Electrical Problem, new harness, problem still there

[the mole]

daliumong, listen to Bill!!!!!




Bill, do you think it would help to run the orange/blue wire from the sidestand relay direct to the battery (via a fuse) and see what happens? This would bypass the sidestand relay and the ignition switch and maybe help the diagnosis.

I'm an old fart who in the old days used to have to remember to put the stand up before riding off, that whole 'foolproof' system seems like a lot of extra complication and opportunity for electrical gremlins!

[sledge]

No need...... just pull the relay from its plug, short one of the orange cables with the orange/blue cable. Its out of circuit then and if the problem goes away it proves the relay is faulty, if it doesnt go away the problem is somewhere else 

[daliumong]

soo wierd, i put the new battery in today and then started it, and the bike ran fine.... the problem completely dissapeared

two days ago i did the wd40 in the ignition, and on the way back from buying the battery, i noticed that the turn signal would phase in and out of wild and regular when i had it on. Towards the end of the trip back home, the turn signal was almost entirely normal..

so i think it might have been the wd-40 in the ignition trick that did it


i'm still concerned though, probably because i don't understand fully what the wd-40 did. Did it somehow make the connection inside my ignition better? is it a temporary fix? i don't know what to think about it or if it was even the thing that solved the electrical problem

[daliumong]

a side note, i tested the sidestand relay anyways from the old and the new harness and they seemed to work fine, i really dont want to rest on the problem because it seemed to go away so sneakily, but then again, the problem did sort of appear out of nowhere as well...

[sledge]

i put the new battery in today and then started it, and the bike ran fine.... the problem completely dissapeared

so i think it might have been the wd-40 in the ignition trick that did it

errrmmm........why not put the old battery back in see what happens, or get it load tested. At the same time check the bikes charging system.

[daliumong]

i put the new battery in today and then started it, and the bike ran fine.... the problem completely dissapeared

so i think it might have been the wd-40 in the ignition trick that did it

errrmmm........why not put the old battery back in see what happens, or get it load tested. At the same time check the bikes charging system.

when you mean load tested, you mean load test the old battery?

[Paulcet]

Yeah.  Load test the old battery.  And check the charging system.

[fred]

i put the new battery in today and then started it, and the bike ran fine.... the problem completely dissapeared

so i think it might have been the wd-40 in the ignition trick that did it

errrmmm........why not put the old battery back in see what happens, or get it load tested. At the same time check the bikes charging system.

when you mean load tested, you mean load test the old battery?

Load testing is something a store can do for you. They hook the battery up to a machine that puts a load on the battery and measures the result. Most places will do it for free, figuring they'll sell you a battery if the one you bring in is bad... It is worth doing. Also, check your charging system. If your charging system isn't working right, you'll kill the new battery and start having problems again.

[bill14224]

Weak battery or bad ignition switch contacts = weak ignition = nothing but headaches.  See?  DO THE EASY STUFF FIRST! 

Your old battery has a dead cell, so it was keeping your ignition voltage low.  This also explains why your turn signals were blinking like crazy.  If the voltage to the signal relay is low, it will blink faster because the charge/discharge cycle which actuates the relay on and off takes less time because it's charging to a lower voltage, hence less time to complete the cycle.  Spraying WD-40 into the ignition switch at least once a year is good preventive maintenance.  After all, rain falls into it.

Keep this in mind in the future:  Japanese motorcycles are high quality, and the GS 500 is one of the most reliable Japanese bikes ever made.  You are riding the Toyota Corolla of motorcycles.  If you don't flog it, keep the chain oiled, change the oil and filters regularly, it will last and last. 

Motorcycle batteries also don't last more than a few years.  It's normal to replace a battery every 3-4 years.  I've never gotten more than 4 years out of one, although others have told me they've gotten up to 10 years out of one.. I don't believe them! 

Send cookies to:

William Hoffman
835 Center Road
West Seneca, NY  14224

[bill14224]

I'm glad we put this one to bed.  One more thing.  I don't have to tell you to find a new shop, do I?  There must be hundreds of bike shops in L.A.  Any "mechanic" who can't diagnose a weak battery and/or poor ignition switch in seven hours should be beaten with a torque wrench! 

[daliumong]

Weak battery or bad ignition switch contacts = weak ignition = nothing but headaches.  See?  DO THE EASY STUFF FIRST! 

Your old battery has a dead cell, so it was keeping your ignition voltage low.  This also explains why your turn signals were blinking like crazy.  If the voltage to the signal relay is low, it will blink faster because the charge/discharge cycle which actuates the relay on and off takes less time because it's charging to a lower voltage, hence less time to complete the cycle.  Spraying WD-40 into the ignition switch at least once a year is good preventive maintenance.  After all, rain falls into it.

Keep this in mind in the future:  Japanese motorcycles are high quality, and the GS 500 is one of the most reliable Japanese bikes ever made.  You are riding the Toyota Corolla of motorcycles.  If you don't flog it, keep the chain oiled, change the oil and filters regularly, it will last and last. 

Motorcycle batteries also don't last more than a few years.  It's normal to replace a battery every 3-4 years.  I've never gotten more than 4 years out of one, although others have told me they've gotten up to 10 years out of one.. I don't believe them! 

Send cookies to:

William Hoffman
835 Center Road
West Seneca, NY  14224

you're going to have to wait a bit on those cookies, im coming up on finals week and [edit]stuff[/edit] (haha i didn't realize mods came around and checked for this kind of stuff) starts getting serious on campus, i'll probably make them and ship them off during my spring break, but i'm sure you wont mind. thanks again for all the help btw

[bill14224]

By all means, school comes first.  I'm big on education, so GET OUT OF HERE AND GO STUDY! 

[jwgeorge]

I have the same problem as this young man had!
I am going to try the WD-40 and see what happens.
WD-40 in the ignition switch is probably a good regular maintenance item, since they catch rainwater.
I'll give it a try and if not, then start working my way down Bill's list.

Thanks!

[bigfatcat]

I have the same problem as this young man had!
I am going to try the WD-40 and see what happens.
WD-40 in the ignition switch is probably a good regular maintenance item, since they catch rainwater.
I'll give it a try and if not, then start working my way down Bill's list.

Thanks!

Glad u bumped this thread, much good info.

WD-40 means 'Water Displacement' so I guess it chases moisture out of the electrical contacts ...

Somebody on this thread mentioned bad crimp connectors - is that like 'butt connectors' ?  And how is it possible to make a bad connection using one ?