ok so i get everything working lights and everything and they work great. i start it up to take it for a test ride and then blinkers lights speedometer everything shuts off.. the bike still works though. my battery is drained completely and won't even start turniing over.. my question is.. i'm looking for a short or something draining the battery directly but what does a short or something that drains the battery directly look like?

thanks

its a 1997 cbr 900rr

 

A power wire shorted to ground will either blow the fuse on the circuit, or melt & burn the wiring if there is not a fuse on the circuit. If the battery is being drained while sitting with the key off (parasitic draw), then the easiest way to diagnose this is with a DMM capable of reading DC amps. Disconnect the negative terminal from the battery and connect the DMM between the negative battery terminal and the negative battery post. I wouldn't expect to see anything more than about 10mA on a carbureted bike that doesn't use any computers.

The first thing I would suggest doing is charge & test the battery, and then test the charging system on the bike. If both of those things check out ok then check the wiring harness for loose connections.