After flattening my battery by turning the key just a little bit too far past steering lock and leaving the lights on all day, I've had to replace the dead battery. When I turn the key to 'ON' now, I get a whole series of rapid clicks and flashing lights on the display, including the backlight behind the LCD itself. The clicks would indicate there's a relay problem but I haven't managed to locate it as yet. Has this happened to anyone else?
Hi, sorry to hear that....I know how frustrating/worrying electrical problems can be... Have you tried disconnecting the negative side of the battery for a few minutes and then reconnecting?
Electrical gremlins like you describe tend to be caused by the coil/injector/fuel pump relay. This pesky £1.99 part causes no end of problems due to water ingress and Verdi Gris. On your bike the relay is found to the right hand side of the battery box. You will find two relays and the rear one is the one you are after. The front relay is for the fans and I would replace that one at the same time.
It can also be caused by a poor connection. At switch on everything lights up but lthe oad from the fuel pump, coils, etc pulls more current than the connection will allow and the voltage drops so that the relay clicks off, which immediately reduces the load so everything comes on again, and off again, and on.... Are you sure that the battery cables are are fully tightened. Also, although it's a new battery it could be faulty. Connect a meter reading dc volts across it and note voltage when you turn the ignition on.
Cheers for all the suggestions so far. I'll try them out over the weekend and let you know how I get on. (I've previously had trouble with the fan, so I'm going to start with that one). Thanks again.
Neil, I had the same sort of issue after a dead battery that kept trying to start the engine when I connected the battery. After furious googling I read an article that said, as previously mentioned, the relays can latch in and not return. I then tapped the relays with a screwdriver handle(with the battery disconnected), re-connected and the bike was fine after that. Hope this helps
Thanks for all the suggestions. There's definitely something up with the relays as when I put my hand on either of them I can feel them clicking really quickly when I connect the battery and turn the key in the ignition. Tapping them unfortunately didn't help, so I'm going to order new. Accessing them isn't easy, is it? Thanks again.
Accessing anything on a Duc is not easy apart from the petrol cap The new battery is it a like for like replacement same voltage and ohms and all that ?
Yep, it's actually the original battery which I'd replaced a while back as it wasn't holding its charge very well (but not causing any of the current issues).
It's on order as I didn't have much faith in the original. I'll let you know how I get on and thanks!
While you're in there, might be worth checking the R/R connectors. Mine were well burnt out and it can be a common fault on these bikes. So for 2 mins worth of work, it's worth it.
The 'chattering relay' is typically because insufficient power ( a product of both voltage and current) is flowing through the relay's coil. Could be that the battery voltage is below the threshold required to fully activate the coil, or there is a 'high resistance joint' in the circuit somewhere which is having the effect of limiting the current flow through the relay coil. See Derricks previous post.#4. So, not necessarily a problem with the relays, but always a good idea to change them over anyway to eliminate them from the equation, and they only cost a few £'s
