wont go

[60stonuptype]

Here's todays technical question.........

I just came back from a 200  mile run in North Carolina.  It rained for the last 150 of the 200 miles.  The bike ran faultlessly.  I stopped outside of my garage and shut off the engine.  I opened the garage door and remounted to ride inside, but the engine wouldn't start.  When I turned the ignition on, the riding lights and all of the ignition, generator lights etc. came on.  I pushed the starter button and the motor spun over, fired, but only ran for a second or two.  I turned off the ignition and repeated the procedure two more times.  On the forth attempt, only the riding lights came on and the starter was dead.  No ignition light.  The batteray is brand new, purchased and installed this morning prior to the run.

Any ideas would be gratefully received


Many thanks in advance

Brian

[John Stenhouse]

Try some WD40 in the clutch detent switch and the side stand switch, could be a little water in either of those.

[rf9rider]

Also have a look at the plug between ignition switch and wiring loom, might be damp or corroded, used to be a common fault on previous Yamahas i owned, give it a squirt of WD40 or similar.

[jwray76]

Be sure to check the battery too. Just since you have a new battery doesn't mean that it is getting charged by the alternator. May have been the reason you needed a new battery in the first place.

[Bixxer Bob]

+1 on JWRAY.  Hate looking at doom and gloom, but it could be it's you charging system that's at fault, not  the battery you just junked.

Simple enough to check though :) Charge your battery, start the bike and put a voltmeter across the terminals, you should have at least 13.5v, ideally 14.7 (although I never see that on mine - only about 13.5).

If you don't have a voltmeter, you can pick up a cheap multimeter for around £5.

[outrunner]

Charge your battery, start the bike and put a voltmeter across the terminals, you should have at least 13.5v, ideally 14.7 (although I never see that on mine - only about 13.5).

What, no voltage fix?  :(  


Andy.

[60stonuptype]

Thanks for all of your swift replies guys.  It's great to have access to so much experience.

I let the bike dry out overnight, took the battery out and did a load test (results ok), wiggled the electrical connection to the clutch lever (how does that come out, pull?, twist and pull?) cleaned and freed up the side stand switch, put it back together and the ignition light came on and the abike started.  Having broken the basic rule of diagnosis (doing one thing at a time), I don't know what actually fixed the problem so it might well happpen again.

Thank you all so much for your collective wisdom.

[iansoady]

Charge your battery, start the bike and put a voltmeter across the terminals, you should have at least 13.5v, ideally 14.7 (although I never see that on mine - only about 13.5).

What, no voltage fix?  :(  


Andy.

That's what struck me. After doing the voltage fix, mine's well over 14V at anything above idle.

[NKL]

What model are we talking about?

[60stonuptype]

It's an 06 955 Tiger

[NKL]

I doubt its the charging system, it doesn't sound as though it had any trouble turning the engine over to start with. I would have said side stand switch but the non ignition light doesn't make sense. Do you still have the holes in the rear mudguard, did water get at the ECU or fuse box.

[Bixxer Bob]

Charge your battery, start the bike and put a voltmeter across the terminals, you should have at least 13.5v, ideally 14.7 (although I never see that on mine - only about 13.5).

What, no voltage fix?  :(  


Andy.

It's all relevant - the numbers I gave are at the gauge on the dash, not at the battery.  Voltage drop (if there is one) could be down to any one of many reasons.  Not bothered enough to look - I just keep an eye on it when I'm riding; as long as the battery is charging I'm happy.

[60stonuptype]

This is where I show my ignorance.  What's a voltage fix???