dead short

[dbelch]

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?

[SlowOldGuy]

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.

[dbelch]

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

[RichBaker]

This company, Vintage Connections is a good source for replacement connector bodies and terminal.... I've used them to replace old, crumbling conn. bodies on my '90.

[rktmanfj]

This company, Vintage Connections 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.