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Display Mesage #78918


Electrical issue
Written by larry_n_butler on 9/12/2008 at 03:40 am

Cameron- This sounds exactly like symptoms I experienced on my ride
to Daytona Bike Week this year. At a gas stop in South Carolina,
after filling I got the same responses you described. After pushing the
bike away from the pump and checking fuses, etcetera, it seemed I got a
more promising response depending on how the key was wiggled. Voltage
at the battery seemed OK, checked with a multi-meter. Eventually it
started and I rode to a hotel across the highway. Before checking in I
tried restarting the bike and it seemed to work consistently. As I had
acquired my first cell phone for this trip, I felt bold enough to
continue, though with some trepidation. No problems the rest of the way
to Daytona. Days later while at the ABATE campground the problem came
back and persisted. The battery was now a bit lower (right around 12.0
volts as far as I recall). I'd been using the battery to run a 12v
fluorescent light in the camper and recharge my cell phone at night.
I've been using the 8 watt fluorescent light for years with no bad
results. I noticed one of the battery terminals seemed no longer
properly tight. Addressed that but he bike still would not start.
Honda Riders Club sent out a truck from the local service station to
give me a jump and that did the trick. I rode around the campground a
lot in lower gears with the headlight bulb disconnected to restore
charge. I had no more electrical issues for the rest of the trip, nor
after getting home, but I ordered a new DEKA battery. In retrospect,
I'd say: 1. I suspect the initial problem in SC was due to the battery
cable loosening up due to vibration. Possibly I did not have it as
tight as I thought when last installed. 2. I had run this battery down
to dead twice in the fall by leaving my grip heaters on overnight before
rewiring them to use the switched circuit from the battery. So perhaps
it no longer had the same capacity after being twice revived by the
battery charger. 3. I did not imagine the cell phone charger would use
significant power, but who knows? It would probably be better to set up
so that it could be charging while underway 90 PC 'Polar Cruiser"
--- In ipcrc@yahoogroups.com, "cameron19444" <cameronsmi@...> wrote:
>
> Shortly after my cross-country trip, I had a bit of an issue with
> the battery, which I believed was taken care of with use of the
> Battery Tender over the course of the next couple of days. I went
> to start the bike this morning after getting the green light on the
> Tender. I heard a quick couple of clicks and then nothing. No
> lights, no instrument lighting, nothing. Turned off the key and
> turned it back on. The instrument lighting came back on, so I tried
> ths starter again and got the same clicking and loss of lights.
> However, when I turned the key off and back on (several times) I got
> nothing.
>
> Checked the main fuse and all the minor ones that I could locate.
> All were good, though I did notice some white stuff on the contacts
> on the four-prong plug covering the main fuse. I greased the
> contacts and tried replacing the main fuse just to ensure it wasn't
> burned out but not in the visible portion of the link. Still
> nothing. Checked for loose connections and burned wiring, but found
> nothing. Tried the four-prong connector again, and the next time I
> tried the ignition switch, it lite up and I was able to start the
> bike -- I did verify that the clicking sound was the main fuse
> relay. Nothing I did after that could make the problem return, so
> I'm hoping that it was just the contacts that were in question.
>
> Anyone have this issue before and have it turn out to be something
> else. As I said, the battery was recharged fully before I started
> the whole process, so that wasn't the issue. As a matter of fact, I
> turned the bike off and restarted it a number of times. I even
> tried the kill switch and I couldn't get the problem to surface
> again.
>
> Cameron
> '97 PC800 "Chariot of Fire"
> '02 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD with Velorex 700 sidecar
>

Message Thread for message #78918