[MT Wallet]

Hey everyone!

I have a 1993 900rr with about 24,000 miles...about a year ago a Honda dealer replaced the regulator/rectifier, stator and repaired the wiring harness.

Bike has been running excellently for a year, zero issues.



About 2 weeks ago I removed the seat to check to see if the wiring by the battery was okay (it had burnt through months ago, when the charging system went kaput) and it was fine.

Battery was fully charged and everything worked (lights, engine, starter, etc)



I then went on an 8-day vacation, and when I come back and try to restart the bike:

1. The headlight will not turn on when I put the key in "accessory" mode and the engine will not start, the starter won't work, it won't turn over, there is dead silence when I push the starter button.

2. All the other lights, signal lights, brake lights, instrument cluster, horn, they all work.....but not the headlight and not the starter!


What could it be?


Please help!

 

[Veefer97]

Check your fuses

 

[honda boyz]

yeah check your fuses for starts. then move to your battery and see if it will charge up. if not then you might have a reg/rec problem again. but i doubt it. it just sounds like your bike sat to long and it just died maybe due to it being too old and not being able to hold a charge for a long period of not running

 

[MT Wallet]

Thank you for the quick replies

I will check the bike asap, I have a volt meter for the battery.

Now I just gotta see where the fuses are.

 

[MT Wallet]

Ok all fuses are fine, it was nice to tinker with it again and I learned how many fuses I have and I found some spares that were tucked along the side for future emergencies.

So I checked the battery with the engine off and the voltmeter showed a weak charge.

I believe it must be the battery being low, so right now it's on the charger.

I'll post back later when it's charged, probably a day or so from now when I get it installed back into my bike.

 

[Liquids]

how old is the battery?

did you try push starting it?

you can't really test a battery with a voltmeter, you need to test amps with a load on it. if you have it out of the bike and charged, take it to checkers or auto zone or wherever and have them run a diagnostic on it befor you put it back in the bike. takes like 10 mins and It's free.

 

[MT Wallet]

how old is the battery?

did you try push starting it?

you can't really test a battery with a voltmeter, you need to test amps with a load on it. if you have it out of the bike and charged, take it to checkers or auto zone or wherever and have them run a diagnostic on it befor you put it back in the bike. takes like 10 mins and It's free.

Liquids, the battery is about a year old, maybe less.

Yeah, before the vacation I did start the bike and put the voltmeter on it and it did show the battery was "normal" and that the engine was charging it normally....or at least all the right lights lit up on my voltmeter to indicate that.


I charged the battery for 3 hrs and I keep testing it (not under load, it's still in my kitchen) with the voltmeter and each time it shows fully charged.

I will put it back in the bike tomorrow....and if all else fails I will do what you told me and have the bike tested.

There is a guy who specializes in batteries who sold it to me, he's just down the street.

 

[MT Wallet]

Oh boy, put the battery in the bike and wired it up....again the instrument lights for the tach and speedo and oil light (red) and neutral light (green) and kickstand light (orange) turn on, but when I press the electric starter there is nothing.

And again, the headlight does not turn on.

I am going to take the battery to the battery shop for testing.


A few days ago when I did try and start the bike, it did what I just wrote above, however for a split second the headlight did turn on but then it went out again just as quick.

And again, the starter would not work.


Could it also be a loose wire or something?

 

[MT Wallet]

Just had the battery tested under load and the tech said it was fine

I am checking the wires and connectors and from what i see so far it looks okay


The rear brake light also works along with turn signals etc the only things that dont work are the headlight and starter

Please help the next step is having the dealer pick up my bike and taking it to the shop arrrghhhhh

 

[YZFHEFF]

Have you checked the relay?

 

[MT Wallet]

k apparently one of the past owners hooked up a set of three switches that can prevent the brake lights and ignition from working after moving and playing with the wires that attach to the switches the headlight and ignition starter work


but because my bike has been sitting unused for almost three wks its not turning over but i do smell gas going to the carbs

 

[MT Wallet]

i also need air in my rear tire

 

[MT Wallet]

Ok those stupid outlaw switches that the previous owner of my bike installed were the culprit....I remember just before leaving on my trip turning them on and off...I wasn't sure whether to kill the ignition so that a thief wouldn't be able to start it.

Well, those stupid kill switches did the job all right

Anyway, after getting the headlight and the starter to work I got the engine primed and running again!

Now I'm ready to ride tomorrow!

 

[MT Wallet]

Also, when I took my battery into the place where I bought it, the guy who helped me was a bit shady.

He took my battery (that I had just charged myself the night before and had checked with the voltmeter and which had showed a full charge) and tested it himself without load...and said while my battery was charged, the cold crank part of the battery was weak.

I looked at him and he reminded me of a con artist.

Anyway, he showed the battery to the owner and the owner tested the battery under load...and said it was fine.


The other guy, the doofus who was conning me, had already brought out a new battery for me to buy!

He vanished quickly after the owner told me my battery was just fine and dandy.

So FYI, don't believe everything they tell you!!!!!

 

[Liquids]

wow how could you leave info like that out lol. sounds like the "outlaw" switch cuts power (or ground) to your whole upper harness, or if there's 3, maybe 1 is headlight, the other tail light and the other ignition? gas can't be going to the carbs unless the motor is turning over. The petcock needs a vacuum from the crankcase to allow fuel to flow.

 

[MT Wallet]

WHen I got the bike there were three switches on the left hand side of the bike....directly opposite the fuse box.

One cuts the power to the starter/headlight

One cuts power to the rear brake lights/license plate light

The last one I'm not sure.


I didn't install those stupid switches and wish they were never there.

Last year when I had a new headlight installed on the bike, the Honda tech told me he also had a lot of trouble with those stupid switches.

He actually wanted to remove them, maybe one day I will if this keeps up.

:mad

 

[MT Wallet]

Have you checked the relay?

Sorry YZF I didn't see your post.

I have it fixed already, thanks. What is a relay and where would it be? I am a tech noob, sorry.

 

[MT Wallet]

To top it all off, now I can't find my voltmeter

 

[Liquids]

all you'd have to do is wirenut the 2 wires going to the switches together.... except the 3rd switch probably puts power directly to your radiator fan so it runs all the time... you'd want to leave the 2 wires to that switch apart so it just comes on at temp (212 IIRC)

are you kidding about the voltmeter and the lights? somehow I think you're pulling my leg here.

 

[MT Wallet]

all you'd have to do is wirenut the 2 wires going to the switches together.... except the 3rd switch probably puts power directly to your radiator fan so it runs all the time... you'd want to leave the 2 wires to that switch apart so it just comes on at temp (212 IIRC)

are you kidding about the voltmeter and the lights? somehow I think you're pulling my leg here.

How do you "wirenut" two wires? I am a tech noob, honestly the most I can do with my bike is change the oil/filter.


No the radiator actually runs normally, and only comes on at a certain temperature and then shuts off once the temp. drops past a certain point.


About the volt meter I wish I were kidding, I can't find it. Must have left it in the garage or it fell on the ground somewhere. It's pretty old anyway. :bitchslap


What lights are you referring to?