zx6r elelctrcal problem (dash on the fritz) | GTAMotorcycle.com

zx6r elelctrcal problem (dash on the fritz)

wikeke

Well-known member
Hi all,

My 08 zx6r had some electrical problem for the first time yesterday, I'll explain...(sorry for the long post)

- bike was fine on friday night, went for a ride, then parked it in the garage...there was no indication of anything wrong.
- yesterday, started the bike and let it warm up, again there was no indication of any problems.
- was letting it warm up, and had it idling for about 30 seconds... but had to run in the house, so turned the ignition off and took the key out.
- came back out a minute later, put the key in and turned to ON position...but all of a sudden the dash lights would not turn on.
- I double check everything, to make sure I didn't miss something, but when I turn the key to the ON position, nothing happens.

- I tried a few times turning the ignition from OFF to ON postion, but nothing changes, the dash lights still don't turn on.
- I kept trying this, and finally got the dash to light up, but it was very faint and slow...it definitely did not look normal.
- also there were some weird faint electronic clicking noises as if the bike was trying to go through it's startup routine.

- after awhile of turning the key from OFF to ON, I finally got the dash lights to turn on properly and everything seemed normal.
- the bike did it's initial prep. and was ready to go...or so it seemed.
- but when I pressed the start button, the dash lights immediately flicker and then go very dim with NEUTRAL indicator still flashing...(no sound from starter motor)
- this went on many times, I'd put the key to ON position, bike preps up as normal, then when I press the starter button - nothing, and the dash lights dim.
- btw, everytime the dash dimmed, I noticed when I'd flick the kill switch from OFF to ON, the time would reset.

- I decided to try bump start it, and after a few attempts, finally got the bike to start!...went up and down the street with no issues.
- got back to my driveway and turned the bike off, hoping that I could start it again with no issues...unfortunately, the above scenario happened again.
- so after bump starting the bike again, I decided to go for a longer spin around the block.
- I was thinking if it was a battery issue, then this longer spin around the block would help charge the battery.

- everything seemed normal for about 10 minutes of riding.
- midway through the ride, I stopped on the side of the street (to remove a large construction cone on the road, didn't want it to cause issue for other riders)
- I made sure to leave the bike on, just in case...i got back on the bike, and that's when the problems started.

- all of a sudden , all the digits on the dash start flashing (the dash was still lit, but all the info such as speed, time and temperature was flashing on and off)
- the whole dash was on the fritz!,
- then the tachometer would redline and back to zero by itself (my throttle was constant, so it was not me causing it)
- the dash lights were on the whole time, but all info flashed on and off, and the tachometer kept redlining and back to zero

- fortunately i wasn't too far, and was able to baby it back home....all the while, the dash was going crazy and the bike was sputtering and wanted to die.
- I was a block away from home, and finally the bike died while I was in gear stopped at an intersection ....I walked it home the rest of the way.

It's frustrating and scary...and I guess it was a good thing this happened close to home and not at the other side of town.
Well, thanks for taking the time to read...anyone have any idea what the problem could be?
 
Happens all the time with the 03/04 ZX6R I have maybe 4-5 gauges from that generation that flicker on/off

Its a loose connection at the back of the guage where harness plugs in usually
 
I would start at the battery. I had one fail, similar signs, everything was a little off but when the start button was hit, nothing, this was after riding to a store, going inside and coming out dead. It had 12 volts but no current. The battery was 3 years old and was going to change it. You can take it into Canadian tire and they will load test it free of charge. They don't last more than 3 years I find. You can still bump start a dead bike but you may have issues like you mentioned.
 

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