• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

I think I killed My Motorcycle (Battery Arcing aftermath)

  • Thread starter Thread starter David-Z
  • Start date Start date
D

David-Z

Guest
I must start by saying that I am an idiot. I was doing work (Carbs) on the bike for the off-season, and I left my battery in the bike. I initially had it covered in a towel, but took it off to wipe my hands for a different project. Long story short, I never put it back and the Fuel Gauge arm arc'ed off my positive and negative terminals. This caused the fuel gauge wires to fry instantly as well as the ground to the frame that comes off of the same loom. I remember having stator issues and disconnecting this ground as a "check this first" type of thing. I cleaned up the mess as best as I could and cut / the dead wires out and capped off the ends (as I figured I would just go without a gas gauge). Whelp, got the carbs back on yesterday as well as the fuel tank and everything connected. Turn the key, and there is power. I have the oil light and the neutral light. but no headlight. Looking at the head light, it might be burned out as it is a little dark (but I can not really tell, but easy and cheap enough to replace). Things are looking positive at this point, but when I go to hit the electric start, I get nothing. It has been a winter since I have ridden, so I made sure to check the Kill/Run switch, and that it is in the right position, but still nothing. For what I know about electricity and electrical systems, which is next to nothing, is that if you do not know what you are doing, is to not do anything at all and have someone who knows what they are doing help. Can anyone think of something that I am missing? If I should replace the whole harness? Fix what is currently wrong? Push it off a cliff? I just want to kick myself in the ass for not taking the battery out in the first place.

Thanks every one!!!!
 
Just remember you are the first person to screw up.

The tank on one of my bikes has a nicely rounded dent that matches perfectly with top rail on the side of a uHaul trailer.
 
A good place to start is to check your earth wires, try running a wire from the negative terminal to the mounting screw of the starter solenoid, see if it clicks and cranks the motor. Do things like the horn/indicators work, and do the neutral lights dim significantly when you press the switches?
 
@ tom203 - I have no idea how to use a multimeter. When I look at it it looks like Hebrew? Are there tutorials in the interweb that a layman can understand?

@tatu - unfortunately my turns, horn, hi-beams are not working as of last season. And now the head light isn't working (possibly because of the arc... I don't know yet). The neutral light and fhe oil light have not been effected to the best of my knowledge (will look more closely soon). I'll try the negative to the starter trick though.
 
If you were closer I'd offer to come over and help. Unless someone else can step up, you'll just have to study, work through it and come back with questions. (And don't get discouraged, all of us here once knew nothing about motorcycle electrical systems. It's totally learn...able.)

If you don't have a multimeter, go down to Harbor Freight, buy whatever multimeter they have for $10-$30 and then hit YouTube. Search for "How to use a multimeter" and watch a few videos there. Then follow the test procedures in your factory service manual to help narrow down the problem.

First thing I would do, however, is make 100% sure all of your electrical connections are clean and tight. Go over the whole harness. I had several issues with my 850 and simply cleaning the connectors fixed all of them at once.
 
Another vote for checking your fuses. Do you have a test light? Do you have a friend that might be able to help?
 
Don't be so hard on yourself. Prob just a blown fuse or two. Stay on this site and you will learn a lot from these guys. I sure have in the last 6 years.
 
Most multimeter manuals explain how-to-use decently. Sounds like you had electrical problems last season- unfortunately they didn't go away!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top