Sudden Electrical Power Gone--Roadside Diagnosis Tip

Yesterday, my uncle and I were participating in a 500-mile motorcycle rally around Oregon.

On the final leg of the trip, I was riding down the highway, and suddenly everything just died. Engine quit, lights gone. No power anywhere.

So I pulled over to the roadside and started looking for the problem. First I looked at the fuses. They all looked fine. So then I thought maybe my ignition switch connector was loose or broken. So I opened the headlight bucket to take a look, and it seemed fine.

So then my uncle, who is an electrical engineer, had an idea. He disconnected the wires for the front turn signal lamp. He just happened to have two patch wires with alligator clips on each end in his tool bag. He attached the wires to the light wires, then attached one clip to the frame, and the other clip to a screwdriver. Voilà! A makeshift circuit tester lamp.

He then went back to the fuse box to do some testing there. Sure enough, although the fuses LOOKED fine, one of them wasn't. It had failed somewhere inside the end cap instead of in the middle. Fortunately, I had a spare fuse, and so I replaced the bad one, and I was back on my way.

Lessons learned?

Just because a fuse looks good, doesn't mean it is good.

A circuit tester is a good thing to have in your toolkit.

If you don't have a circuit tester, carry some wire with you and improvise

Electrical engineers make great riding buddies.:whistle:

Skyman wrote:

Yesterday, my uncle and I were participating in a 500-mile motorcycle rally around Oregon.

On the final leg of the trip, I was riding down the highway, and suddenly everything just died. Engine quit, lights gone. No power anywhere.

So I pulled over to the roadside and started looking for the problem. First I looked at the fuses. They all looked fine. So then I thought maybe my ignition switch connector was loose or broken. So I opened the headlight bucket to take a look, and it seemed fine.

So then my uncle, who is an electrical engineer, had an idea. He disconnected the wires for the front turn signal lamp. He just happened to have two patch wires with alligator clips on each end in his tool bag. He attached the wires to the light wires, then attached one clip to the frame, and the other clip to a screwdriver. Voilà! A makeshift circuit tester lamp.

He then went back to the fuse box to do some testing there. Sure enough, although the fuses LOOKED fine, one of them wasn't. It had failed somewhere inside the end cap instead of in the middle. Fortunately, I had a spare fuse, and so I replaced the bad one, and I was back on my way.

Lessons learned?

Just because a fuse looks good, doesn't mean it is good.

A circuit tester is a good thing to have in your toolkit.

If you don't have a circuit tester, carry some wire with you and improvise

Electrical engineers make great riding buddies.:whistle:

retired electrical/plumbing contractors are a hell of a lot more fun though! :evil:

That's a common problem with these old bikes. The end clips that go on the fuses get weak and corrode and the tip of the fuse gets hot and melts the fuse filament where it hooks to the end cap. It's time to replace the fuse block with a newer blade type. There is a write up in the database on how to do this, I do believe.

Mouse over KZ Information, click on Filbase then not model specific,, and you will find it in the list. Works wonders.

Post edited by: The Milkman, at: 2007/05/13 16:37

Thought I would throw in this photo that was taken on this trip. This was at the Heceta Head Lighthouse on the central Oregon coast.

Post edited by: Skyman, at: 2007/05/14 13:03

Electrical engineers make great riding buddies.:whistle:

[/quote] retired electrical/plumbing contractors are a hell of a lot more fun though! :evil: [/quote]

Sorry to disagree, but I think I'd rather ride with a Hooters chick and a jumper wire.:whistle:

riverroad wrote:

Electrical engineers make great riding buddies.:whistle:

retired electrical/plumbing contractors are a hell of a lot more fun though! :evil: [/quote]

Sorry to disagree, but I think I'd rather ride with a Hooters chick and a jumper wire.:whistle:[/quote]oh that hurt! quick pt photochop my head on to a hooters girl!:woohoo:

That's a great photo, Skyman!
Looks like you had an awesome ride... glad that a pesky blown fuse didn't ruin it for you.

I've got this $5.00 voltmeter/ohmeter that I got at a swapmeet. Made in China, I think, and it's about as big as a credit card. Perfect for a bike tool kit.

i carry a harbor freight DVOM with me, got me out of a few jams. cost about 4 bucks