Hi, I could do with some advise on how to cure my bike. The engine was running perfectly and then it died at about 70mph. Plenty of fuel. It would not start again. Lots of battery life. Everything else seamed to work ok. I have got it back home now. I haven,t got any fault codes showing. I have released the bracket that has the ECU and relays mounted. Visually checked relays and fuses. Ignition on, all is normal, healthy voltage and the pump primes. When I press the starter, the solenoid clicks, clutch moves a small amount and then another click of the solenoid follows. Voltage then shows LO. I was expecting to see a connector problem or burnt wiring but I haven't spotted anything obvious. Earth contacts look ok. What should I check next?
If your solenoid clicks and the engine doesn't turn then the most common course is ether a low battery or a poor connection at worst a bad starter, but as you were riding the bike and it suddenly died I would start looking at connections or relays, from my experience when they die while riding due to a bad battery it isn't instant, the bike starts missing and popping for a while gradually getting worse. Steve
The battery is in good condition and there was plenty of electrical power. Would a faulty engine speed sensor not create an error code and allow the engine to start? I have looked at connections and relays. Should I be doing some kind of electrical test on them as well? The power loss was absolutely instant with no problems before hand. Both earth straps look visually ok to me. Will all the other electrics still run alright if there is an earth problem? How do I check the leads to see if they are faulty? Thanks
this turned out to be earth cable apparently and the symptoms are just as you describe, but still unusual the way that yours stopped suddenly unless it's actually fractured. I remember from checking cars you could get someone to touch the bolted junction/terminal while you cranked/attempted to crank as it would get hot and very quickly if it was failing/going open circuit. : -
To check the earth leads you could use one half of a set of jump leads and try from earth on battery to frame , footrest or starter motor earth etc.
Ok, so that's positive on battery to foot rest. That is straight forward. How are other earth leads checked that you mention?
tried the negative to footrest and it didn't make any difference. I noticed that the battery terminals and wiring by the terminals were getting hot. Is this normal?
If the terminals are getting hot then there is a big drain on the battery. Think you need an auto electrician to check it out .Sounds like the starter is faulty but that wouldnt account for it to stop whilst riding it.
Stop and stand away from the machine. Get an expert, you could cause more problems. The sort of questions being asked indicate a lack of basic electrical understanding.
The current situation and his resistance to absorb the knowledge being offered things could heat up quickly, and with no one in charge well ..ohm..it could dissipate into a shocking situation.
