Dead short if the fuse blows when you turn on the ignition. Buddy has a SG that did the same thing and we traced it to the mounting bracket in the inner fairing that was broken and one end of it was pinching the wiring harness. I know it's a shot in the dark, but have a look there as those brackets seem to break often. Since you isolated the front and rear lights from the switch and the problem never went away, the short should be between the switch and the power source. Check under the fairing.

 

I will take a look this morning. Would this be under the switch back to the power supply/fuse block?

Thanks for the help and I will let everybody know if this works.

Tom

 

Start at the switch, and work your way back. Put on a fresh pot of coffee (too early for the other refreshment).

 

Intermittent problems can be a real challenge. I've had switches go bad. If you've had the controls off, check for a pinched wire there. Like High Torque said, put a pot of coffee on, isolate as much of the circut as you can and be patent. It'll show eventually.

 

if you take off your fairing. and raise the front tire. then turn the handle bars
full lt. to full rt. watch the wireing harness as it pivits, look for schaffed wires etc. mine i had to wrap the harness in inner-tube & tie it with ties to prevent the wires from schaffeing on the frame neck. .

 

i put in a new fuse today and it didn't pop but I don't know how long it will last. It has to be from the switch to the fuse block somewhere. How hard is it to remove the fairing?

Tom

 

Now would be a great time to get a service manual, parts book and the electrical manual .

 

Two screws on the inner fairing, three screws at the windshield.
Remove the passing light bar first.
Best to have two sets of hands helping so the fairing doesn't drop on the fender..
Put a blanket or such on the fender first for protection.
After you do it a few times, it becomes easy.

If it would blow as soon as you turned on the power, that would make it easier to trouble-shoot.
P&A Fuse?
When disconnecting items, make a list of what you did because it'll get confusing after a while.

I had the same problem. Blowing fuses in the driveway was the best way to trouble-shoot.
As I disconnected items, I tagged them so I knew where they went.
My problem was a fine strand of wire where I had been working (newest item added).
Now I know where everything is going under the seat and inside the fairing.

Good luck and have a bunch of 15 amp fuses with you.

 

Thank you for the info on removing the fairing. I will give it a shot today. I do have a complete parts and service manual on cd that I "obtained" on an internet auction site for a very reasonable price.

Thanks guys, you are huge help

Tom