Motorcycle Repair: nighthawk 450, wiring loom, honda cb

Question
hi Jan i have a short in my wire going from my solenoid to the electrical reflector or some where ahead of it, on my 85 Honda CB nighthawk this is my first restoration project. is there a way to test the reflector to see if it is the problem? i have been chasing this short around for a week, i replaced the in line diode and replaced the solenoid yet it keep blowing the solenoid fuse. i have delimited the starter switch as an issue any ideas please help.

Answer
Does it blow the solenoid fuse when you hit the starter button, or as soon as you connect it?  The solenoid is just a big relay, so if you have replaced that already the problem is not likely the solenoid anymore, you will need to see what other components are in that circuit.  If you are doing a restoration, you did start at step 1 and bought a service manual, correct?  Look at the wiring diagram and see what other components that fuse protects.  Also really carefully check the wiring loom for chafing and bare wires, more often than not that turns out to be the problem.

Good luck,  Jan