Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Engine quit

Yesterday I had a great ride on a sunny Saturday afternoon down to Cornwall to visit with daughter #1. In the process of turning the motorcycle around in the parking lot the engine just cut out and I heard a click. There were no instrument lights showing so i thought dead battery, turned the key off and on and had full instrument lights and a bright headlight. When I hit the starter button again I heard the click which sounded like it was coming from the right side of the engine and again no lights. Off On lights starter click. We jumped the battery but the engine would only keep running as long as the cables were hooked up. Does this sound like a Charging System Problem?? Fixes??

sounds like a dead battery to me, they just quit like that... however, check your stator connector under the seat where it plugs into the wiring harness and make sure it's good and all the wires are still tight

If you heard a click from the right side it sounds like a bad connection arcing at the solinoid if you still have it mounted in the stock location.

Thanks for the suggestions.

PS; Ian, I'll also have to figure out where the stock position is.

Pull the right side cover and it is right there on the side of the air box.

I checked the solenoid wires they are tight moulex connections under seat are tight and no visible bare wire. I am getting 12+ volts from battery. I had turned the key on prior to checking and the lights all came on now nothing , is it possible it lost ground or ignition switch is faulty ?

Did you make sure the connections are clean? Also with the side cover off hit the starter button and see if it clicks. You can cross the terminals with a screwdriver and the starter should turn. If the starter turns the solenoid is probably bad. Another possibility is the relay under the gas tank but since you heard a click on the right side I would still suspect that solenoid. Have to take onli9ne advise with a grain of salt, I am not there looking at any of the parts myself and am only able to go on your description of the sound you hear and then make an educated guess.

did you check the battery connections?

I found when I completely disconnected the battery then reconnected there was power to the lights again. Hit the starter and click. Lights out again. Disconnected battery reconnected got the lights again so I tried the screwdriver across the terminals of the solenoid which produced a big spark didnt want to do that again so I hit the starter button and it fired up and purred like it should. New solenoid needed maybe??

Either that or if you are saying right when facing the bike rather than right while sitting on it then a bad battery connection arcing. If it worked after crossing the solenoid I would say probably the solenoid but just wanted to make sure your right is the same as mine!

If it was a boat you could have referred to the starboard side. I gather the reason it would not run without being hooked up to an external battery was that it was sucking the power away and not enough left for the operation. The arch shocked it and released the plunger but I have to assume will happen again.

The click you heard was a breaker activating. Find the short and you'll be able to get back on the road

Sounds like one of the relays under the tank need replaced.

Oh, and do not order them from a dealership, they want like $70 plus for them! Go to any automotive store and they are around $10. One is a 3 pin the other is a 5 pin. Take them with you to match them up.

A but for a dab of Dielectric grease last spring. I checked the connections and they were nice and tight. I did not think that the minor amount of corosion on them would have caused such a problem especially as there were no misfires along the way just stopped.

Doesn't take much, sometimes you can't even see it before you unbolt the connection.

You should use "no ox" or something similar...
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-NOALOX-4-oz-Anti-Oxidant-Compound-30-026/202276208
not dielectric.

Well definitely a learning experience and I might try some of that No Ox as I have some aluminum wiring in part of my house that has to have connections tightened periodicaly.

not only for aluminum