[rwc3166]

Haven't ridden the bike in a while but have started it every couple of weeks and let it idle to keep the battery up. Was going to ride it today and I have no gauges. No tach, speedo, temp or fuel. The neutral light works but not the reverse light although I still have reverse gear. Clock works but had to be reset. I am putting out 14+ amps on the alternator, can't find any blown fuses. All the lights, radio, horn, turn signals work. I have turned the key on and off several times thinking dirt in the ignition switch but still nothing. The only change or work I have done on the bike is to add a new windshield.

Any ideas??????

Thanks,
Randy :cop2:

 

[Fred H.]

Haven't ridden the bike in a while but have started it every couple of weeks and let it idle to keep the battery up. Was going to ride it today and I have no gauges. No tach, speedo, temp or fuel. The neutral light works but not the reverse light although I still have reverse gear. Clock works but had to be reset. I am putting out 14+ amps on the alternator, can't find any blown fuses. All the lights, radio, horn, turn signals work. I have turned the key on and off several times thinking dirt in the ignition switch but still nothing. The only change or work I have done on the bike is to add a new windshield.

Any ideas??????

Thanks,
Randy :cop2:

Well, for starters, you shouldn't start the bike and idle it in an attempt to keep the battery charged. This does more damage than good (acid build up in crankcase, undue wear on engine parts etc). Don't start the bike unless you are going to ride it at least 10 miles to fully heat the engine and oil. Get a battery trickle charger and use that to maintain your battery. When you park a bike for storage, you are best off not starting it till you are ready to take it out of storage and go ride it. Resist the urge to start it up.

As for your gage problems, the tail relay feeds the gages thru fuse 5. I would check both the fuse and the relay. I would pull the fuse out and put a meter on it and make sure it is good, or better yet, just replace it anyway.

 

[BanjoLou]

Don't know if this helps but I had a 1994 SE that did the same basic thing. It was a bad relay.

Like Fred said, replace the fuse and check the relay.

 

[rwc3166]

Thanks Fred, that was it, the number 5 fuse. I'll pick one up a the parts house later and get it running again. Any ideas why it may have blown, anything I need to check or be concerned about???

Thanks again,
Randy :cop2:

 

[rwc3166]

Where is the relay located? Is it covered under the warranty? My dealer is about 50 miles away and I hate to make the trip and have the bike down if it's something I can fix.

Randy
:cop2:

 

[Fred H.]

Hard to say. Could be any number of things. Have you added trailer lights or a brake light modulator?

If it blows again, then you need to find the problem and fix it. Check the brake/tail lights.

The relay is under the seat in the box with all the other relays. But if you found a blown fuse, then the relay is probably fine, the fuse was your problem.

 

[rwc3166]

Fred you are the man!! Thanks for the advise and I promise on my wife's grave to run the bike DOWN the road instead of in the garage to keep my battery charged. Wait, my wife is not dead yet. Oh well.

Randy :cop2:

 

[Fred H.]

By the way, the gages on most bikes get power from the tail light circuit via the tail relay. This is done so that if your tail lights blow the tail fuse, you will have an indication (no gages) that something is wrong, so you don't ride around without brake and tail lights. It is a built in safety feature.