'97 Tourer acts just like the battery's disconnected when the ignition on.

[snakemeister]

  My Tourer  acts just like the battery's disconnected when the ignition is turned on.The instrument lights won't even come on.I've checked my battery and it's terminals, fuses and fuse length. They are just fine.What's the other 'usual suspects' ?

[BigMac (SoCal)]

Check the ground wire at the motor. It's the one below the alternator. Sometimes they get corroded and don't make a solid ground.
 

[Gryphon Rider]

Did you check the 30A fuse at the starter relay?  If the fuse is good, pull the fuse and use a test light or voltmeter to see if you have power to the hot side of the fuseholder (not the fuse itself). If you have power there, put the fuse back in, pull the six fuses from the fuse block, turn on the key, then see if you have power to the hot side of the six fuse slots (again, not the fuses themselves).  If you don't have power there, then you have a problem somewhere between the 30A fuse at the starter relay, the keyed ignition switch, and the six-fuse fuse block.  The most likely being the switch itself, but could also be a wire or connector.

[wat]

I had same problem found it was ground wire like bigmac said 

[Hoser]

I had the same problem.  Ign sw off, battery showed 12 volts.  Turn on key, dropped to zero.  Turned out the battery was shorted out. Put in a new one, no more worries.  Hoser.