Had a few problems the last couple of days, seems really weird. Would really appreciate some help with the following please: After being on a longish ride once I've stopped the engine, the bike won't start up again! It cranks and cranks but doesn't spark into life. When it eventually does as soon as I take my thumb off the ignition it cuts out again. If I keep my finger on the ignition the bike carries on running and doesn't die. After switching on and off various times the bike runs fine except the front left indicator stops working and the dipped beam doesn't work!! As soon as I turn the high beam on, all indicators work fine??!! If I fiddle about with the cables going into the ignition, it starts on it's own....yep on its own! I'm lost! Could it be the rectifier or a fuse? Got home tonight after a ride and couldn't be bothered checking it over else I'd probably have kicked it over Any help most appreciated.....
Sounds like an ignition barrel problem, spray some WD down the key way, after that you would need to remove it and clean the contacts, had an RR7 cranked but did not start after a ride, was nothing more than a simple kill switch problem, what year is it.? Oh and before you kick the crap out of it your problem could only cost a few quid, once watched a mate kick the shite out of his bike after two mechanics had failed to get it going, dent in the tank, scuff to rear etc etc,,, when they had all gone I disconnected the kill switch and it fired straight up....lol shame he now needed a tank and tail....lol
Thanks for the reply Arthur. Would the kill switch affect the lights in that way at all? Just seems weird how the lights go all haywire.
Ah you mean when you take your finger from the start button? or when you remove your finger from the kill switch? or when you take your thumb off the key while cranking? If the light go crazy while cranking you may have a simple case of faulty cells in the battery, you would have to monitor the voltage of it while running it up to see if its dropping out.. Failing that mate remove the side panels and check connectors etc.. what year bike?
At no time did I hit the kill switch, just the ignition button. Once the bike is up and running again I lost the low beam light and right indicator.....if I turned the high beam on then the indicator worked but no low beam, only a high beam. Am at a total loss lol
It sounds like a bad earth or damaged/corroded connector mate, thats what they do,,,,your head in....lol Lube the ignition barrel and check your connectors, also check battery terminals and earth points.
Seen similar faults also due to ignition barrels and starter switches well worth checking these as Arthur has mentioned.
if you are a fan of keyrings on your bike key this can cause the barrel problems.also as said check the earths and the main connector from the clocks.on another not my brothers cbr600 lost its dip and indicator when running and what it was, was rear aftermarket indicators shorting out inside the housing.
I had a strange problem id washed my rr6 and got water in the plugs of the ecu it was doing some right strange stuff shite myself took it off dried and greased plugs no more probs. Check the main plug on wiring harness also
Update: checked everything over and seemed ok. Used some contact cleaner for the ignition button and around the connections. Stopped having the problem for a couple of weeks and then started up again only this time lost the dipped beam and bike would not start unless I kept the ignition button pressed. As soon as I took my thumb off it, it stopped! When I switched the high beam on the indicators worked fine again.......getting weirder!! Anyway spoke to the local bike shop and he reckons it could stem from a problem with the ignition button so will pop it in on Monday for a check. Will keep you posted, thanks for your help guys.
Hadn't been using the bike for a while. Finally got it in to check the problem, turned out to be some corroded wiring behind the headlights. All solve BUT it's raining now!!!
makes you wonder about the longevity of this model...they aint old but already suffering from corrosion. I thought i bought a Honda not a ducati!
Just as Arthur said " bad earth" I don't want to sound like I'm teaching granny new tricks and all that, and sorry if I am. But I keep about a mtr long piece of cable in my tool pouch under the seat. If you are unlucky to get a snag like that when you're out for a ride, you can hopefully locate the fault with the wire and hopefully use it to temporarily by pass the fault.