Major Electrical Problem

[Spartan925]

Well, I made it almost 5 years of owning a bike before experiencing the dreaded electrical problems. I rode to work on Monday and she fired up just fine that morning, no issues whatsoever. 8 hours later I go to leave work...and she won't start. My headlight came on, but my running and tail lights were very, very dim. If I left the ignition key turned on long enough they'd get brighter, but no start. I figured the battery is somehow dead so I called roadside.

First the tow truck driver tried to jump it. She fired right up with the jump device hooked up and I got excited that it was just the battery, but the moment he removed the device, the bike turned off. Even letting it sit running for a while did nothing. So a tow home it was.

I took the battery in to Cycle Gear for a test and it tested out fine. I bought a battery tender figuring maybe it needs a charge...nope. It lit up green/fully charged within seconds of plugging it in. It's a year-old Yuasa so it being the battery would be strange.

Here's a video of what it's doing. Bike is a 2006 Honda Shadow Spirit VT1100C.


youtu.be/bzuGz_qLz40

What I couldn't get on video yet is sometimes I will let it sit, then turn on the ignition, all the lights light up full brightness. I then try the starter button and I hear a *pop* from the under-seat area and the lights go back to dim again. When I push the starter button again, the headlight turns off, but the running lights light up brighter. Letting go of the button and everything goes back to how it was (bright headlight/dim running lights) So damn weird.

Figures...the warranty just expired in March. :thumbdown

The general consensus I've gotten from a few sources seems to be "stator" which sucks because looking at my manual makes me think that is *not* an easy fix. But if it's the stator then why would she fire up fine when hooked to a jumper device? Any advice/ideas greatly appreciated.

 

[motomania2007]

If the battery is dead and the charging system is not producing anything (like it would do if the stator or regulator was bad) then as soon as you remove the added electrical power source (jumper cables or jumper box) then the engine would die because there needs to be some electricity for the engine to run the ignition, fuel injection etc.

My money is still on the battery being bad and you having a charging system failure.

When cycle gear tested the battery, did they do a load test?

If not, take it to any autozone and they can do a load test and that will tell you if you really do have a dead battery.

You can have a battery that is shot and it will give you all the symptoms you are having.

But why is it bad? Probably because the charging system has a problem. You need a cheapo voltmeter as well ($5-10 at harbor freight or walmart)

Once you install a known good battery or even connect a jumper box and get the bike running, measure the voltage on the battery terminals and with the engine 500-1000 rpm above idle, the voltage reading should be about 14v.

With the engine off it shoud be about 12.8v

 

[DanvilleDSRider]

Sounds like a bad ground ..

 

[motomania2007]

If the battery is good, you need to check all the battery cable connections. There are 6:
1) Battery +
2) Battery -
3) Starter relay end of cable from battery + to starter relay
4) Starter relay end of cable from starter relay to starter
5) Starter end of cable from starter relay to starter
6) Follow cable from Battery - to where it bolts onto the engine, usually near the starter but can be anywhere on the engine

On each cable connection clean it and make sure there is no corrosion or even any discoloration and then reconnect it tight.

Inspect all three battery cables to make sure there are no kinks in them as a kink can indicate the wire is broken inside the insulation. Had that happen on HD Sportster I owned 30 years ago.

 

[ST Guy]

First off, the electronic load testers at places like Autozone, Pep Boys, and O'Reilly are crap. You MUST use a proper old school load tester where an actual load is applied.

Second, before you try starting the bike again, make sure the battery is up to the task. Or use a jump from another battery. (Other vehicle NOT running.) And also have a volt meter hooked up to the battery as well. Then start your bike and immediately run the RPM's up to 3000 to 4000 rpm and note the voltage reading.

Report back.

 

[ST Guy]

FYI, it's not uncommon for a charging system to go on the fritz and you won't know it until you run the battery down to near nothing and it won't start the bike again. If you're lucky, the battery won't be permanently damaged and all you need to do is repair the charging system. Good luck.

 

[Spartan925]

A member in my Shadow forums had suggested a bad ground as well so I'll definitely look into that. I'll have to consult my shop manual as I'm not sure exactly where everything is besides the general location of under the seat. The irony is that it's taken me so much longer to get home in the car that I haven't had time to investigate further these last two nights. It took me an hour and a half to go 15 miles from San Ramon to Concord today. I've never wanted to try and lane split a Civic so badly before. That and a particularly energetic 1 year old make time a limited commodity.

Seeing as my time and technical ability is limited would it perhaps be prudent to have it brought into a shop? I know that will mean $$$ but I need the thing running. I'm driving my wife's car and she's been borrowing her parents' but that's a pretty temporary deal.

 

[Spartan925]

Okay now I'm really confused. After I made my last post I went out and decided I'd sacrifice a small bit of sleep to check a few things. I turned they key and the light all sort of flickered on slowly like old fluorescent lights. I tried the starter...nothing, just the popping sound and lights shutting off. Then the lights came back. I tried the starter again...


...and she started.

I turned her off. Tried it again. Started again. I had full gauges and indicators and everything.

I'm not about to put her together and ride to work but it is promising and confusing at the same time.

 

[motomania2007]

Loose/intermittent connection

There is no real need for a manual to check what I suggested. You start at the battery terminals and follow the cables.

 

[mototireguy]

Loose/intermittent connection

There is no real need for a manual to check what I suggested. You start at the battery terminals and follow the cables.

Battery cables connection snug?

 

[ST Guy]

Something's loose and arcing and sparking until a decent enough connection is made. Or not. Start at the battery and work your way through all the wiring path and components and make sure all connections are snug. And keep an eye out for black burned areas that would indicate arcing.

 

[Spartan925]

Well then I know what I'll be doing with my Friday night. Any recommendations on what to use to clean connections?

 

[motomania2007]

Well then I know what I'll be doing with my Friday night. Any recommendations on what to use to clean connections?

Wire brush is usually the best option and after you are done cleaning and tightening the terminal connections, squirt some chain lube or something like that on it to seal out the air/water and they stay clean and good connections for longer.

 

[Starpower]

And another for a funky connection. When I read of the pop you heard at one point I was pretty sure what you heard was an arc. All other symptoms point this way as well.

Good luck!