I anxiously installed a set of Advmonster H4 led headlights and after starting the bike both headlight fuses high/low blew.  Relay fuse in same block did not.  Replaced with stock bulbs and lights are fine. Am I missing something?  I thought these were just plug and play, not plug and blow?  Any help is appreciated. Thanks

Lights are fine.  Problem comes when I turn the bars.  Baffled as stock bulbs dont blow when re installed

Well I was able to induce problem with stock bulb.  I mived things around and secured wires and somehow things are working which is actually more frustrating as I have no clue what was grounding.  Will take for a ride tomorrow and see how it goes.

Sounds like you have a wire that is rubbing against something (Boys!) and it is causing a short to ground as it is moved and touches some thing metal (the ground that the wire shorts through). Just my  thought but just anchoring the wires is not really a fix; you would be better off finding the worn wire and replacing it by splicing in a new one. Otherwise, it will always be there, waiting to again cause intermittent electrical problems.

This is where I would put a wire joke but frankly my very best ones are not that and I know this is a discerning audience.

Best of luck with the wire(s), they can be frustrating, and there is not much room to work in front of the headstock but I still suggest replacing the offending wire is the best fix.

Brian

Well I was able to induce problem with stock bulb.  I mived things around and secured wires and somehow things are working which is actually more frustrating as I have no clue what was grounding.  Will take for a ride tomorrow and see how it goes.

Thanks Brian.  The headight wires are factory loomed and I have never had them apart.  I did have a fuse block and wires going to an accessory port on the dash but those circuits were not blowing.  I totally get what you are suggesting but I would have no idea where to start because the circuit that was blowing has not been altered. 

I try to keep electrical as stock as possible for this reason. I will know more tomorrow after testing further.  Maybe the H4 connection was not secure and causing a problem.  At a loss

Electrical problems can be madding at times.  Especially difficult to diagnose when everything is tight and short and gathered up in looms, anchors, and tie-wraps and with impossibly tight and hard-to-remove connectors.  Of course all that stuff is precisely designed to try and PREVENT electrical problems in the first place

I think you wiring is fine also; you mentioned earlier that it popped the fuse when you moved the handlebars, and that you duplicated the problem with the stock headlights. That tells me that it is the movement that is causing the problem, and the only thing I can think of or have ever see that fits that situation is a mechanical fault, almost always in a wire itself. Again, in the ones I have seen and all that I have known about, it is a wire that has no insulation in a location, usually due to abrasion over time (dragging past something in normal use) or something that has been pinched or badly nicked, and that damage area rubs against something metal on the bike, which is grounded, and that is the cause of the short circuit.

Where I would start is by using the best lighting possible down in front of the fuel tank, and turning the bars back and forth to see what is moving, rubbing, etc. and then feeling around that (those) wire really well, looking for any damage. Also, any solid areas such as the frame, that have any wear marks from something dragging on them.

Again, this is what comes to mind from your couple of short posts. Of course I am not there and have no magic insight, just grabbing at the information I have..... assuming I followed it correctly in the first place 

Best of luck; intermittent electrical problems are the most difficult, annoying things to diagnose and fix. Many vehicles have been sold for this very problem.

Brian

Thanks Brian.  The headight wires are factory loomed and I have never had them apart.  I did have a fuse block and wires going to an accessory port on the dash but those circuits were not blowing.  I totally get what you are suggesting but I would have no idea where to start because the circuit that was blowing has not been altered. 

I try to keep electrical as stock as possible for this reason. I will know more tomorrow after testing further.  Maybe the H4 connection was not secure and causing a problem.  At a loss

Thanks again Brian.  I have not had a chance to take a look at it today.  I fully agree with you. If I see the problem duplicate itself I will remove all the plastic and do exactly as you have described after I buy another handful of fuses.  The only mods electrically in that area is a Blue Sea fuse panel with two circuits that are fused and they are not blowing.  I am sure it is a wire inside a loom as you have described.  I was not working in great light and only had the black panels off which still leaves visibility low.  I will update when I take another look at it.

I did change my bars recently to Heli Horizons but rode it several times with no issue.  This all started when I decided to upgrade to LED headlights and they seem to be working properly.  The headlight wiring that plugs into the headlight buld is not the problem itself as I had those loomed wires pulled away from the bars when it blew once.  There are however the wires that go into the switch housing for the hi/low beams that are on the same circuit.  That is the only loom I can think of.  Any other looms up front in the headlight circuit? Thanks

The 'rubbed bare' (yep, there is a joke or 20 in that one) is what jumps to mind but not the only possibility....

Seeing as you have changed the handlebars and the trouble started <somewhat recently> after that, it could also be something such as the headlight harness is being pulled just a bit too much when the bars are fully turned, and a wire or two has pulled away from a connector, and they are touching each other. ?? Believe it or not, that kind of stuff absolutely does happen. It could also be in the something such as the high beam switch itself, again a wire being pulled just a bit and causing it to just touch the metal switch housing.... which is grounded, and would again cause a short.

This is one of those things that just has to be hunted for without any clear diagnostic procedure or chance that one thing is more likely than another. Certainly you have an intermittant short and it surely does sound like it is related to moving the handlebars and after that, it is all best- guess as to where to poke around IMO.

Sorry I could not be more helpful but these are the very problems that torture me also.

 

Brian

Thanks again Brian.  I have not had a chance to take a look at it today.  I fully agree with you. If I see the problem duplicate itself I will remove all the plastic and do exactly as you have described after I buy another handful of fuses.  The only mods electrically in that area is a Blue Sea fuse panel with two circuits that are fused and they are not blowing.  I am sure it is a wire inside a loom as you have described.  I was not working in great light and only had the black panels off which still leaves visibility low.  I will update when I take another look at it.

I did change my bars recently to Heli Horizons but rode it several times with no issue.  This all started when I decided to upgrade to LED headlights and they seem to be working properly.  The headlight wiring that plugs into the headlight buld is not the problem itself as I had those loomed wires pulled away from the bars when it blew once.  There are however the wires that go into the switch housing for the hi/low beams that are on the same circuit.  That is the only loom I can think of.  Any other looms up front in the headlight circuit? Thanks

If all other troubleshooting fails try removing the headlight bulbs and leave them out.
Install a new fuse. Turn out the shoplights to make it dark and move the handlebars left and right repeatedly while looking at the wiring to see if you can see a spark.

Bob Skinner

Good idea.  Thanks Bob.  No signs of a problem yet.  Fuse still in tact.

Took the bike out for a couple hours this am and could not reproduce the issue.  Happy it is gone but now have that looming fear. Will report back if it crops back up and what I find. Thanks for the help.