fuse blowing

[WayneDW]

I was hoping to take my K75Rt down to see my Mom for the Mother's Day weekend but never got more than a mile from home.
The battery light started glowing and the speedo wasn't working.  I drove home and after I shut it off the starter was unresponsive.

I found that the 7.5 amp fuse #1 was blown.  I replaced it and tried to go again, this time only got to the end of the alley until the same thing.  The bike runs fine without fuse #1 but won't start after stopped.

I called my Mom and told her I'd be late and started taking things apart.  My Haynes says that fuse #1 controls the instrument cluster and the brake and tail lights.  I took the instrument cluster apart and sprayed contact cleaner on the contacts, also dialectic grease on the pins.  I then went to the other end and cleaned up the brake and tail lights sockets and connections.  Put a new fuse in and it again only ran a short time before blowing again.  It idles fine but when I start moving something must be shorting out.  I called Mom and apologized that I wasn't going to make it after all.

The wiring diagram shows the green/brn wire from fuse #1 going to a handful of things:  Connection for heated grips, connection for additional instruments, clutch switch, front and rear brake switches, instrument cluster, bulb monitoring unit, and connection for special equipment.   I suspect I will just need to run all these items down and clean each one?

Anybody have experience that would point me to where to start or other words of wisdom?   By the way, last weekend I rode for over an hour in rain which may have caused this to start happening?

Thanks in advance....
Wayne

[frankenduck]

The first suspect is the intermediate wiring harness for the heated grips.  Do you run your heated grips on the low setting very much?  The low circuit uses a resistive wire to lower the voltage to the HGs.  It builds up heat and can eventually melt it's insulation off and start shorting.

[Inge K.]

Right footrest bridge been removed lately? It have been issues with shorted rear brake light switch, if the wiring haven`t been routed properly.

Inge K.

[frankenduck]

Right footrest bridge been removed lately? It have been issues with shorted rear brake light switch, if the wiring haven`t been routed properly.

Inge K.

+1.  I've seen that too....

[WayneDW]

Found it,
Saturday morning before my trip I had to loosen up the new-to-me shock reservoir and push it over to get my saddlebags on.  What I didn't realize is that the reservoir in turn pushed the wire bundle over so that it rubbed on my rear tire but only when I sat on the bike.  This explained why the fuse  only blew when I was riding, not when on it's centerstand.
I'm disappointed in myself that it took me so long to find it.  I should have checked the last thing I had done to the bike first instead of last.  But at least I now am certain that all fittings and connections under that tank are clean and secure. 

[mystic red]

Nice find! Yea, its always good to check the last thing you worked on.