked at were the connections to the battery and they were clean and secure. The bike is old and on the scruffy side so I may well have a dodgy earth somewhere.I know fuses generally go for a reason, but doesn't age and vibration also weaken them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megawatt Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Best buy at least two fuses then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 a dodgy earth wont really pop a fuse! more like a live going to earth! what was the reason of the new battery? could it be the that the charging system is duff and not charging the battery? and the battery is actually flat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 what was the reason of the new battery? could it be the that the charging system is duff and not charging the battery? and the battery is actually flat The bike had been standing for three years before I bought it in October, although it started ok it was a bit sluggish so I thought a new battery was a sensible option. It started on the first touch of the button today so I doubt a battery problem (unless it has shorted itself out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Yeah....check the charging circuit out.....although if it was a sudden failure without any misfire before it you could be right about the fuse..... Had the Zener diode on my old Bonneville go short circuit on me when I was in the outside lane of the A2 at 70ish once......that was fun.... That took the fuse straight out.....and popped a new one as soon as it was fitted.....didn't take long to suss it out though.....and a replacement was pennies..... Looking at your reply there.....the bike would start with the new battery....but without a charge going back into it it would soon drop whilst riding....particularly with the lights on.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 As tango has just said it will start first go with a new battery but once going it will soon die have you got a multi meter? its really easy to check the battery just set it to 20 v put it across the terminals and read it and post the results while your at it check your fuses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 Cheers for the replies, I haven't had time to check it out today but the fuse will be my first port of call and I'm over my brother in laws tomorrow (a retired sparks) so I'll borrow a multimeter off him.I might even buy one too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 buy one as it wont be the last time you need it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin the Bear Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Multime ... 859&sr=8-7£3.40 including postage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 It was indeed the main fuse.Sitting in the fusebox conveniently located under the seat is........a spare 30A fuse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megawatt Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Yeah, but what blew the fuse ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Don't know yet, got a multi meter tody so I'll have a check round. According to my BiL the sparks they can fail over time anyway and the bike is 21 years young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastanglianbiker Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 spark plugs wont cause main fuse to blow,it is more than likely a direct short to earth at some point when turning handlebars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 spark plugs wont cause main fuse to blow,it is more than likely a direct short to earth at some point when turning handlebars"BiL the sparks" was a reference to my brother in law the electrician, not the plugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 So....does BiL make spark plugs then?...............just joshin' you mate..... Check the old fuse......is the fuse housing around the fuse wire itself blackened and does the ends of the remaining fuse wire look like it's melted? If so, it's had something draw a lot of current suddenly......but if the fuse wire looks like it has a small crack in it and you can only really tell it's blown by measuring it with a ohmmeter....then it could be just a stress break due to age..... One way of finding where the short is in the wiring is to replace the fuse with a nail and see where the smoke comes from..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 check the fuse holder too if its all green and furred up it could add to the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Right, there's no blackening anywhere on the fuse, but both legs of the fuse itself have broken leaving the U shaped top detached, if you see what I mean. Can't tell if one side has melted or not but it does look a bit burred over. Otherwise the metal is clean and bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Well....there's one way to check if it was just an aged fuse....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Well....there's one way to check if it was just an aged fuse....... Yep, 25 laps of the block planned for tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 Well, a short run today of about 10 miles (Bloody cold and blowing a gale), mixture of flat out and pootling, used all the electrics and held up ok. All the visible wiring looks ok.Age and vibration maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin the Bear Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I'd be carrying two spares though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Well, a short run today of about 10 miles (Bloody cold and blowing a gale), mixture of flat out and pootling, used all the electrics and held up ok. All the visible wiring looks ok.Age and vibration maybe? Sounds like it mate.....but as Colin has said carry a few spares just in case......and don't forget they're in there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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