Electrical issues?

[Cutty72]

Ok so I came back last night after a ride, and as I was parking my bike, it just died on me. Turned the key off, then on again and it fired right up. Ran for about 10 seconds, then died again. Both times when it died, the headlights went out also.
After it died the second time, the fuel pump no longer kicks in, headlights don't come on, and I get nothing at the starter button.

All the fuses are good and the battery is new. I'm going to pull the EBR ECM and put the stock one back in after class today and see if that helps. If not, I'm at a loss...

Any ideas? Sadly I left my repair manual at home, and I have limited tools. Any help is appreciated!

[Cutty72]

Culprit seems to be loose/broken wiring on the ignition switch. Have to get those fixed up, and then give them more room to move to hopefully eliminate further issues.

[Cutty72]

Well I got it soldered back together. One wire was completely broken off, and another was about half way there.
I don't have a grinder or dremel with me as I'm away from home. (picked up a cheap soldering iron at home depot) so I just pulled as much of the wires as I could up above the stay. It seems to work, no more pulling on the wires from the ignition, but we'll see how it works as I put miles on it.
For now, I'm just glad that I'm mobile again and was able to fix it myself in the parking lot!

[njchopper87]

Nice repair and detective work! The only thing I'd be able to do in that situation is curse at anything and everything that moves (and doesn't move) until I could get a hold of someone knowledgeable.

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by njchopper87

Nice repair and detective work! The only thing I'd be able to do in that situation is curse at anything and everything that moves (and doesn't move) until I could get a hold of someone knowledgeable.

I got a little help from the pros on the Buell site, so I can't take all the credit on the detective work. I did do the repair on my own though, so that was all me!

[marko138]

Strong work.

[No Worries]

Except for flat tires and a cracked fuel hose, I can't think of any problem I've had on a motorcycle that wasn't electrical. I used to use an analog voltmeter, but digital voltmeters are half the price, size and weight. I carry mine all the time. It can tell you what wire, what connection, or what component is faulty.

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by No Worries

Except for flat tires and a cracked fuel hose, I can't think of any problem I've had on a motorcycle that wasn't electrical. I used to use an analog voltmeter, but digital voltmeters are half the price, size and weight. I carry mine all the time. It can tell you what wire, what connection, or what component is faulty.

- broken drive belt
- leaking clutch cylinder
- blown fork seal

Originally Posted by marko138

Strong work.

Thanks.

[marko138]

I keep staring at my original 05 battery and wondering I want to press my luck and try to get another year out of it. I'm leaning toward not.

[Cutty72]

Yeah, I replaced mine this year. If I could keep it on the tender all the time when parked, it was ok. Down here, I can't, and I hate getting stranded on the bike, as it's damn near impossible to push start this pig!