QuestionQUESTION: Hi . I took the battery out of my 305 honda for winter ,it stayed covered and did not move all winter .I installed the newly painted gas tank and put the fully charged battery in the bike ,I turned the key and got nothing ,no lights ,no horn ,no starter.It started and ran fine before i removed the battery .I have checked the starter relay and it will crank if i jump the relay .I put power to the brake light switch leads and the whole bike got power lights ,starter etc. i am not good with electrical ,cleaned the grounds real well ,checked for obvious broken wires etc. I have ordered a new rectifier which i was going to upgrade anyway .Any help appreciated on where to start checking .Thank you very much . jeff
ANSWER: Jeff, the first thing to do is to check the only fuse it has, next to the B+ battery terminal. That is the main control point for power to the rest of the bike. It is a 14A fuse. If you need more wiring diagram info, go to:
http://oldmanhonda.com/MC/WiringDiagrams/MCwiring.php
It is an early style diagram which includes turn signals, but all the basic wire colors are the same throughout the years. Check the fuse carefully, if it doesn't appear to be blown, as sometimes the ends get loose and the fuse is actually broken at the end, rather than blown out in the middle section.
Bill Silver
www.vintagehonda.com for Honda Dream Restoration Guide CDs, if you need further history and repair and restoration information.
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QUESTION: thank you for your response.my bike has been casually modified over the years .there is no fuse in the harness.there is only a direct wire from the pos post to the starter solenoid. . the fuse should go from the red wire that is connected to my negative battery post i surmise from the diagram and feeds power to the switch in the headlight shroud. ,i do have the repair manual .What is the most likely electrical component which will be blown when the system overloads? i suspect the ignition switch since i can get the starter to go with jumping power but have no other power to the harness and it is controlled by the key switch .Is there any way to test this easily ,i have no working volt meter just a test light .Thank you again for your invaluable help. jeff
AnswerJeff, if you have the red harness wire attached to negative battery post, then you have it on the wrong side of the battery. The negative post goes to ground, so you have bypassed the positive power connection.
Wire in a fuse holder, available from any auto parts store, then attach the red lead to the + side of the battery and you will have power once again. Right now you only have power available to the starter motor via the solenoid.
The test light will work fine for your issues, but you will need to verify that the charging system is functioning properly once the bike is running again. That will require a volt meter.
Bill Silver
