Finally Happened -- Bike = Dead (Coma?)

[JimLor]

Mr Mesh - thanks for the directions to the ground.

Ion - explosives, and the means to safely detonate them (usually meaning when you are out of range and the other guy isn't) is surely facinating stuff.

I continue to hope for a faulty ground and that once I clean and grease it, ol' Matilda will magically come back to life. But as they say you can hope in one hand and crap in the other and guess which will fill up first....

Thanks again.

 

[Constant Mesh]

The quality of the battery connection to the engine crankcase probably has no effect on the problem you're experiencing.

Three circuits utilize that connection -- starter motor, neutral switch, and the oil level switch.

From your description the starter motor seems to be working OK. So the engine crankcase connection would seem to be adequate.

 

[dcarver]

Forgot to add that Lorie and I were out about a week or so ago and while tooling up route 1 it felt like the engine quit then immediately started again - I thought I was in too high a gear as I was accelerating (I was) and it was a lug, but now I'm pretty sure it was the harbinger of things to come.

Exactly what mine did too. Be sure to check the spider under the tank... at least eleminate that variable.

 

[turbodave_98]

I had a total ground failure due to a corroded ground connector just to the left of the triple tree under the plastic covers. My main electrical harness was replaced under YES as the wires into the harness were brittle. This was on my 06 AE. Don't fool with it, take it to the dealer. I was stranded out in the remote Death Valley desert with no cell coverage when it occured in 110 heat.

 

[JimLor]

Okay, new info to add. Bike died on Thursday and we left for vacation on Saturday. Walked in the door half an hour ago, emptied the car and then tried the bike ----- everything lit up like new! So, bike sat for 8 days and now seems to be ok.

By ok that means I'll check connections, in particular the ground, and see what happens. Any thoughts on why it might light up after sitting for a week?

 

[dcarver]

Okay, new info to add. Bike died on Thursday and we left for vacation on Saturday. Walked in the door half an hour ago, emptied the car and then tried the bike ----- everything lit up like new! So, bike sat for 8 days and now seems to be ok.
By ok that means I'll check connections, in particular the ground, and see what happens. Any thoughts on why it might light up after sitting for a week?

Sure, cause she's a tease. Wanna go ride, big boy? Sure, I'll fire up and run puuurfect in the garage.. you can trust me, really...

 

[Harald]

So what happened? Is she still sitting in the garage dead?

 

[Geezer]

I'm guessing a corroded ground connection. It could be affected by expansion and contraction of the aluminum frame. The bike sat, it cooled off, and now it works.

 

[JimLor]

Thanks for asking. I think I said I checked as many connectors and put dielectric grease in 'em. Bought a new battery but haven't put it in yet. Ol Matilda has worked perfectly since the day she miraculously came back to life! I have about 900 miles on her so far without even a burp. Might be my imagination but it does seem to run smoother since I ran thru the connections.

Let me ask about grounds and the frame. The only one I know about is from the battery to the engine block. Even though it looked like new, I still pulled it and put dielectric grease in there. What other grounds connect to the frame and where?

 

[Bounce]

Tracy - if it is the battery or poor connection, why would the engine stall but the gauges remain lit? At least until the final death of all.

i've seen sudden death of bike batteries on several bikes. turn the ignition off to refuel. turn it back on. Guages light up. Hit starter. CLICK! everything goes dead.

this one gave you some warning.

there's a reason why, regardless of how "good" the battery seems, that i swap batteries about every 3 years. on the wings it was every 2 because sure as shooting trying to stretch it to 2.5 would leave me stranded.

glad it's working again for you. nice to have the AGM battery at the ready though, eh?

 

[Harald]

Ol Matilda has worked perfectly since the day she miraculously came back to life! I have about 900 miles on her so far without even a burp.

Glad she's working. I just hate when something is miraculously fixed when I didn't find a smoking gun. It just doesn't make me very confident that it's really fixed unless I find something broken. But cleaning all the connections may have fixed the problem...... Time will tell.

 

[RadioHowie]

What other grounds connect to the frame and where?

As far as battery ground, that spot on the front of the block is it, at least on my Gen I.