Can't find Short, still blowing fuses

[Aus_X]

I know that this is going to sound like a familar question and I have searched through the forum to find a similar question but, I can't find the same isssue.

Bike: 2005 S2R 800

I took off the rear of the monster to respray a rusting reflector. This morning, I head to work, get out of the driveway and see that the guages are dead so, I turn around and head home. I check he fuses and see that the standard 15 amp indicator, lights, etc fuse has blown. I take of the seat and check all the wires and one feels loose so I push it in and everything seems fine. I pop in a new fuse and as soon as I turn the key to ON the fuse blows. I redo all the connection under the seat the were modified due to a tail chop and the fuse blows again.
After a long time spent pulling on different wires all over the bike to see if anything is loose or any wires are exposed, I see that there is a small cut in the insulation that surround the tail and indicator wires under the seat, it ust have been pinched over time. I wrap some electrical tape around the exposed wire and put in a new fuse and it blows again.

I disconnect the rear indicators and tail light an still the fuse blows. I disconnect the headlight and the fuse lows, I disconnect the guages and the fuse blows.

I used a multimeter to check the continuity between the indicators and the headlight and to see that everything is connected and that there's no wires shorting on something.

Now I don't really know much about multimeters so continuity is about all I know how to check. What else should I be checking and how else should I use my Multimeter to check for problems.

It's been an expensive year for my Duc, new clutch, service, new chain and sprocket and now it looks like I'm going to have to spend more money to get this checked out.

Any help that anyone can give for me to identify this electrical problem would be really appreciated.

Thanks.

BTW, I know that my profile says NY but I live in Hertfordshire.

[rollo22]

could be a pinched wire in the tea tray area (number plate light)

[Aus_X]

True, but I disconected the the indicators and pulled out the tea tray so that the wires wouldn't be touching the frame and still a short.

[Aus_X]

Just thought that I'd give an update.
I disconnected the rear wiring harness and the gauges lit up and the headlight was on. I then realised that the only wires that I'd missed testing were the number plate light for which I have never touched the wiring.
I was getting some rather high continuity readings when checking the wires to the number plate light so I peeled back the insulation for the wires near the bulb and there was the problem, both wire were exposed.

Thanks rollo22 for pointing me in the right direction.

To good points come out of this though, 1 was that I finally had a reason to by a multimeter and 2 is that I now know the bikes electrics a lot better.

[slob]

Good news! paying someone to track down an intermittent electrical fault can get horribly costly.
Do you want me to change your location?

[rollo22]

No problem AUS_X
That's one of the great thing about the forum you put a post up and somebody will give you a reply sending you in the right direction

[Aus_X]

Hi slob, I'd love for you to change my loacation please.
When I couldn't find the fault I was dreading the cost I was to incur. Especially when I was quoted £45 p/h.

[gary tompkins]

I think the £45 hour rate is considered average at many dealers

Some charge even more so well worth getting a quote before booking a bike in

[slob]

You'll be luck to get a quote for locating an electrical fault, it could reasonably take hours to find a single problem wire.

[Aus_X]

Yeah I know it could take hours...
I was quickly multipling £45 in my head.

[analogue_rogue]

hey aus im glad you found the fault.. just be careful when measuring resistance with your multi meter. if you dont disconnect the item you want to check the resistance of you can end up getting the resitance of the whole circuit.. ( this tricked me for a while when i was trying to fix an electrical fault once)

[wheelybin]

a trick i learnt from my student days, put a 6 inch nail across where the fuse should be, switch the ignition on and look for the smoke - thats where the short is....

god I used to be ignorant - but it worked.....:scratch:

[utopia]

when I was 6yrs old, I discovered that an old sixpence would fit snugly between the three pins of the plug on my mother's vacuum cleaner. I plugged it back in thus modified, and switched on....... That was the best short circuit I've ever seen. Just like bonfire night. Still have the sixpence.....with three square holes melted into its edge.

[gary tompkins]

My company works on HV installations up to 400kv

Faults at those levels can be pretty spectacular and fatal if in the vicinity

http://www.epaw.org/images/Uelzen.jpg

http://205.243.100.155/frames/mpg/500kV_Switch.mpg

http://205.243.100.155/frames/mpg/XfrmBlast1.mpg

[analogue_rogue]

coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!