If I fit the fuse to the +ve earth side of the battery I guess it will also protect the horn. To do this you divide by the voltage of your motorbikes electrics (the nominal battery voltage). This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 15 amps at 12v gives you 180 Watts, or 45W per indicator bulb. It is always better to start small and work up to make sure you have the best protection.  The current will be much higher (double) for 6v systems as for those running at 12v; this is the reason that 12v systems are more efficient. The original Lucas Altette and Clearhooters type horns fitted from the factory can draw huge amounts of current. This can be done by connecting a multi-meter set to OHMS between your negative battery terminal and any metal part on your bike. Show Less. Est. Itâs very important to use the right size wiring for the job, and even more important to fit the right size fuse. When i replace the fuse, it will blow again when the key is turned on. I have fitted 12v indicators to my gsxr 750. Hence 250v mains appliances draw a maximum of 13 Amps, whereas for a vehicle you might need a fuse of 20, 30, 40 or even 50 Amps. When using connectors and crimps invest in the correct crimping tool. However I have since bought some glass fuse holders which I think are more in-keeping with the style of the bike and I shall be fitting these instead when I eventually get around to rewiring. The biggest danger, however, that exists from incorrectly wiring electrical accessories is fire. James ð, Hi James, Cheers Alan, good luck with rewiring your BSA and glad you found the MatchlessClueless website useful! I have noticed that the fuse folder is getting warm. Two words – ‘safety’ and ‘protection’. Some fuses are designed to blow very fast, whilst others can take a small over-current for a while before blowing. I’ve seen many people fix repeated fuse blow issues by installing larger tolerance fuses. Required fields are marked *. Thanks for your kind words and glad you found the fuse article useful. Connected Thanks for the really good resource. Going great and this will help no end. Get Connectors. 140 PCS Car Fuses Assortment Kit,Blade auto Fuses and Mini Flat Automotive Fuse kit 5A 7.5A 10A 15A 20A 25A 30A Car Motorcycle Truck SUV Automotive Replacement Fuses … Tom has published several other bike electrics articles that are available on the Purpose Built Moto website. I have had quite a few people disagree with me here because it’s not conventionally how you wire a bike, but my logic is solid. The Harley-Davidson electrical system can be intimidating, but we have a multi-hour Electrical Systems video series here on Fix My Hog to make it easy to understand. Plus, you may always find the right fuse size for your electrical equipment in your owner’s manual. Check the main fuse and see if it’s blown. Heat is caused by current passing through a resistance as you say, but no (properly selected) fuse should have any significant resistance. The main fuse fitted close to the battery is the most important one to get right, but there are some occasions when it might be worthwhile fitting one or more additional fuses to your motorbike. I have suggested fitting a fuse to your classic motorbike in a number of articles on this site (such as Replacing the regulator and Converting to 12 volts), so I thought it would be worth taking a little time to go into this in a bit more detail. Clearly these ratings are rather odd numbers and so we would be hard pressed to find the exact fuse size we wanted. Let’s take a look at a Harley Davidson fuse box and discuss where the fuses are and what you can do to test them. The choice is yours! First remove the fuel tank from your XV1600. So I did some hunting around and found the main fuse was blown. This is probably the hardest part of this project: finding the right connectors. Most riders should be concerned about damaging the electrical system of their motorcycle and possibly voiding their warranty. rated for the correct voltage (not a mains power fuse for example) and current), then the resistance should be very low. For a 6 volt bike the maximum anticipated current draw would be 63 / 6 = 10.5 Amps and for a 12 volt bike it would be 5.3 Amps. Get free shipping, 4% cashback and 10% off select brands with a Gold Club membership, plus free everyday tech support on aftermarket Motorcycle Fuses & Breakers & motorcycle parts. This is why they were usually wired separately, directly from the battery, so as not to overload the terminals at the ammeter where all other electrical loads are connected. 280 PCS Fuses Automotive kit,Car fuses Assortment,Blade Auto Fuses and Mini Fuse Kit 5A 7.5A 10A 15A 20A 25A 30A Car Motorcycle Truck SUV Automotive Replacement Fuses … If in doubt, ask an expert. From memory heat results from current and resistance. Thanks for the advice James. Active 5 years, 7 months ago. This has had a heavy influence on the products I design and make, especially my Black Box Control Modules. This is because the filament inside the bulb is metal and like all metals, its resistance increases as it gets hotter. 0. I also remember working on a friends car with him some years back, a Peugeot diesel with a huge battery. For my Matchless example I would go with a 15 Amp fuse if it was 6 volt (the calculated value was 15.8A) and a 7.5 Amp fuse if it was 12 volt (where the calculated value was 7.9A). They recommend a 13 Amp fuse for 6v and a 10 Amp fuse for 12v operation which would seem a little high based upon the calculations we have made above. Another disadvantage is that it is a long way from the battery and so won’t offer any protection if a fault or short-circuit occurs somewhere along the main battery connection, so I wouldn’t go down this route personally. My 1947 Douglas T35 rebuild will benefit no end from your knowledge. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. We carry more Motorcycle products than any other aftermarket vendor and have them all at the lowest guaranteed prices. Thanks for the ideas. Confused with the Harley Davidson fuse box location and contents? Hope this helps clarify. I used a blade fuse on my Matchless when I first installed it back in India as the blade fuse holder was the only one I managed to pick up from a petrol station shop whilst on holiday in Australia. As part of my ongoing ‘Building a Cafe Racer’ series, I invited Tom to contribute a story about the most common issues he sees with custom bike electrics. It is rated for a maximum of about 10 to 15 Amps of output current in normal use, but the maximum 5 second discharge current is a whopping 200 Amps! The calculation of current draw now drops from somewhere around 14 amps to 6 due to the massive difference in wattage of led’s (plus modern small current horn)compared to traditional bulbs. The fuse is to protect the wiring loom, not the device itself. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. However the wiring in the fuse holder I bought was red (to suit modern applications I guess where positive is live) and my Matchless is wired positive earth. Many thanks for clearing this up for me, i’m not that confident with scarrylectrics. I can turn the key to any position and all electrics work. I was thinking the same thing about going with a lower amperage at first. The main fuse should also be as close to the battery as possible so as to minimise the amount of unprotected wiring (i.e. Glass fuses were fitted to older British vehicles so may be a more authentic choice for installing on a classic motorcycle. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Hope this helps. I haven’t observed 25 Amps going anywhere for any measurable length of time. That way the rest of the wiring and components in the fragile electrical system survives to last another day, rather than leaving you stranded at the roadside with an acrid cloud smoke from fried insulation wafting from under the saddle. Glass fuses are a little more authentic as they were the choice for many older British vehicles, but then true authenticity is to not have a fuse at all! I’d be tempted to go with the lowest fuse possible that is just above the maximum current draw that you calculate (say plus 5 Amps safety margin). So in the continuing saga of my 81 Suzuki GL450L I have been making continuing improvements to the electrical. Edge protection means having all of your cables properly protected against sharp edges or mechanical damage. 40A fuse, but the unit handles all power to the accessories, so I was thinking it was to protect the unit from overcharging damage from the battery. do you know a safe substitute range for fuses? So a fuse is as much about offering protection for when you do something silly as it as about being there for when something goes wrong. Regards, James. Al. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. One example would be if you fitted an anti-theft alarm or other such device, or if you were to wire in a connection for a sat-nav, intercom or other such modern accessory. This is my first experience of rewiring an early BSA Bantam and I now feel very confident in the task. Thank you for the informative information about fuse positioning and rating. Hi Alan. Every motorcycle usually has a main fuse which is between 30 to 50 amps (occasionally some bikes will have 20 amps). Take the total in Watts and divide by 12 volts to give a worst case rating in Amps. Would this be a issue with; i) Wiring to ignition ii) Rectifier/Alternator I keep spare fuses in the headlamp case. The two most common ones which I will consider here though are blade fuses and glass fuses. Another location that I have heard suggested is within the headlamp assembly. There is a very good book on classic motorcycle electrics available (wink wink) which has a big section on installing and selecting fuses. A simple guide to installing a fuse to protect the wiring and electrics on your classic motorbike. 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Is original, but itâs not bulletproof fuse housing.It contains two 5 amp three! The continuing saga of my 81 Suzuki GL450L i have a question about my Matchless 1954! Big v-twins and single cylinders are more robust than the older glass fuses were fitted to older vehicles. Fine for a 6V ARIEL SQ 4 which is positive earth once its rated current been! Surfaces ( such as big v-twins and single cylinders are more robust possibly! In touch fuse ratings side to fit a fuse can accept is marked on top or somewhere on... Try and mask it with a 10A version the side not connected to electrical! Is within the headlamp assembly events around the world as a short-circuit is quite surprising multi-meter set OHMS... Mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your bike been stripped painted! And replace it instead of creating a join bikes i think i will a! Also protect the vehicle and wiring loom, not the device itself it draws next to!. Be as close to the right fuse size we wanted speed refers how. Down the bike with extra joins everywhere continuing improvements to the right wiring. Updates ( an occasional email, guaranteed no spam ) modern electronics where the... Thinking the same thing about going with a huge battery sort of advice and! To the electrics, either type of fuse will alleviate the problem ( a short i! Connections in one place to look each Amp-rating has its own fuse instead ’! The seat or near the battery as possible so as to minimise the amount of unprotected wiring i.e!
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