A couple of years ago I wired an auxiliary power plug into the saddlebag for using a phone charger, etc. It's been just fine for two years. Today I was getting ready to ride a bit, reached into the bag, moved the cord, and sparks flew and it started smoking! Panic mode! I grabbed the wires and snatched them out hoping it would stop. Smoke started coming from under the seat and my brain just kind of stopped working for a second!
It was the weirdest thing... smoke was settling downward on the garage floor instead of rising. I finally got the seat off and pulled the rest of the wires loose that I had installed for the accessory.
Fortunately, the only damage incurred was the pair of wires that I installed. That I personally installed... with NO FUSE!
No Fuse! What the hell was I thinking? I've been wiring stuff up for 50 some odd years and have never installed anything without a fuse! I can't imagine where my head was but I hooked a pair of 18 ga automotive wire directly to the battery and ran it back into the leather saddlebag with a cigarette lighter plug on the end to plug chargers into. NO FUSE!
I'm mighty lucky that it never lit up before and that I stopped the fire before it hurt anything else.
But now I'm aware of just how really stupid I am... or can be.
