Topic: Help!! Bike quit while riding, now no power.

[scottly]

Do you also have the same voltage on the Black wire ( Ign. still 'on' ) ?

1+ It's easiest to measure at the regulator under the left side-cover. If you have 12V on the black reg wire with the key on, it rules out the fuse and the ignition switch.

[aaverett]

Great !... now with the ign. switch 'on' do you have 12v ( or whatever your battery volts are ) at the Red wire @ ign. switch ( meter set on D.C. volts, lowest setting above 12v ) ? Do you also have the same voltage on the Black wire ( Ign. still 'on' ) ?

Putting the red probe on the red wires solder (on rear of ignition switch) and grounding the black probe to the frame with the ignition on and it set to 50 DC volts, I got no reading -- same when I placed it on the black solder (on rear of ignition switch). Does this indicate my ignition switch is bad? I am going to feel dumb if that is the case. :/

[scottly]

What voltage do you read at each end of the installed fuse, with the black probe grounded?

[aaverett]

Do you also have the same voltage on the Black wire ( Ign. still 'on' ) ?

1+ It's easiest to measure at the regulator under the left side-cover. If you have 12V on the black reg wire with the key on, it rules out the fuse and the ignition switch.

Assuming the regulator is the little box with the green/white/black sticker on the side, then no - I got no v reading off the black wire. Basically, I haven't gotten a voltage reading anywhere on the bike except from the + battery terminal. Bad ignition switch?

[Spanner 1]

Fuse !!... fuseholder!.....
Got 12v @ the main fuse ( 15A ) ? At the Red wire that comes from the starter relay ??

[lucky]

There are many ways to trouble-shoot a problem; all may be correct, but not where mixed. I prefer to initially make voltage, rather than continuity tests, especially with the type of issue presented here. You have already wasted money buying a battery you may have not needed, due to some dubious advice...

You cannot diagnose electrical problems without a solid source of 12 volts so the battery is not a waste.

[lucky]

The next test i would do is to take the main fuse out and see if I have 12v at the fuse holder.

Turn the meter to 12V range and put one probe one each end of the place where the main fuse would contact the fuse holder.

[lucky]

The next test i would do is to take the main fuse out and see if I have 12v at the fuse holder.

Turn the meter to 12V range and put one probe one each end of the place where the main fuse would contact the fuse holder.

Also see if the horn or headlight works.

[aaverett]

Fuse !!... fuseholder!.....
Got 12v @ the main fuse ( 15A ) ? At the Red wire that comes from the starter relay ??

I am assuming I am supposed to remove the fuse from the holder and stick the red prong inside of each end of the fuse holder while grounding with the black?.. with the ignition on? Sorry, I am not quite sure what you mean. Doing what I mentioned above, I got a 12v reading on the side closest to the battery but not on the other.

[Spanner 1]

Even with a crappy battery that only shows say 10v with the ign. 'on', that 10v must be present on both sides of the fuseholder .... no scenario presented yet that would warrant a new battery and sad that folks would 'jump in' with such a  diagnosis  with NO proof.... well , I guess it's all good for the economy 

[Spanner 1]

OP... please leave the fuse in the fuseholder...with the Black meter lead on the battery - ( Neg. ), touch the Red lead to each side of the main fuse... what does the meter say ?

[aaverett]

OP... please leave the fuse in the fuseholder...with the Black meter lead on the battery - ( Neg. ), touch the Red lead to each side of the main fuse... what does the meter say ?

The smallest voltage above what my battery is on my meter is 50 and it's reading at 52 (on both sides of the fuse) on the DC line..

[Spanner 1]

Bra'... if your meter was reading 52v with your meter set @ 50v then the needle would be mashed against the right-hand end of the scale !
Explain again the reading with the Red probe touched to each side of the main fuse, por favor....

[aaverett]

Duh! I'm an idiot. It's reading at 12. I just needed to figure out how to read the meter. Sorry! haha Thanks for the help/patience. First time using one of these suckers.

[Spanner 1]

Great!.. 12v both sides of the main fuse... progress... hang in there 
Now, turn the ign. 'on' and read the voltages , just like before, on each side of the main fuse ....

[aaverett]

12v on both sides of the main fuse with the ignition on.. red probe against fuse, black probe on - battery terminal.

[Spanner 1]

Great!... do you see where were going here ?... red wire from fuse ( it's got good 12v on it , as reported by you )....red with 12v goes up to the ign. switch, so red @ ign. switch should have 12v. Right ?

[aaverett]

No voltage on red wire at the ignition switch. I put the black probe on the (-) terminal and against the main fuse with no v reading to the red wire solder on the back of the ignition switch.

I just pulled the ignition switch (square) connector from underneath the tank apart and tried to test the red wire voltage using the same method and got nothing... I don't know if that's correct but it seemed logical.

[scottly]

One side of the main fuse is connected to the red wire that supplies power to the ignition switch. If you have 12V on both sides of the fuse, but not at the ignition switch (with the connector for the switch plugged in), check the back side of the fuse panel for a bad connection of the red wire. No volts at the black reg wire means no power is leaving the switch. 

[scottly]

no scenario presented yet that would warrant a new battery and sad that folks would 'jump in' with such a  diagnosis  with NO proof.... well , I guess it's all good for the economy 

1+, except it's not good for aaverett's economy. 

[aaverett]

One side of the main fuse is connected to the red wire that supplies power to the ignition switch. If you have 12V on both sides of the fuse, but not at the ignition switch (with the connector for the switch plugged in), check the back side of the fuse panel for a bad connection of the red wire. No volts at the black reg wire means no power is leaving the switch.

So the red wire's current is going to the ignition switch from the battery and the black wire is returning that current from the ignition switch to all the *#^@ down there that makes it run and then back to the battery.. essentially?

[scottly]

Assuming the regulator is the little box with the green/white/black sticker on the side, then no - I got no v reading off the black wire. Basically, I haven't gotten a voltage reading anywhere on the bike except from the + battery terminal. Bad ignition switch?

Correct, the little box with the green/ white/ black sticker/ wires is the regulator. The black wire is the input to the reg, from the ignition switch, which is fed from the main fuse. The green wire is ground, and the white wire is the output from the reg to the alternator field coil.   

[scottly]

One side of the main fuse is connected to the red wire that supplies power to the ignition switch. If you have 12V on both sides of the fuse, but not at the ignition switch (with the connector for the switch plugged in), check the back side of the fuse panel for a bad connection of the red wire. No volts at the black reg wire means no power is leaving the switch.

So the red wire's current is going to the ignition switch from the battery and the black wire is returning that current from the ignition switch to all the *#^@ down there that makes it run and then back to the battery.. essentially?

Yes.

[aaverett]

Well... I reconnected the ignition switch plug and was checking the volts from the black wire and noticed the lights were on.. I hit the start button for a sec and it worked!.. I have no idea what did it but she's alive!! haha For now.. :S What could have caused that? I unplugged and replugged basically all of the large connections I could find, so I don't really know what caused it. :S Any thoughts?

[scottly]

Dirty connectors that were "cleaned" by unplugging and re-plugging the large connectors is a possibility.  Glad you got it fixed, at least for the time being. If the issue returns, you now have an idea of where to look. Past my bedtime.. yawn... g'nite...