Dear colleagues,

Something weird happened to my bike today. When I left home this morning everything was fine. Early afternoon I go take the bike to run an erance for my boss and when starting the bike, I hear that very weird noise, like a snap, and see some sparks coming out from the rear of the bike (I can't tell where exactly because I wasn't looking that direction). The turned the key counter clock-wise, then clockwise again in the ignition and no more power. The bike was dead. I wait a couple of minutes and tried again, the bike started. I ran my erance, started the bike again twice without problem. Came back to work, and 4 hours later went home...at least tried. Same problem, same snapping noise like a tazer...bike doesn't start, then no more power. I wait a couple of minutes, turn the key in the ignition and I get power, the speedo lights up, tried to start the engine and tazer noise again. Now I've been back at my office waiting for the towing truck to come. What could be wrong? The battery?

Yes, I Don't know much about bikes and my service manual is at home lol.

Thanks for the input!

Vinny.

 

Dunno any details, but sounds like you have a grounding problem and something is shorting out. Any loose, bare, or hanging wires around the frame anywhere?

 

Sounds like you have a short somewhere. The sound you are hearing is the main circuit breaker tripping out. Time to start shaking wires and look and listen for sparks.

 

I checked all the wires I could find. I took off the battery cover, the main circuit cover and the seat, and couldn't find anything loose...

 

Do you think it's worth taking it to the garage and have them fix it? I prefer not to spend money if I can fix it myself...

 

Is it doing it only when you are pressing the starter button? If so the problem could be in the button or the wiring between it and the starter solenoid. If sparks were coming from the rear of the bike, I would first look at all wiring around the solenoid.

 

Check connections on the starter. If it's like a car, positive goes there first. Then to other "major run" connections. You'd still have lights, horn, blinkers. but no "run".

 

Try gently tugging on all of the wires near the starter with loop type connectors. I had a wire loose inside the terminal/connector last year and similar symptoms. I found it after I had the bike hauled to a friend's house. When you just wiggle them they seem tight. Give them a slight tug and if this is your problem the wire will slide right out of the connector.
If you find this a cheap and easy fix is to remove the wire and connectors, clean them up and re-solder the connector onto the wire. I did mine on my friend's wife's stove.

 

Well guys, thanks! After reading the last comments, and because the towing truck never showed up, I went back to the bike and tried again. I looked at the wires in the front, where there is the ignition, made sure all the wires were fine. Didn't change a thing. Then I figured it's strange that I have power when I turn the key half way but that the power goes when I turn the key completely. I ended up lifting very slightly the battery while turning the ignition and it worked! The bike started again and I could go home. An hour later I got a call....from the towing company asking where the hell is my bike lol. What a bunch of idiots...they were one hour late.

What do you think I should do know to fix the bike? IT's obviously a problem of connection in the battery area.

 

Could be a loose battery cable or possibly a starter relay.