WalkThisWhey Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 Well electrical gremlins finally got the best of me - on a ride, went to fill up for gas, shut off the bike... Now it won't turn back on. I have the VFRness, and checked both of my 20 amp fuses. Looks like both are on the toaster side, though I've always kept an eye on them. Replaced both (I carry spare fuses) but nothing turns on. Clock works though. Waiting for a tow truck now, not sure I'm gonna keep this thing after I fix it. Having to constantly worry about electrical stuff is not what I need in a bike. I ride to get away and relax, not to add on new issues ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted May 14, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted May 14, 2016 Bummer. Sorry to hear that. Check that battery connections are tight too. Could be that the battery just gave it up. All bikes suffer from their electrical maladies - some more than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEGEND Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Sorry to hear about the breakdown but if it's the bikes first time stranding you that's not bad considering the thing is 12 years old. Good luck with the bike and if you decide to move on to something else there are tons of nice new machines to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer rhoderage Posted May 15, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted May 15, 2016 Check starter soleniod / connector - mine was intermittently having starting issues, lo and behold... 14 year old OEM component as far as I know. You can order the red connector piece on ebay for a few bucks now, just trim the burnt wires and reattach. I replaced my SS with a new OEM piece; pricy but if it lasts another 14 years I'm sure it was worth the $50 - I didn't feel like mine was really suitable to be cleaned and reused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFRpwr Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Sorry to hear about your electrical woes WalkThisWhey, I had(have) that concern as well so I decided to go on the offensive; installed a voltmeter in line of sight as well as opened, inspected, cleaned and insulated each metal connector in the electrical system with dielectric silicone grease (still want moisture to evaporate from the connector). Ensure the path to ground for your R/R is clean and tight, a lot of heat will be generated with a shunt R/R. A clean path to ground will likely be the source of most of the electrical issues on an older bike (my 08 is now 8 going on 9 years old) For the final safety I have a new Stator and Shindengen R/R waiting for the need. Hmmm, should get a battery lined up too. The display of the electrical system's health through voltmeter gives me confidence to range a good distance from home base. That and known clean electrical connections. Can't say enough on the confidence my voltmeter has given me - knowledge is power and confidence in your charging system when you can see how its output is doing. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duccmann Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 Also excited my bike starts every time I leave work....can you please tell me where I can find the ground connection on my 02? Always garage kept, only in the rain twice going on 6 years...first battery lasted almost 5 years. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkThisWhey Posted May 15, 2016 Author Share Posted May 15, 2016 OK a few developments... 1) Checked the started solenoid, looked good. Hit it with some contact cleaner and let it dry. 2) Took apart the right side fairing 3) Moved some wires around - ignition and fuel pump turned on, so I know it must be a connection there. 4) Then I found a burnt connector. The male end routes up directly to the key ignition, so it looks like I have to replace this. I suppose I could replace the male end that goes to the key ignition, but it looks like the female end that needs the most help. This connector looks like it is part of a larger harness, so I think the easiest thing to do is to punch the 3 other good connectors out, get a new plug, cut the bad wire off, put a new one and connector in. My question here is: is this a common problem? What could be the cause of this, and is there a better way to prevent this? Should I use OxGuard going forward on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkThisWhey Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 http://full-armor-cycle.highwire.com/product/motorcycle-4-pin-old-style-connector-set-honda-starter-relay-connector-kawasaki-suzuki Would this female plug be the right one? I'm not sure what kind of connector to replace the female end with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Forbes Posted May 16, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted May 16, 2016 This kind of thing happens in all types of vehicles, not just your model. Can you imagine the vibration a bike will put out between a thousand and ten or eleven thousand rpm? The connectors get a bit loose then arcing occurs, when arcing happens, things get hot, then more arcing etc. The dark burning/melting of the plug/plastic has taken more than one ride to get to that point. So preventative maintenance is a good save! Especially on thicker current drawing cables, possibly just unplugging and crimping female side every now and then. Those connectors come out fairly easy from the cable side, just a tab to push down. You found the problem yourself, well done, so next time you won't have to get a tow truck. Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkThisWhey Posted May 22, 2016 Author Share Posted May 22, 2016 Hi folks, I ended up fixing this - posted a bunch of pictures here. A big shoutout to CandyRedRC46 for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.