Motorcycle Repair: 1983 honda c70 electronic failure

Question
Hi Bill,
My 1983 honda c70 scooter was recently rained on and as I rode it home all of the electronics on the bike began to fail.  I can remember my neutral light flickering when it is usually a solid green.  Later on down the road, i revved the bike and then there was a pop and all of the electronics on the bike stopped working.  The horn still works when im driving if that info makes any difference.

Answer
John, well the first thing to do is to dry everything back out again. Rain may have entered the handlebar switches, ignition switch connector, connections inside the headlight and even the tail light. You need to access and check all of the electrical connections on the bike, including those which are up inside the frame when you remove the battery.

Check the battery for being fully charged and able to pass a load test. If your battery goes dry or is very old, the charging system will overwhelm the battery and electrics, causing blown fuses, burnt out light bulbs and possible damage to the rectifier.

The headlight generally runs off of the alternator directly. The horn, neutral light, tail light and ignition system. If you don't have a wiring diagram, use one here for reference: http://oldmanhonda.com/MC/WiringDiagrams/MCwiring.php#class

Check your ignition switch connector and all the wiring around the battery box. You want nice tight clean connections on all wiring and good solid grounds where they need to be, as well.

Bill Silver