[mnewto3]

I recently installed a new battery in my 2010 Honda Shadow Phantom. When I drove it home from work I smelled burning wire or metal. I installed the battery according to the maintenance manual. Everything is where it is supposed to be, all of the lights and gauges work, the bike starts with no issues, there is no smoke to be seen, and no wires are touching the frame from what I can see. What could be causing this odor? Any and all help would be appreciated.

Thank You,
mnewto3

 

[John Hopkins]

There should be no smell of burning from a new battery if it is installed correctly and the circuit it is installed in has no faults...however some new batteries come with replacement terminals which are then screwed onto the battery to allow it to be used in different situations or products..this in effect means an extra join at each pole and if one of these connections is not tight enough the slight movement will cause the voltage to jump across the connection and cause an arc or burn.

Therefore remove the battery and double check that both terminals are tight.

John.

 

[mnewto3]

What if the smell is coming from the area under the tank/ engine? it has been a little windy so it is hard to tell exactly where it is coming from. the smell is not coming from the battery itself and the negative battery cable is grounded to the bike frame.

Thank You,
mnewto3

 

[John Hopkins]

What if the smell is coming from the area under the tank/ engine? it has been a little windy so it is hard to tell exactly where it is coming from. the smell is not coming from the battery itself and the negative battery cable is grounded to the bike frame.

Thank You,
mnewto3

Because I am over 3,000 miles away from the bike I can't check this for you but if you carefully remove the seat and the tank you may find a wire that has been crushed against the tank or the frame.. examination of this area may show the problem and a sniff may locate where the damage is.

You can't sort this out by asking questions on here..

John.

 

[SpoonMan]

Do you have any recent mods or repairs? Other than new battery? What caused the new battery install? Have you performed the 3 wire mod?