FUSE panel

ok i have heard that you need to change your fuse panel i still have m old one on the wiring looks great on it

so whats the worst that could happen if i keep it on ive got the money to replace it

if it ant broke why fix it

 

like they told me about my DECCA RADAR on my boat "IT'S OBSOLETE"

 

well... old technology.. sure it will work.. but it's not built to last... take your finger and flick one of those old glass tubes... see the fuse bounce inside.. now think about when you ride and how much absorption hits it will take.. the ATC fuses are sandwiched in plastic and more reliable.. not only that... but how many gas stations carry old glass fuses with the amps you need? Less problems.. kinda like the old days when you had to go downstairs and find a glass fuse for your house.. now you just flip a breaker

do yourself a favor and eliminate the guess work by getting a more reliable setup... you'll sleep better too

 

ahh i see now thanx

 

Plus it'll cost you less than $15 to make the change. There's nothing worse than blowing/breaking a fuse going down the road and not having a replacement.

 

If/when you do it its worth it for just that tiny bit more cost to get one with a extra two slots. Great for storing your spares at hand.

 

stevetibb2000, according to those in the know on this forum, these old boxes are real sources of fires and harness meltdowns. Don't let originality get in the way of safety - get a proper modern blade box or blade in-lines.

Kind of like insurance - spend the money and you'll never need it. Don't and you'll wish you had.

 

Those Fuse Panels were OK when the were Brand New. But, time has been unkind to the Clipps that hold-in the fuses.

They lose their "Pinch" and become brittle and literally fall-apart.
A great many electrical problems have been traced to unreliable Fuse Panels.

With a few on-the-market that fit and use the new Blade-type fuses, it is a good preventative measure to excise the old Fuse Panel and install a New, highly reliable one.

Ignition problems go away.
Lighting problems go away.
The bike performs better without resistance at the Fuse Panel.
Best of all:
You can depend on it.
You can't depend on the old one.

 

if you just need something to do, by all means change it out
but if it acts ok then clean it up good and get a few spares and some EJC and don't fix it if it aint broke
my fuses say Pacific on them and i wonder if their original ?

 

differing opinions i see here, let me pose this question
if the fuse panel is such trouble spot, what about the other end of the wires, all the plugs are made of the same thing, same voltage , same current, more hostile environment but nobody wants to replace those with new modern reliable ones

 

That's a good point. Those connectors are definitely not weather safe, and they do make contact through spring tension. I'm actually considering re-doing my own wiring harness with weather-safe connectors.

 

We give good advice on what we think people should do after careful consideration of the facts.

If 98% of the Fuse Panel are bad ... the call goes-out to replace them.
If you want to say "If it ain't broke ..." just say it!

For the most part, the good advice seems to make it's way to those who are willing to accept the good advice.

Other advice doesn't come with a Good Housekeeping Seal or a Underwriters Labs Sticker. It finds its way into the Forums too.

But, officially, we recommend replacing the Fuse Panel.
Because ...
It's good advice and preempts trouble.
It's a weak link at the heart of the Electrical System.

To say otherwise is foolhardy.
The situation speaks for itself.
Too many have caused dead bikes.
We try to prevent that from happening before it does!

 

your electrical system has several parts...

the load (light/starter)
the path (wires)
the source (battery)
the control (switches)

now all of these have a connection, so in theory any branch could fail at any one of these points...

since HISTORICALLY the failure has been at the fuse block, it makes good sense to replace it. you can do it with the inline fuse holders (my 550 has them since 1992) or with the fancy fuse block as shown in many of these threads...

if you replace your fuse block, and there is an issue, it makes it much easier to troubleshoot. you can tell if an ATC fuse is blown by looking at it. not always the case with the ACG fuse. trust me i deal with them often at work. if the fuse is good, the next place to check is the load itself (bulb burned out?) and then the connections. the connections while not weatherproof as discussed are generally pretty well enclosed and not subject to the elements...

no one here is saying you MUST, its just an easy step to avoid the frustration later...

 

It's like a vaccination.

You take the shot and then you are immune from the disease.

The disease is the Clips on the Old Fuse Panels. They lose their ability to hold a fuse in tightly. When you remove the fuse and squeeze the Clip together to give it its spring-load back ... it rewards you by breaking-off.

The New Fuse Panels don't have those "Y-shaped" Clips. They have slots that the new style fuses fit into very snuggly.

It's worth the couple of hours it takes to make the transition; but nobody is going to hold a gun to your head and make you do it.
It's totally up to you.

But, you will have to play with the kids that don't have it done yet.
The big sandbox if for the new fuse panel children!