FI or Electrical?

[leftfield123]

A couple of days ago I put a set of Fiamm horns on my 07. Yesterday I went for a 140 mile ride and the gremlins hit.

1. One quick balk at start up.

2. Rode to the end of the block and it died.

3. Rode around the neighborhood for a while, starting/stopping, on/off with the ignition, no more problems.

4. Rode 60 miles to Redding, Ca. and twice it cut out for 1 or 2 seconds.

5. Made my first stop and when starting the bike, it turned over and died, no electrical on the dash.

6. Disconnected the horns and the bike started right up.

7. Went to the Big Bike Show, on/off several times, no problem (except for cagers).

8. Coming home, no problem until the last few miles, then some minor surging.

9. Got off the freeway and stopped at the end of the off-ramp, from then on for the next half mile, the bike would start okay, then act like it was dieing, I couldn't get past 2nd gear and had to keep the revs way up.

When the bike died I remembered I should have put a relay with the horns. But now what? I'm new to the FJR and don't really know where to start looking. Any ideas/help.

Greg

 

[Ignacio]

Ignition switch issue as detailed here? You didn't say whether it was one of the affect or replaced, but '07 is in the middle of that recall.

 

[kaitsdad]

Ignition switch issue as detailed here? You didn't say whether it was one of the affect or replaced, but '07 is in the middle of that recall.

Yep - what he said. Sounds like the ignition switch, followed by a ground spider problem.

And running the Fiamm horns through the stock wiring will lead to a melted horn switch.

 

[leftfield123]

A couple of days ago I put a set of Fiamm horns on my 07. Yesterday I went for a 140 mile ride and the gremlins hit.

1. One quick balk at start up.

2. Rode to the end of the block and it died.

3. Rode around the neighborhood for a while, starting/stopping, on/off with the ignition, no more problems.

4. Rode 60 miles to Redding, Ca. and twice it cut out for 1 or 2 seconds.

5. Made my first stop and when starting the bike, it turned over and died, no electrical on the dash.

6. Disconnected the horns and the bike started right up.

7. Went to the Big Bike Show, on/off several times, no problem (except for cagers).

8. Coming home, no problem until the last few miles, then some minor surging.

9. Got off the freeway and stopped at the end of the off-ramp, from then on for the next half mile, the bike would start okay, then act like it was dieing, I couldn't get past 2nd gear and had to keep the revs way up.

When the bike died I remembered I should have put a relay with the horns. But now what? I'm new to the FJR and don't really know where to start looking. Any ideas/help.

Greg

I just went out and tried the bike. It started right up but quickly died. After restarting, it seemed to run fine. Now I'm really comfobulated!

 

[Ignacio]

I just went out and tried the bike. It started right up but quickly died. After restarting, it seemed to run fine. Now I'm really comfobulated!

And how about an answer to post #2 or post #3?

 

[ionbeam]

A couple of days ago I put a set of Fiamm horns on my 07.

Please tell us more, how did you put in the Fiamm horns? What did you take off, disconnect, add and move about? Disconnect any connectors? Cut, splice or add wiring?

Your FJR has some conflicting symptoms making it hard to determine if it is electrical or fueling. In a case like this you have to ask yourself what were the last things I touched.

It would be quite a coincidence that your ignition switch would start to act up at the exact time you mess with the horns. As Kaitsdad points out, the horn *may* have provoked the ignition switch.

Do you have a volt meter? This will help unwind many mysteries.

Did you have the tank up?

If the engine fails to crank at all, this points to the ignition switch. If it cranks but doesn't start is another issue all together. Usually the inability to run strongly is fuel related, such as a pinched supply hose or vent hose. You can get a similar situation if one pair of coils is not firing. Sudden engine cutoff can be loose terminals on the battery, bad ignition switch or shorting wires. If the problem is related to the grounding connectors there is usually some weirdness with dash lights, marker lights and indicators.

With so many different things in play, back to the opening line -- so what did ya touch? Once we know this we may be able to help. In the short term, just for diagnostics, can you unplug the horns or pull the fuses and see if things change or get better? With intermittent problems your FJR may run fine right now, but may suddenly surprise you and stop later.

 

[leftfield123]

Thanks for all the replies and the information. I am grateful. I'll call the 800 number given by Ignacio in the morning and see if the switch has been changed. As for the questions posed by Alan, it was a straight unplug the old, bolt and plug on the new horns. I did nothing with the wiring. No cutting, no splicing, no new wires, and nothing done under the tank. I agree that it is quite a coincidence and that Kaitsdad may be right. I don't have a volt meter but will try to borrow one from work tomorrow. Again, I am thankful for the help given so far and hope to play it forward someday.

greg

 

[wfooshee]

May have overloaded a ground spider with the new horns if you've used them. I would bet you did, if for nothing else but just to hear their sound. If the ground spider was reaching a marginal condition, the higher load could put it over the edge.

Super-horns need to have the switch trigger a relay, with the horn current direct from the battery through an appropriate fuse.