Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Electrical issue

I'll apologize in advance; this is long.

On my way home from the NY Rally, I was coming down I-81 in Virginia. The bike had run great all day (about 8 hours and 500+ miles at that point), when it suddenly just died at about 75 mph. I thought I was running out of gas, but switching to reserve didn’t work. I came to a stop on the side of the highway, and at this time the dash lights were definitely on and working. I turned off the ignition, sat there for a minute, turned the key back on, and the bike fired right back up when I hit the starter. I was almost at an exit, so I started riding to get to a gas station, and it died again by the time I got up to third gear. I stopped again, sat for maybe 30 seconds this time, and it cranked right back up again. It died again, but I was able to coast down the exit and into the gas station. It only took 3 gallons, so wasn’t out of gas.

I thought venting might be the problem, so rode up the side road and opened the gas cap when it died again, but this didn’t help. I also did the “blow through the vent line” trick. I went through this cycle a few more times on the road in front of the gas station (die while riding, re-start after a minute, die…). The last time, I ran almost two miles without dying, and thought maybe it had worked itself out. I pulled back into the station, shut it down, and suited up to get back on the highway. But this time, when I turned the key, I got no dash lights or head light, and no juice anywhere. I jiggled the key a little, and the dash lights came back on, but when I hit the starter I just got a click and then everything went dead again. That’s all it would do for the rest of the day: turn the key and sometimes get dash lights but other times nothing. Jiggle the key and eventually the dash lights might come on, but touch the starter and just get a click and everything goes dead.

Off topic, but two groups of riders pulled into the station, and both groups tried to help me with troubleshooting and offered tools, etc. Motorcycle riders are special people. Even though we didn’t get it fixed, I’m grateful for their efforts and time. Eventually, I got in touch with a friend with a truck, and we carted it back home late Sunday night. I still haven’t had a chance to look at everything on the bike, but will get into it tonight.

Here’s what I’ve looked at so far:
1) Fuel venting does not seem to be the issue.
2) Battery terminal connections are tight and clean.
3) Pulled all the fuses and all are ok.
4) Opened the headlight bucket, and didn’t see anything exposed or anything that looked bad.
5) Tried hot-wiring it, and got the engine to turn over (but not start) before everything went dead again.
6) The battery was bought new in May 2008. Today (Wednesday), it checks out fine: 13+ volts with the bike turned off; 10.5 volts with the key turned on. But as soon as I press the starter, I hear a click, the bike goes dead and the meter drops to zero. Then I have to do the jiggle the key thing to get the dash lights and to get the battery to register on the meter.

Here’s what I haven’t done yet, but will probably get to tonight:
1) Really inspected the ignition switch wiring. Jiggling the key made the headlight and dash lights come on, so maybe something loose or shorting there.
2) Haven’t pulled the tank to really inspect the wiring under there yet either.

Just a couple of questions before I really get into this tonight.
1) Would an electrical short cut power to everything on the bike, or just the affected circuit?
2) Have there been any known issues with ignition switches on our bikes? Anything I should look for there?
3) Could this be a kickstand switch or a kill switch issue? The bike was hit while parked a couple of weeks before the rally, and the left foot controls were bent. I’ll take a closer look at the kickstand and switch when I get home…I did think the bike was leaning over more than usual when on the sidestand. Maybe the stand got bent and the switch isn’t working right?
4) I'm thinking short in the system...Am I overlooking something real obvious?

Thanks,

Will

you checked the battery connections, but did you check the other end of the ground wire? if its loose it will act the same way you describe.

check the main ground connection under the bike. Make sure the headlight is plugged in completely, check the side stand switch/kill switch for proper operation.
It does sound exactly like a loose battery wire though.
Glad to have met ya Will!
Good luck with it.

I agree with checking the key switch wiring closely. One of the fellows had a problem with this a few months ago. Does sound like a loose connection though. Classic symptoms.

Poor grounds have caused more headaches than you can imagine. Like Pat says, check the frame ground and make certain it is clean and tight.

I didn't get around to looking at the bike last night...a neighbor called about going out to catch the Cubs-Mets game and that went pretty late. I'll plan to take a look at the ground connection (hadn't even thought of that) and the other connections tonight.

Pat, it was good to meet you up in NY too.

Thanks everybody,

Will

Hi Will, did you get this problem sorted out?
Mike

Want to bet he's out riding that hot rod Daytona instead?

Quote:

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Want to bet he's out riding that hot rod Daytona instead?

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Guilty! I've learned that having two bikes can be a mixed blessing. You can still ride when one's down, but you're also not in such a hurry to fix the one that's down.

Mike,
Thanks for asking; I don't have the Speedmaster problem solved yet, but I think I'm pretty close. The ground wire was solid and clean; inside the headlight bucket looks solid and everything's connected; the battery's charged. I keep coming back to the ignition switch as the problem...When I turn the key to the "P" (parking lights?) position, the tail light works like it should. But when the key is in the on position, everything on the bike is dead. When all this started, we were able to at least get power to the lights by jiggling the key a little bit (I can't get that to work now). Also, one of the guys who stopped to help last weekend commented on the amount of play in the ignition switch. I don't notice a lot of play in it, but maybe it's because I'm just used to it that way?? Anyway, I've pulled the ignition switch, and the wires look good as far as I can see them. What are the odds of the switch itself being bad? And is there a way I can test it to confirm that it's the problem?

Thanks,

Will

You could always drown the switch in WD-40 in hopes that it's just a corroded contact. And while it's not so common, they do go bad internally, making it a booger to diagnose. You can go to the service manual schematic and test the switch by checking the continuity between the pins when the switch is engaged but that won't confirm the current carrying capability (and that may indeed be the culprit). With the switch on, grey should connect to brown, orange to red/white and red/yellow to green. The parking position connects brownn, orange, & red/white. I wouldn't rule out a poor contact at fuse 5 either.

Will, I would give you some advice but electris aint my strongest category.
My advice is to listen to Ed and some of the others around here who are very knowledgeable about these issues.

If it turns out to be the switch I'm pretty sure I have a spare in my workshop complete with two keys and harness.
I could hook you up with it if you let me ride the Daytona for the weekend

Just kiddin' I'll let you have it " if you really need it"
Good luck sorting this thing out. I've had a gremlin in my charging system for 2-3 years. Every so often it comes out and bites me.
Mike

Well, after all this, it seems like Lazyrider nailed it and the battery was the problem all along. Not expecting it to work, I pulled the battery from the Daytona, hooked it up to the Speedmaster, and (to borrow Glazer's Georgia line) it started right the f#@k up!

I returned the five-month-old battery to the store, the kid behind the counter checked it and said it was bad, and they replaced it at no charge. I got everything back on the bike, and it's running just fine so far. Not that I trust my voltage-meter-reading skills anymore, but with the motor running the battery's reading just under 15 volts. I think that means my charging system is working, right?

Thanks for everybody's help. It felt good to get it all back together and get in a short ride yesterday. Now I can focus on getting tires for the Daytona...

Will

This sounds IDENTICAL to what I posted over here:

http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/forums/...ge=0#Post354976

Hrm. Guess it's time for a new battery... hey, at least it's an easy fix, right?

I'll let you know how it goes. Hopefully this will do the trick. (My battery is 3-5 years old, tho, so it makes more sense.)

--Jaeger

You could also double check with another meter.
Hey Will!