Motorcycle Repair: Fuses, turn signal flasher, blown fuses

Question
Bill,
I have a 1981 Goldwing that I recently replaced the starter relay(seliniod). When I hooked it up, the fuse keeps blowing. I have traced all the wiring, and not found any wires loose or cut. Am I doing something wrong? The ground wire is hooke to the negative. I don't know a lot about bikes, and I am extremely frustrated. Any advice?
Chuck

Answer
Chuck,  which is "the fuse" as I think there are is more than one fuse for the bike.

You haven't told me if the solenoid was new and correct for that application. You haven't told me if the fuse blows when you turn the ignition switch ON or if it only blows when you hit the starter button.

You haven't said if you have a wiring diagram for reference or not... or a shop manual.  Try this site for some online information resources...
http://goldwing.soylentgeek.com/

Some solenoids use the handlebars to ground the solenoid and some use the starter switch as an inline switch, routing the voltage request back through safety switches and diodes before the starter motor engages.

As mentioned on my profile page, I am not a GL expert and don't have a wiring diagram here for reference.

A great site for lots of tech info is:
http://www.randakks.com/TechTips.htm#54

If the fuse blows when you turn the ignition switch ON, then you need to go hunting down the ignition, horn and lighting circuits. If the bike blows the fuse when the starter button is depressed, it could be a grounded starter button switch contact or something else between the starter button and the solenoid. Start disconnecting wires and checking for the short. For troubleshooting you can rig up a turn signal flasher unit in series with the fuse contacts. If there is excessive current, the flasher will kick off, until the current demand recedes. Saves replacing a lot of blown fuses.

If it was okay before you changed the part, then either you got a bad part or installed it incorrectly... or you have another bad part in the starter circuit. Get a good shop manual or at least wiring diagram so you can follow along to see where things went south.

Bill Silver