electrical weirdness | GTAMotorcycle.com

electrical weirdness

bigpoppa

Well-known member
Every now and then I have this issue, after a long ride, i'll pull over to take a break or shoot the **** with the boys at the usual water holes(forks, hockley etc)

I'll shut the bike off at the ignition(not kill switch usually), after a half an hour or so, I'll be getting ready to head out, ill turn the key to on and the dash wont light up.

I'll have to fiddle around a bit, this usually entails rocking the bike back and forth and shifting up and down, and the dash lights up, bike starts ok, and I go on my merry way,yesterday nothing worked so I was getting ready to do the running jump start, and just as I moved the bike around to find a clear runway to do the jump start, the dash light up and the bike started right up.

I thought it was a bad battery, this morning I pulled the multimeter and checked, the battery reads 12.8v, it starts up just fine, sits at around 13v idling, and at 5000 rpms it sits at just above 14v (14.03 or something) which is what the manual says is the normal output from the charging system

I should add it always starts right up cold in the garage, its only after I've been riding for a bit, and i've taken a bit of a break this happens, or if I stall somewhere


I have a bad habit of leaving the key in the ignition, in the off position if im just chilling by the bike or talking to someone(standing 6+ ft apart), I wonder if this could be causing it?

I also have a little watch on the dash that always seems to be on, comes from the factory I believe

Any thoughts?
 
What's the age and mileage of the bike? Could it be an intermittent short or loose connection?

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What's the age and mileage of the bike? Could it be an intermittent short or loose connection?

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05 fz6, 37k kms
 
Did you check the cables at the battery terminals

might be loose, take them off and clean them
 
I think you've eliminated battery and charging system as the issue. I'm going with my original theory, which sucks because it's hard to track down.
I would check the fuses as suggested. Electrical contact cleaner sprayed in all switches. If it happens again, try to be specific when you wiggle stuff around to try to isolate where the problem is. Or you can try to recreate the problem in the same way by wiggling the wiring harness around.
If there's any aftermarket electrical stuff, I'd start there


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Do you carry a lot of keys on your key ring ?
The weight can rattle the tumblers inside the ignition switch until they're only making intermittent contact.
If all else fails, follow the smoke.
 
A faulty kickstand safety switch would have no relevance to the dash not lighting up - would it?
 
like everyone else has mentioned, loose connection somewhere
start with battery connections, ground cable
could be a bad connection in a harness plug

try to move/wiggle stuff around while stationary and key on
see if you can get the cluster to turn off
being intermittent makes it a PIA

FZ6 is not bad to work on though
fairly open
 
Sure sounds like a potential ignition switch problem..
 
Has this issue only been happening since you finished your front end work? Or has this been happening over a longer time period?


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Has this issue only been happening since you finished your front end work? Or has this been happening over a longer time period?


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I hadnt ridden it before, I bought it used from the dealer, did some front end work to it, and started riding it for the first time

I intentionally tried to not remove anything unnecessarily, and kept all the wiring intact and connected(instrument cluster, and other wires)
They were all resting on a chair near the bike while the work was being done
 
When you stall, does the dash go out?
 
Oh look, it's a Yamaha with an electrical problem. Never happens. But srsly, it sounds like you either have an ignition box that is acting up or you have a loose connection somewhere. Likely in an area that heats up causing the metals to expand and create the problem. Don't we have another FZ on here with an electrical problem? Look for anything labelled Mitsubishi, the modern equivalent of Lucas.
 
I’d start with cleaning the ignition switch wiring connection. While you’re in there, check the switch for continuity with your multimeter. Also, with the key switch in the on position, jiggle the key a bit and see if continuity stays constant or not to verify if the switch contacts are worn.

Also, as suggested, check and clean all other wiring connections. Pay attention that the female connections are tight.

Make sure all wiring is routed correctly and away from the motor.


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.... check the switch for continuity with your multimeter. Also, with the key switch in the on position, jiggle the key a bit and see if continuity stays constant or not to verify if the switch contacts are worn.
...
(y)
Meter check voltage before and after the switch,
resistance check through the switch or anything else when it is disconnected from the circuit, set your meter very sensitive so that it can detect a small resistance in the device, you are not simply testing for make or break. Smell the switch :/ if it has resistance or loss of continuity in operation that will either result in heat from resistance or arcing, you can smell electrical arcing.
 
A very similar problem in an Accord. Started out exactly the same. (Got worse.....car started to die, randomly while driving) I was wiggling and giggling the key / tumbler, and anything else I could think of. Battery was perfect.
Long story short, DRL module was full of ****** solder joints and was causing the trouble. (I found that on my googler) I removed it, cracked it open, re-soldered every connection, put it back together and the problem went away.

OP, I'd start by squeezing wd40 into the key tumbler, followed by some dupont multi use. Can't hurt, may just fix the issue.
 
Not a bad battery, it would present differently.

Not a kickstand switch. That just kills the ignition, not all the power. Ditto kill switch - wouldn't kill the dash too.

Next time it happens you need to methodically work through things until you find the one thing that suddenly fixes things. It may involve wiggling wiring harnesses and bundles, the ignition switch, and battery wires until things light up.

That aside, when it happens, do things like your trip meters, clock settings, etc get wiped, or retained? If they're being lost it would be indicative of a complete loss of power from the battery, IE a loose cable. Don't forget that the negative cable where it connects to the frame and any electrical junctions is just as important as the positive, so check everything, especially the frame connection. If trip meters and clock settings are being retained, the problem is somewhere upstream - ignition switch would be highly suspect at that point.
 

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