gl1200 Posted September 12, 2010 Report Share Posted September 12, 2010 trying to help a friend , He was riding on I-71 , bike just acted like it was running out of gas , started to slow down ,then came back , done this a couple times , almost full tank of gas . finally just quit and lost all electrical even neutral lite. got it haulled home charged battery , still nothing , but if he jumps across the solenoid the motor will crank over . anyone know where to start ? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted September 12, 2010 Report Share Posted September 12, 2010 It's an electrical problem, put the hammer away.It actually sounds like a short circuit somewhere. Pull one fuse at a time, and turn the key on, to see if the fault circuit can be identified. Then try disconnecting items on the electrical harness. Like the radiator fan or horn. Things that like to short out.Overall, start looking for bad wiring somewhere. Pinched or broken or shorted to ground. Another trick is to turn the key on, and start shaking wires everywhere, to see if the neutral light comes on. Or even listen real close, since it might be a short that will pop/click when it arcs to ground.My first guess is a bad ignition switch. Try shaking the key in the ignition to see if the neutral light comes on.It's also likely that it's shorted only when the key is on. (Since the battery isn't dead already.) Only a VOM meter and tracing the circuit will know for sure, but sometimes just basic troubleshooting will find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted September 12, 2010 Report Share Posted September 12, 2010 I've had radiator fans, tail/brake lights, and points assemblies short out and shut the bike down. It happens. Another thing to check. Look at the fuses real close, one or more of them might now be blown out. (Since there's nothing now.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hue jass Posted September 12, 2010 Report Share Posted September 12, 2010 Wow, hard to say. In the first part, I started thinking pinched fuel line from not being careful lowering the tank after service. Now we're talking electrical. The battery is only used to start the bike. After that, the generator takes over all the electrical demands. After all this time the brushes may be worn in the generator and it's not charging so you're running on battery until it gives out. If the battery is bad it won't hold a charge. Generally, if you fully charge it and the voltage drops below 12.6 or 7 overnight all on it's own without any drain on it, then it's time for a fresh one. The battery is the easiest thing to test first. It really sounds like you need to check any wiring that could be chaffed. Could be an ignition switch, too. Again, wiring related. Try fiddling with the key while you're trying to start it, and if you do get it running, check voltage at the battery to see how the generator's putting out. I keep going to ignition switch. That or kickstand switch. GL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted September 12, 2010 Report Share Posted September 12, 2010 haha, kickstand switch. I always forget about those new fangled things. Check that also, if it's got one. Common failure point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gl1200 Posted September 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2010 It's an electrical problem, put the hammer away.It actually sounds like a short circuit somewhere. Pull one fuse at a time, and turn the key on, to see if the fault circuit can be identified. Then try disconnecting items on the electrical harness. Like the radiator fan or horn. Things that like to short out.Overall, start looking for bad wiring somewhere. Pinched or broken or shorted to ground. Another trick is to turn the key on, and start shaking wires everywhere, to see if the neutral light comes on. Or even listen real close, since it might be a short that will pop/click when it arcs to ground.My first guess is a bad ignition switch. Try shaking the key in the ignition to see if the neutral light comes on.It's also likely that it's shorted only when the key is on. (Since the battery isn't dead already.) Only a VOM meter and tracing the circuit will know for sure, but sometimes just basic troubleshooting will find it.He did say thet the brake ligth fuse was blown and they replaced it , I don't know if they double checked it after turning the switch back on ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted September 13, 2010 Report Share Posted September 13, 2010 He did say thet the brake ligth fuse was blown and they replaced it , I don't know if they double checked it after turning the switch back on ??That's a clue. Unplug the brake light and stuff on the back, and see if it starts and runs ok. If it's true, then find the wiring problem in the back end and fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skulls Posted September 13, 2010 Report Share Posted September 13, 2010 All those that recon said is definatly a cheap starting point but he no neautal like threw me a bit . Sounds like a burnt up stator , or reckifier regulator to me . i would cheap everything else first though cause i no these are costly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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