[Ken]

Today I went for a quick trip to the store. My blinker light in the instrument console has been burned out forever. Before leaving the store I put the bike in neutral and no green light for neutral.
I figured that the neutral light probably burned out. I also noticed that the blinkers didn't seem to work at this point. I took off, the gas valve on and nowhere near reserve level. While I was cutting the corner my bike died.
I pulled into the parking. As I put the bike in reserve, even though the gas tank is full, I checked everything out. I turned the key off and on a couple of times then the neutral light come back on. Then I checked the blinkers that were now working. Then the bike started up and everything was fine.
What happened previous to all of this is that I had honked the horn. On my Shadow, honking the horn has blown the fuse a couple of times especially when honking and the blinkers flashing at the same time.
I am thinking of hooking up a small capictor to hold a bit of surge to help honk the horn when needed. A solenoid seems a bit much to me for an occasional beep beep.
Any advice?

 

[bonehead6]

You have a loose ground wire somewhere. turn key on and jiggle wires and you might find it.

 

[SpeedyTide]

You have a loose ground wire somewhere. turn key on and jiggle wires and you might find it.

Or bad ground...some corrosion built up maybe. Ken's bike is an older one with many miles.

But the motor shut off . Time to start checking ALL the connections Ken.

 

[salabim]

I think thats good advice.Time to do some detective work on the wiring. I would look for any rubbing/wear points. Maybe around the harness where it bends around the steering head?

 

[Purple]

Broken wire or loose ground point - only apparent under tension ...

 

[Ken]

Thanks. I'll have to get the wrench out, start looking at those grounds and put some electrical lubricant on them. Other than that fluke, the bike has still been running good. Just shy of 49,700 miles now.

 

[paelo man]

I would pull the seat and look at all the wiring
Undo connections apply dielectric grease to all connectors - adjusting connectors with a good set of needle nose pliers for a tight fit and seal with heat shrink- work your way thru from battery out into the harness as it splits off to into the lights

 

[arbolmano]

Along with checking ground connections, that many miles means many many flexes on the wires attached to handlebars. A common issue on high mileage bike is broken wires internally from flexing. Inductive DC amp gauge make easy to find, patient time spent with test light can work too. If your smart enough to use a logic probe, could be easier than inductive meter. Patience is your buddy here, a wiring diagram may help.