Motorcycle Repair: honda vtc 500 shadow, inline fuse, fuse box


Question
ok first question--my oil light is flikering on and off and then stays on, the bike has 18k on it and seems to run pretty good except high rpm like on the highway it bogs out.

second i had the guage fuse cover off while it was running and the key touched one of the fuses now the bike has no power at all. Is there another fuse box for the starter or ignition???please help

Answer
Andrew, there's a lot of problems to sort out here. With regards to the oil light, have you checked the oil level? If there is sufficient oil but the light stays on, do NOT ride the bike until it is fixed - the light is a warning that the motor has lost oil pressure. To keep running it in this condition will result in the motor seizing.

High speed bogging can be caused by dirty air filters and/or carbs that need tuning and synchronising.

When the key touched the fuse, it most likely blew it as well as other fuses in the same circuit. Check the wires coming from the positive terminal of the battery, one of them might lead to an inline fuse that needs replacing.

Unless you are handy with tools and have worked on bikes before, I would strongly recommend you take your bike to a reputable bike shop and get all these problems fixed.