Fuse question

[schmittie120]

I have had to replace the top fuse in my 86 rebel twice in the past two weeks.....i do not want have to keep carrying around 4 or five spares and plus it is a pain the have to do this on the side of the road...i am fairly new to motorcycles having only ridden dirtbikes for a few years before this...this is my first road bike so forgive me if this is posted often....thank you all for your help in advance.

In case i wasn't clear it is the very top fuse in the fuse box by the battery that keeps on blowing and it is a 1986 honda rebel limited edition with about 2600 miles on it....thanks again

Ryan

[Big_J]

what type and amp fuse are you using for this?

[schmittie120]

i just used the spare replacement fuses that came with the rebel toolkit....they are glass and on the metal ends they say 250W and 7 1/2 A...sorry i am really new to ridid i will try to answer as best as i can

[Big_J]

OK.... This sounds like a simliar problem I had on a 87 250 I bought, I would put a fuse in and ride a little then all of a sudden, dead bike. Turned out I had to trace wires and I found a spot in a wire that had been worn through and if moved just right, as in hitting a pot hole etc it would touch near by metal and short out causing the fuse to blow. It can be a pain in the rear, but some times the fray is pretty close to the fuse panel, the best advise would be to take some time out and just follow the wires a bit making sure there is no exposed bare wire, black tape is temp fix, cutting, soldering and heat shrinking is a better fix.

Where are you located by the way?

[GearJammer]

As Big J pointed out, a bare wire will pop a fuse in a heartbeat. Also read your other more detailed post in the other forum. If I'm not mistaken, the top fuse that you're referring to is the Main Fuse, yes ?

I'd tend to put my $$$ on a bare wire same as Big J, but you could also make sure that all terminal connections are tight. IMPORTANT: First thing to do would be to disconnect the Neg. Battery cable from it's terminal. With that safely off & out of the way, check the Positive Battery cable to insure that it's tight. There's a starter relay (solenoid) right in that area as well. It's a rounded shaped component, probably cradled in a rubber boot. Check to insure that those terminal connections are tight also. Then reconnect the Neg. Battery cable to it's terminal.

Edit: Another thing to check is to make sure that any & all ground wires attached to the frame are good 'n tight.

[schmittie120]

thanks....i will look at all the wires today to make sure that they are in good shape.....thanks again

I am located in michigan

[schmittie120]

i have looked at all the wires that i could find without taking the seat off....would i have to take the seat off in order to get a better look at things? If that is the case i have a problem because the one of the bolts to take the seat off it mishapen and i cannot get it off....any other suggestions would be appreciated.

By the way all the wires that i looked at look to be in good shape..

Ryan

[GearJammer]

Do you have the manual for your Reb ? The manual I had for the 250 went with the bike when I sold it.

If you've got the manual, or if someone else reading this has one, you might double check to make sure that the fuse rating for the one that's toasting is correct. If it's rated less than manual spec, it could overload & pop.

[Big_J]

Belive it or not my clymer has zilch on the fuses for the rebel, dosent say what they are or anything, it does say if you are blowing fuses to find the problem...duh... I am going to do more digging to see what I can come up with.

[Duke Bushido]

If you haven't solved this problem yet,

here's something that can help narrow down the search:

Go to your fuses-- not the main fuse, but the others. With the ignition switch on, pull each fuse and use a meter to check continuity from the outgoing side of the fuse to the battery negative. The one with the least resistance is likely going to be the circuit with the short. Identify that circuit, and check downstream from there.