On a Death Valley group ride last weekend, my 2006 'A' suddenly experienced a total loss of electrical power. The failure was instant and total. No early warning signs. Had I been passing a series of cars or... it would have been nasty. Just instant and total failure.Two hours of troubleshooting alongside the road revealed that the 'hot' wire (red) had pulled out from, separated from, the ignition switch module assembly.
This red wire still had the solder joint / switch contact intact. I haven't torn the ignition switch apart yet, but I can imagine a phenolic board held this contact point captive. On the bottom side, the wire approaches from the loom and is soldered onto, or into, a landing pad that's mechanically secured to the phenolic circuit board. The topside of this pad is in fact a contact point for the ignition switch wiper.
Long of short, the whole assembly was *easily* pulled from the switch assembly, with minimal force. It was very apparent the failure was an open, not a short. Simply hot wiring the red to the brown got power back. The two remaining wires, an interlock, required the ignition switch be placed to the run position for the bike to fire.
The cause and what you should look for? The wire loom exiting the switch was ty-wrapped in two places. The wire was 'banjo' string tight. I postulate the harness was ty-wrapped to tight from the factory, causing the red B+ wire to be under constant tension. After so much time and vibration, tension won and the circuit opened.
I would suggest that 2006 owners take a quick peek at the loom exiting the switch bottom and ensure it's not really tight. Sorry I don't have good pix, but it's really easy to see, you don't have to remove any plastic for this inspection.
Here is the best pix I have..
Edited to correct typo.
