I bought a new front wiring harness as the oldone was a ragged mess with the headlights hooked up to the running light wires!!!

So everything works fine and dandy, regular low beam is great and all other electronics are working well.


Except when I turn my high beam on. As soon as I flip the switch you can literally hear the fuse go pop under the seat

2001 Honda CBR600F4i

Any ideas? Could it be the headlight relay that is faulty? I just transferred the one from the old harness... though now that I think about it, it could definitely be messed up as the soldering in the startstop switch on the handle bar was also blown when I got the bike (hence the headlights running off the wrong wires) so perhaps the damage went all the way through to the relay?

Appreciate any ideas. Thanks!

 

Get a multimeter and check to see where the +12V is grounded. Start at the plug that connects to the high beam bulb and work your way back, section by section.

 

Is a multimeter easy to use? I've never even seen one. I'm quite clueless in electrical

 

They're not too hard to use. Perhaps a friend or neighbor can either help you or at least lend you their meter. You can probably find a basic, cheap one at Radio Shack for less than $15. A Google search on How to use a multimeter will help. A wiring diagram for your specific model will help if you can locate one.

Here's a troubleshooting guide for tracking down the cause of blown fuses on a motorcycle. It was written for BMW but it is more of a general guide that can be applied to just about any bike.

The Basics of Motorcycle Electrical Troubleshooting

 

Can you tell us specifically which fuse it is that blows. I'm not familiar with the location of the fuses in an F4i so I don't know if you're referring to the main 30A fuse or the one specific to the Headlight.

If it's Fuse "A", the 10A Headlight fuse, then you most likely have a shorted or pinched wire somewhere between the Dimmer Switch on the clipon and the HighBeam bulb. This includes the HighBeam light. Since you just replaced the front wiring harness, it's probable that you've pinched a wire under a bolt or bracket. I don't think it's the Starter Switch because power through that switch supplies both the Low and High bulbs. Fuses blow because too much current is flowing through a circuit. In this case a wire pinched to the frame is a dead short.

Getting access to someone with a meter or knowledge of how to use one would be very helpful. The location suggested by RoadiJeff is a good start too.