Tachometer shorting out the fuse

[frylockjim]

So today i was taking apart my 06 gs500f and i decided to take off the exhaust to get an idea of how my exhaust valves are doing without taking off the head. After putting the exhaust back on and starting it up. i noticed a bunch of smoke coming from the right exhaust header and i didnt think anything of it cause i accidentally spilled oil on the header pipe. Well it wasnt oil. it was a wire or something in the engine. It shorted out my fuse and i figured it was the tacho wire. I then disconnected the tachometer connector and voila! I didnt blow a fuse! Now. my question is how the heck do i fix that? Do i have to pull off the head? Also, where exactly is it even located? I know itll be difficult to explain but try to give it your best shot   

[adidasguy]

Remove the tank to get at all the wiring. all of it connects under the tank on the right side.
You can splice and repair the burnt part of the wiring or replace the cable from the connector to the tach.
Be sure the wires are held up and away from hot engine parts.
No need to remove the exhaust or head. after all, it's just wiring (I say that because I find wiring extremely simple - I'm a nerd.)

There's no motor in this picture, but when you remove the tank you'll see all the wiring connect like here. (89-00 bikes connect all the crap in the headlight bucket so this is for 2004+ model wiring)

[frylockjim]

yeah i checked all around but i still couldnt find any burnt wires. The smoke was coming from the header pipe itself and it had that nasty burnt wire smell. Its weird i know 

[adidasguy]

You had wires for the tack hanging down and touching the header. A little insulation got melted. Might be hard to see now but its there.
Maybe if the wiring is just held up and out of the way you will be OK. I'd still locate the bad spot in the tach cable and repair or oreplace it.

[radodrill]

If all else, find the spot where the insulation is burned off and put on some liquid electrical tape

[frylockjim]

Okay now THIS is really weird. i had my tacho disconnected and i still blew i fuse so i thought oh well that probably means that theres also another problem that im unaware of and just for the kick of it i decided to reconnect the tacho wire (btw when i first had the problem, the fuse would blow as soon as i turn the key. when i disconnect the tacho, then it would be fine). I took off the gas tank and searched everywhere and i mean like every nook and cranny. there are absolutely no wires touching the engine, or the frame for that matter. I do however notice that the fuse only blows if the bike is cold and i go to start it up. I also know that the side with the rectifier has been hit pretty hard (Truck ran into it when it was parked on the street). Maybe the diodes arent working properly in the rectifier and is allowing AC current through. Im just frustrated though cause ive been having this dang problem for awhile, it tends to come and go.

[radodrill]

I also know that the side with the rectifier has been hit pretty hard (Truck ran into it when it was parked on the street).

That bit of information is a real game changer.  That collision could easily have damaged the battery, reg/rec, and/or stator among other things.  Battery or regulator problems could easily be the culprit.

[frylockjim]

Yeah i know that my stator is crap now cause i did a charging system test on it with a multimeter from my school. Just remembered another helpful piece of info. This doesnt happen all the time but all the lights on the bike flicker when im going at a constant speed.

[adidasguy]

Flicker is probably the voltage regulator cutting in and out.

[frylockjim]

Flicker is probably the voltage regulator cutting in and out.

thats the rectifier right?

[radodrill]

Flicker is probably the voltage regulator cutting in and out.

thats the rectifier right?

It's one unit known as the regulator/rectifier (or reg/rec).  This rectifies the AC from the stator to DC then regulates the DC voltage out.

[frylockjim]

yeah thats what i thought it was. I think i figured out what the problem was though. i noticed that my spark plug cables were touching the engine and i thought maybe that could cause the short and lo and behold, it was melted. after i moved them away from the engine and wrapped it back up with electrical tape, i didnt have anymore problems with the fuse. who wouldve thought that the spark plug cables would be the gremlin???  anyways thanks so much for your help adidasguy!!!

[adidasguy]

Glad you're running.
When you get a chance, drive up to Seattle. Stop in Wine Country (Cuvaison, Vincent Arroyo, Navarro, Hush and others) then scontinue with a few cases of good wine and we can work on bikes.

[frylockjim]

sounds good! my dad lives up there next to yakima. i plan on going up there maybe in the summer. i got to save up some cash. College is killing my wallet right now.