Bike not shutting off with key or kill switch | GTAMotorcycle.com

Bike not shutting off with key or kill switch

matthew

matthew

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I installed a new starter relay on my sv650 to rectify a dead bike. I installed the relay on Saturday; Sunday I went for a ride with it. I had no issues.

On Tuesday I rode to and from work. When I arrived back at my home, the bike would not shut off.

I tried using the kill switch and the key. Neither worked. Each attempt I made to shut the bike off resulted in the starter motor spinning and starting the ignition again.

I even tried to remove the main 30a fuse from the new relay with no result.

I had to disconnect the battery and the bike finally died. I noticed the positive battery terminal was loose but I don't think it is causing the problem.

I disconnected the negative battery terminal and I used a multimeter to measure voltage between the negative terminal and a bare spot on the frame. It showed about 12.5v

I've removed the fuses one by one to measure the voltage and it still showed 12.5v.

I disconnected all plugs on the wiring harness and still read 12.5v.

I'm stumped.

I assume the problem is in the new relay.

How can I diagnose this part?

Thanks
 
Not that I could tell but I'll double check it again with a cool head and more light.
 
You said you measured full battery voltage between the negative battery terminal and the frame. This sounds like your battery is shorted directly to the frame but that doesn't explain your other symptoms. Verify this by disconnecting the positive battery terminal from the electrical harness and measure the resistance between the positive battery wire (on the harness, not on the battery) and the same bare spot on the frame.


The relay that you bought, is it an OEM relay that you just plugged into the OEM socket or did you wire in a different relay?


Is the bike actually running (blipping the throttle results in an increase in engine RPM) or is the bike just turning due to the starter motor? Is the fuel pump running? If the bike is actually running, does the starter turn off or is it spinning constantly?


The second gen bikes are notorious for having problems with the ignition switch connector. If you've got a second gen bike, I would highly recommend having a look at this connector. It's in front of the airbox, mounted to the inside of the frame. It's a 4-pin connector and mine was green.
 
It's a first gen, so there's no fuel pump.

The relay is from eBay. It's an OEM replacement but not a "genuine Suzuki" part. This may be part of the issue so I'm not ruling it out. However it was fine for a few days when I first installed it. It's just the negative and positive bolts plus a connection for the wiring harness.

The starter seemed to be running when I would attempt to shut the bike off; As far as I could tell, it wasn't constantly running for the entire ride home. I was stopped at a few red lights and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

I would use the kill switch and key, the revs would drop but the starter would engage and keep the bike going.

I'm at work now; I'll double check the voltages tonight.
 
relay is fused closed. same as if you dropped a screw driver between the posts. dont trust it, I had one that would do that maybe twice a year, till it failed completely.
 
sounds like its the relay.


also, it was just replaced and new odd symptoms..so go back to that part
you can use the old relay and jump the termians and start the bike
if it turns off normally - you know its the realy.


But the other spot id check it right on top of the rad, there
is a harness that runs through there - those connectors are
exposed and cause odd issues when they short.
 
Always listen to Frekeyguy, he knows what he's talking about.

I agree with others that it's the relay. The relay has failed closed and while the bike is running, you can't tell that your starter motor is still on, but it is, and it will burn out if you leave it this way. Replace it with a quality relay and you'll be good to go.
 
He may have an underlying issue here. He replaced a failed relay and quickly had another failure. It could be an intermittent harness problem not the relays at all. Spend the time to carefully inspect the bike this time. It will quickly get expensive if there is a short.
 
Tell her a DAD joke. That will turn her off
 
GreyGhost said:
He may have an underlying issue here. He replaced a failed relay and quickly had another failure. It could be an intermittent harness problem not the relays at all. Spend the time to carefully inspect the bike this time. It will quickly get expensive if there is a short.
Click to expand...


I already found a questionable plug on the harness which will soon be replaced. I'm going over everything with a fine toothed comb

giphy.gif
 
check the green connectors on top of the rad area, its right under the frame.
 
Check to see that the starter relay contacts haven't welded together. On classic BMW K-bikes, the symptoms you describe are typical when the battery voltage is low. This low battery condition causes the starter relay to chatter (enough voltage to pull in but insufficient to hold), resulting in arc welded contacts. After that, you can't turn off the bike unless you disconnect the battery. Might be the same thing here.
 
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