earthing

[darren nix]

is there a way of checking the earthing or grounding of the bikes electrical system using the multimeter, i have power to the ignition switch, i know the fuses are right, but i have no lights blinkers, brake lights or spark, and the battery is fully charged, i moved the regulator off the bike but put everything back in the same position, could the stainless fasteners affect the earth connection,as the earth leads are mounted on the other side of the metal plate the regulator is, everthing worked before but only the red light on the dash is showing any sign of life, thanks for your thoughts

[abmartin]

I'm no electrical genius but I can usually get things sorted out. Using the wiring diagram as a reference and with the negative probe of the multimeter grounded against a bare metal part of the bike, check back along the wiring circuits at fault until you get a 12 volt reading. Verify the connections along the way since this is probably where the problem will lie. Given that a number of circuits are not working, the fault will probably be related to the ignition switch or a connector that controls a number of functions.

It would help if you told us what model you are dealing with.

[darren nix]

abmartin the bike is a 81 mhr, i have just had the calipers all redone and to check that all was going well i tested the rear caliper to see if the brake light was working , then the front and then it just snowballed from there, i have been through checking all the circuits and the wires and connectors etc and everything seems okay ,i too thought about the ignition switch but before i go through the process of trying to bypass the ignition switch to see if that is the problem, i wanted to make sure the re earthing with new stainless fittings wasn,t the cause, and if so how to test for this, the wiring diagram on th bev hev site i can,t seem to enlarge to read it, i can see 4 wires going to the ignition switch, but to bypass the switch to see if everything is working i need to find out do i connect 1 to 3 or 2 to 2 or 1 to 1 of the wires to each other to continue the circuit, this is where i need the know how of someone a bit more savy with electrics

[abmartin]

Hi Darren,

If you're worried about earthing the regulator, why not just use a ring terminal directly under it and in contact with the metal housing then run a short wire from this terminal to another ring terminal firmly attached to a bolt or screw attached to bare metal on the bike's frame. This should bypass the stainless bolt.

You can also find wiring diagrams for a Darmah on the Ducatimeccanica site.

Bruce Martin