2011 Thruxton #6 Fuse Keeps Blowing-bike Won't Run

Hi All,

I'm a first time poster and new rider trying to learn the ins and outs of motorcycle ownership/repair/maintenance on a 2011 Thruxton. Other than some preventative maintenance and checks I did after the initial purchase, it has been problem free for the past 1000 miles around Los Angeles over the last 5 months until recently.

Problem
The bike has started popping a fuse #6 periodically while riding that causes the gauges and engine to cut off. The first fix was a simple replacement of a 10 amp fuse- completed the 30 mile ride home. It was fine for a month before it popped again at the end of a long ride. 4 replacement fuses blew after about a minute or two of the bike idling. When the fuse does blow, the headlights, blinkers, horn, and turn signals all work. Garage replication of the issue seems like an intermittent short (the instrument cluster flicks on and dims repeatedly before shorting out)

Solution Attempts
I've done a fair amount of work to isolate the problem but I haven't been able to find much information for similar issues for my particular bike online. I have inspected all the wiring in the headlight, fuse box, under the seat, and even disassembled the ignition and right handlebar controls. I found no corrosion on any of the connectors or any exposed wiring. I removed the tank to check for pinched wiring. The fuse #6 in the owners manual listed these protected circuits (Ignition Switch Main Feed, Instrumentation Illumination). I read somewhere online that the 2011 Bonneville range uses a CAN-bus system that requires a working dash set up for the bike to even start. If true, this seems in line with the issues I've been having. I'm about to order the Haynes manual for the bike, but I'm concerned that the range of years and different models will be too varied for me to reference my specific wiring diagram. I would greatly appreciate any feedback or recommendations on next steps for troubleshooting.

Triumph Thruxton
3500mi.
Stock exhaust/airbox

 

Thank you so much for sorting that out. I have been running into similar issues while researching this problem. The wiring diagram is really helpful to see and reveals connection I hadn’t checked. So far I now also disassembled the tachometer/speedo and the fuel pump relay, but didn’t see any exposed wires or corrosion that could be causing the short. I just got a multimeter in the mail so I’ll try that referencing that diagram you sent.

 

Thanks Callumity! I will get a test light and alligator clips to try this out this weekend. At this point I've checked as many connections as I can find and disassembled anything that might be related to the problem so that video provides a helpful next course of action.

 

Thanks Bikerman! I'm excited to be a part of the Triumph community! Looking forward to getting back on two wheels soon.

 

I apologize for the late reply. I finally got the chance to dive into the problem again after a busy couple of weeks and managed to locate the exposed wire that was touching the frame. It was tucked away under the seat and had been rubbing against a tab on the frame that I didn't see before when I was inspecting that area. It was an exciting discovery and it was great to get back out on the road. I really appreciate everyone welcoming me to the forum and helping along the way.