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Hi All,

I'm a first time poster. Please forgive the wordiness. I need help with an electrical problem on my ’83 Honda Magna. I was meeting some guys Saturday to do a ride down to Branson for the day during their Bike Week. I had just earlier filled my gas tank and was waiting at our meeting place for everyone to show up when I noticed I had gas leaking from underneath my gas tank on the left side towards the seat. I bailed on the ride and went home to look at it. I loosened the two front bolts on the tank and lifted it up. I had a pin hole leak streaming gas. I took some steel wool and rubbed over the area to make sure I was down to metal and then I had several pinholes leaking in that one area all close together. I siphoned off the gas in the tank but some had leaked out from the holes and down the left side of the bike. I patched the tank and let the patch set up for a day. Next day it was a little bit of a struggle to get the tank pushed back down to where the two front bolts would line up but with the help of my wife, we got it done. I put gas in the tank and no leak. So far so good. It was late in the day so I left it there in the driveway. That night, it came some storms and a lot of rain. Next morning, it was dry and the day was sunny, the bike still in the driveway to dry off in the sun. That evening, I tried starting the bike up to go for a short ride. The bike starts fine but I discover my left turn signal is not flashing but the right one would. I checked the turn signal bulbs front and rear and they both looked good. When the left turn signal switch was on, it would not flash or shine but the headlight would alternate dim to normal and back again and I could hear a faint clicking sound (flasher unit?). The brake lights worked at that time. So I thought there must be a little moisture that is causing me some problems and it should dry out and be ok. I went on a short ride and when I got back I discover my brake light does not work now nor does the right side blinker either. The bulb in the front right side is on but the left side is not.

So now I am without a brake light (although the parking light will work), and the turn signals will not work, and the right side turn signal light will illuminate but the left will not.

Questions
Is it likely the rain got into places it shouldn’t have and is causing me the problem?
Will it dry out and correct itself or is something shorted out and will need to be found and corrected?
Could leaking gas running down the left side of the bike at the rear of the tank cause me this problem?
My electrical knowledge is none existent except for checking fuses.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Or you pinched some wires when forcing down the tank during re-installation. That's where I'd start looking.

I'll have to agree with BuzZz, a pinched wire is the most probably cause. I am assuming you never had this issue before and it only started after doing the work on the tank.
Slowly lift the tank and look for any wire stuck/pinched by it, or any wire really close to the bottom of the tank. Bend the wire(s) you suspect and look for broken shield (rubber cover), if you find any just wrap with electrical tape and it should be fixed! Also, you'll most probably need to replace a fuse as a short will usually abnormally change the circuit's voltage and burn the fuse - fuses are designed to do so to protect the devices connected to its circuit.
I hope this helps

I had a chance to look at the bike for a little bit last evening before dark. It had blown a fuse. I replaced the fuse and the brake lights are back working.

Now the only problem I have is the turn signal. The righ turn signal works fine when the switch is turned to the right, but when the turn signal is in the off or turn left position, I can hear the flasher unit clicking in both positions although the turn signal light is not illuminated or flashing and the head light and neutral switch light is dimming with each click I hear from the turn signal relay.

Does that sound like a bad gflasher unit, bad turn signal light switch or a pinched wire?

Thanks for your help.

hmmm, I still think you may have a pinched wire and wouldn't be surprised if the fuse blows again!
Keep us posted on what you find!

Flashers either flash or they don't. There is no seperation of left and right in the flasher itself. You probably pinched or nicked a wire jamming your tank on.

Mystery solved. The problem was a pinched wire underneath the seat that I had to take off to take the gas tank off. Looks like I got lucky.

Thanks to all for their input.

Dan