A couple of weeks ago I rode 4850 miles in 7 days, Chicago to Portland, OR and back. I didn't have a single moment of trouble. I ride a 2003 Vulcan Classic 1600 and now have 21,000 miles on her.

This past week I took off on a camping trip and got 250 miles from Chicago when the ignition fuse popped while I was cruising down a highway in beautiful Wisconsin at a smooth 75 mph. I found and replaced it and 20 miles later it happened again. Then again. Finally replacing the fuse didn't help, it would pop again when I turned the key.

Question is, is this a one-time problem or is it a Kawasaki kind of problem? It's in the shop now and I presume they're running down wires looking for a short of some kind. My fear is that they'll be able to fix it but I'll never know WHY it blew to begin with. And then, how will I ever be able to trust my beloved Vulcan anymore?

Thoughts? Thanks.

McDuff

 

Definitely sounds like a direct short. Could be the ignition switch itself? After it is fixed, hop in the saddle again and have some fun. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the reply.

Got the bike back from my shop on Saturday. Turns out it was a loose nut holding down two cables coming into the ingition relay. As the nut loosened it allowed the cables to arc, causing, in turn, a power surge, thereby popping the fuse and shutting down the bike. It took them three hours on the bench and a few calls into the Kawasaki factory to find it. But she's up and running and I'm about to take a ride when I finish writing this.

See you on the road!!

McDuff