the '86 has a full draw on the battery with key off...dead short. Besides wiring harness issues, it was suggested I look at the charging system, rectifier in particular. Sound Kosher to anyone?
Assuming this short is not protected by a fuse in the circuit, then something somewhere should be melting or burning. Should be easy to spot. Not sure what a short and the charging system have in common uinless something in the charging system IS the short.
DavidR.
Thanks for the reply Dave...I put the battery in (new, fully charged) and used the meter to gap the neg terminal to the ground lead...it had a full voltage reading (with ignition off) throughout every fuse...I picked up a '87 wiring harness for $10 on ebay..looks in good shape, came with all the starter solenoid, resister, flasher, fuses etc...I also have a bored out '85 engine (1300) with an alternator intact if I need a piece or two. The existing wiring looks like a boy scout troop went at it with their swiss army knives and a roll of electrical tape. How much do I worry about getting the proper connectors to jive with the harness (most of them are long gone on the bike). There was a piece of house wire connecting the tail lights....butchers.
Dan
This company, Vintage Connections (http://www.vintageconnections.com/) is a good source for replacement connector bodies and terminal.... I've used them to replace old, crumbling conn. bodies on my '90.
Quote from: RichBaker on September 21, 2011, 11:55:29 PM
This company, Vintage Connections (http://www.vintageconnections.com/) is a good source for replacement connector bodies and terminal.... I've used them to replace old, crumbling conn. bodies on my '90.
Thanks for posting that, Rich. I've been wondering where I was going to find that stuff.