Electrics Frustration - 2004 cafe sport (us model)

[Guest NotRight]

I experienced an electrical failure on my V11 and I've been trying to understand a possible diagnosis with the wiring diagram. My knowledge of electrical circuits is just to rusty and I'm getting frustrated. I did find there is little achieved drama in throwing a paper diagram at the cat.

 

The situation:

 

I rode about 200 miles from Chicago to Lansing, MI. About half was a state road with stops. Then it began raining and I switched to the slab. I rode through a lot of rain. Sometimes heavy. Once in Lansing, it was dry! I parked the bike for about a half hour to empty out my shoes and dry the gloves on the heads. All dry : rode a few miles and had one beer before closing. Did a bit more riding. Things are normal. Suddenly:

 

I have no rear running light or rear brake light, the speedo and tach aren't lit. I found fuse F6 - 5A Dipped Lights blown. I suspect the front switch on handlebar. But tracing the wire diagram I'm getting lost to explain it and the gauge lights.

 

It will continue to blow the fuse. I limped home by slipping a 10A in that gave me the foot/brake light. But no running light, no hand brake light or instruments.

 

Any help?

[dlaing]

That is pretty strange.

The front and rear brakes are on the same fuse line, so I would suspect that something between them is both severed and partially shorted.

You could try disconnecting things and seeing if some of the functionality returns.

First try disconnecting the front brake switch, then try disconnecting the small parking light inside the headlight beam, by running light do you mean that is the one that is out?

If no improvement then you will likely have to look under the gas tank.

Look everywhere for signs of scorched connections or wires.

Your problem could also be in more than one place.

[callison]

I'd take the left handlebar switch off and look inside for a chafed wire or a mechanical part of the switch that may have detached and shorted against the handlebar.

 

Color wiring schematic are here:

http://guzzitech.com/guzzi007/sportissimo.html

mirror site:

http://www.thisoldtractor.com/guzzi007/sportissimo.html

[Guest NotRight]

I agree. I'm suspicious of the left handlebar controls.

 

But, it could be anywhere.

 

I have only basic knowledge of electrics. Other than looking at the obvious, would I be better off having my mechanic look at it?

[dlaing]

I agree. I'm suspicious of the left handlebar controls.

 

But, it could be anywhere.

 

I have only basic knowledge of electrics. Other than looking at the obvious, would I be better off having my mechanic look at it?

No, look for the obvious first, do what Carl and I recommended, and then start disconnecting the wire harnass under the tank and probing for a ground that should not be. I believe one rule with the ohmeter is to not probe a wire with live volts. Maybe you will get lucky and find it and maybe you won't, but if you have basic knowledge, that is enough to give it a try. Maybe you will increase your knowledge.

Also, see if horn works, high beam flasher, and turn signals.

Does the taillight work? Does the parking light in the head lamp work?

If you go back to a 5A fuse does it blow?

The more you tell us, the more we can help.

[v11cafe]

I experienced an electrical failure on my V11 and I've been trying to understand a possible diagnosis with the wiring diagram. My knowledge of electrical circuits is just to rusty and I'm getting frustrated. I did find there is little achieved drama in throwing a paper diagram at the cat.

 

The situation:

 

I rode about 200 miles from Chicago to Lansing, MI. About half was a state road with stops. Then it began raining and I switched to the slab. I rode through a lot of rain. Sometimes heavy. Once in Lansing, it was dry! I parked the bike for about a half hour to empty out my shoes and dry the gloves on the heads. All dry : rode a few miles and had one beer before closing. Did a bit more riding. Things are normal. Suddenly:

 

I have no rear running light or rear brake light, the speedo and tach aren't lit. I found fuse F6 - 5A Dipped Lights blown. I suspect the front switch on handlebar. But tracing the wire diagram I'm getting lost to explain it and the gauge lights.

 

It will continue to blow the fuse. I limped home by slipping a 10A in that gave me the foot/brake light. But no running light, no hand brake light or instruments.

 

Any help?

Same thing happened to me in similar conditions (heavy rain -many km). The problem in my case was the dual horns.I took out the cables from the horns and the fuse stopped blowing (f5).

After a few days that the horns dried, the problem stopped

My opinion, disconnect all the plugs that function with F6 and then start reconnecting one at a time.

When the fuse blows, that is the problematic one.

Hope , it isn"t the switch...

 

Good luck

[dlaing]

Any Luck?

[WitchCityBallabio]

I had a similar experience with a blowing fuse and loss of the rear tail light and instrument lighting. I traced everything forward of the fuse and couldn't find anything. When I started searching rearward, I found that Guzzi had routed the wire for the license plate light incorrectly and it had chafed and shorted behind that little plastic inner fender panel. I repaired the wire and rerouted it so it wouldn't chafe against the bolts and it's been fine since.

 

 

Doug

[Ryland3210]

I had a similar experience with a blowing fuse and loss of the rear tail light and instrument lighting. I traced everything forward of the fuse and couldn't find anything. When I started searching rearward, I found that Guzzi had routed the wire for the license plate light incorrectly and it had chafed and shorted behind that little plastic inner fender panel. I repaired the wire and rerouted it so it wouldn't chafe against the bolts and it's been fine since.

Doug

 

Thank you Doug!

 

I'll look into this pronto on my '04 Cafe Sport.

[Ryland3210]

I had a similar experience with a blowing fuse and loss of the rear tail light and instrument lighting. I traced everything forward of the fuse and couldn't find anything. When I started searching rearward, I found that Guzzi had routed the wire for the license plate light incorrectly and it had chafed and shorted behind that little plastic inner fender panel. I repaired the wire and rerouted it so it wouldn't chafe against the bolts and it's been fine since.

Doug

 

Hi Doug,

 

What do I have to remove to get to this chafing point?

 

Cheers,

John

[Ryland3210]

I had a similar experience with a blowing fuse and loss of the rear tail light and instrument lighting. I traced everything forward of the fuse and couldn't find anything. When I started searching rearward, I found that Guzzi had routed the wire for the license plate light incorrectly and it had chafed and shorted behind that little plastic inner fender panel. I repaired the wire and rerouted it so it wouldn't chafe against the bolts and it's been fine since.

Doug

 

Sure enough! the tailight cable was routed down the centerline of the fender, so it was pinched hard between the steel bracket and fender. It was only a matter of time before it shorted out. I re-routed it and tie-wrapped it to the bracket out of harm's way. Thanks again for preventing an inevitable problem.

[Guest NotRight]

Sorry I neglected to report my luck at solving the blowing fuse.

 

There has been no change. Because I haven't worked on it. I was going to have at it but then realized it is still under the {questionably useful} warranty. But I haven't gotten it to a dealer either.

 

I think I will get some wool socks and spend a day in the unheated garage and look myself..... maybe I'll learn something. I think it is still possible I am capable learning now that I've layed off the beer.

[Ryland3210]

Sorry I neglected to report my luck at solving the blowing fuse.

 

There has been no change. Because I haven't worked on it. I was going to have at it but then realized it is still under the {questionably useful} warranty. But I haven't gotten it to a dealer either.

 

I think I will get some wool socks and spend a day in the unheated garage and look myself..... maybe I'll learn something. I think it is still possible I am capable learning now that I've layed off the beer.

 

Whatever you do, I strongly suggest you check out the pinched wiring problem to the stoplight mentioned in earlier posts.

[Murray]

The other thing to look into is the build up of white corrosion on the bulb elements this sometimes includes the indictor bulbs which are probally on the same cct. Also the switch gear tends to get a build up of road grime if regulary ridden in wet weather causing all sorts of intresting faults.

[Jim in NZ]

Hi there NotRight,

 

I hope you have had some success with your problem. I have just had a similar problem with my '04 model. Indicators, instrument lights, tail light and licence plate light would not work. (No fuse blown though.) I traced it to the wiring cable coming out of the bottom of the ignition switch. This cable is tied to the ignition switch with a cable tie, and that is the point where it flexes most when you turn the bars. If I moved the cable very slightly at the point where it left this cable tie, I could make all of the above lights start and stop. May not be the same as your problem, but it's easy to check. The yellow and the green/black wires from the ignition switch control these lights.

 

Cheers,

Jim.