primitive's motorcycle doesn't start

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1212321

Oh my.

This is an old thread but it had a new comment on it.

When I finally got to the bottom, it turned out the new comment had been deleted.

But since I'd already copied-and-pasted the thing, well.....

Gidney N Cloyd (11,753 posts)    Mon Nov 4, 2013, 10:19 PM

So, my bike is dead.

2002 shadow vlx 600. It wasn't acting up before. Battery seems charged and fuses seem OK but acts like there's no battery hooked up at all.

Ideas on what to check?

NYC_SKP (58,329 posts)    Mon Nov 4, 2013, 10:25 PM

1. You mean there's no light, no horn, no lights, no nothing?

I'd check grounds and then search for a good Honda forum.

Gidney N Cloyd (11,753 posts)    Mon Nov 4, 2013, 10:28 PM

2. No nothing.

pscot (16,937 posts)    Mon Nov 4, 2013, 11:30 PM

3. Check the kill switch (run/stop)?

Gidney N Cloyd (11,753 posts)    Tue Nov 5, 2013, 08:52 AM

4. It's in the right position but that doesn't eliminate a short there, I guess.

mgc1961 (1,263 posts)    Tue Nov 5, 2013, 09:54 AM

5. How about the starter motor?

Does the motor turn over when you attempt to start it?

Gidney N Cloyd (11,753 posts)    Tue Nov 5, 2013, 10:36 AM

6. Oops, I replied to your PM before I saw this post. No, it doesn't turn over.

It's like there's no battery hooked up but the battery clips seem in place and the trickle charger indicates it's charged. I'd think even if the battery is low I'd get some lights or half-hearted turnover attempt.
 
What I haven't tried yet is a jump start. IIRC sometimes that can can help reveal a bad ground.

mgc1961 (1,263 posts)   Tue Nov 5, 2013, 10:55 AM

7. I hate electrical problems.

I once had the computer control box go bad on a bike. Fortunately, all it really meant was one cylinder firing instead of two so I was able limp to a shop for repairs.*
 
Another time, the battery on a new holdover bike I bought was toast. It held the initial charge at the dealer long enough for me to ride for several days, but since it couldn't recharge fully after each start I was dead in the water after four or five days. There's nothing quite like learning where things are under the bodywork of a new bike in the first week of ownership.

* Though I don't know for sure, this incident may have been the result of me washing the engine off with a power sprayer resulting in water damage to a critical electrical component...word to the wise.

Glassunion (6,114 posts)    Tue Nov 5, 2013, 05:57 PM

8. As another poster mentioned, check the kill switch.

IIRC it was a problem with the switch that prompted a recall.

Also did you check the main 30A fuse (it is separate from the rest)?

Gidney N Cloyd (11,753 posts)    Tue Nov 5, 2013, 06:34 PM

9. 30A Fuse is fine-- I even put in a new one just to be on the safe side.

What should I check on the kill switch? All I've done so far is toggling it on and off.

Glassunion (6,114 posts)    Tue Nov 5, 2013, 09:17 PM

10. You can try cleaning the contacts. You'd have to google that one.

Or replace it. If I'm not mistaken it's about $80.

Or the arduous route would be to start at the battery an check voltage on every wire from the harness.

Ganja Ninja (15,953 posts)    Wed Nov 13, 2013, 02:58 PM

11. Still sounds like the battery to me.

Maybe it is shorting right through the battery. Can you jump start it?

[GOBUCKS]

Well, I hope the DUmmy gets that motorcycle running.

There is always a shortage of organ donors.

[obumazombie]

The one that got deleted isn't jumping right out at me.

[franksolich]

The one that got deleted isn't jumping right out at me.

The above's the whole thread, minus that, the last comment.

It just said the poster deleted it, no other information.

[BattleHymn]

Well, I hope the DUmmy gets that motorcycle running.

There is always a shortage of organ donors.

I watched the spectacle of an  enormous woman on a 49cc scooter go through a left turn signal on red the other day.  She wasn't even wearing a helmet.  

I'm not sure what use any of her organs would be, though.  She looks to have put some heavy use on them already.  

[franksolich]

I watched the spectacle of an  enormous woman on a 49cc scooter go through a left turn signal on red the other day.  She wasn't even wearing a helmet.  

I'm not sure what use any of her organs would be, though.  She looks to have put some heavy use on them already.  

Doesn't Missouri have helmet laws?

<<<thought just about every state did.

[Bad Dog]

Like all DUmmies, this one will eventually take the vehicle to a guy that works out of his garage to get cheap repairs.  Then they will bitch about how they were ripped off by what they thought was a cool guy.  I find these reminders of their total ineptness and helplessness endlessly amusing.

[franksolich]

I find these reminders of their total ineptness and helplessness endlessly amusing.

I try to find primitive threads with that theme, because the irony of it all amuses me.

These are people who want to run the country, but who can't run their own lives.

[BattleHymn]

Doesn't Missouri have helmet laws?

<<<thought just about every state did.

Yes, we do, but it doesn't apply to 49cc scooters.  Those damn scooters are like fleas around here.  The worst part about it is that the city considers any motorized vehicle that is powered by a 49cc and under engine to be limited to 27MPH.  

Having been stuck behind a few of these jerks abiding the speed limit while actually trying to go somewhere will make you start to think it really wouldn't be that bad to just mow them over.  

[BattleHymn]

Like all DUmmies, this one will eventually take the vehicle to a guy that works out of his garage to get cheap repairs.  Then they will bitch about how they were ripped off by what they thought was a cool guy.  I find these reminders of their total ineptness and helplessness endlessly amusing.

^^I used to be that guy.  That's exactly why I don't do work anymore for strangers.

[Bad Dog]

^^I used to be that guy.  That's exactly why I don't do work anymore for strangers.

I'm betting you don't sport a pony tail so, you should be safe from primitive moochers.

[BattleHymn]

I'm betting you don't sport a pony tail so, you should be safe from primitive moochers.

I consider any hair on my head past 3/4" to be dirty, filthy hippie territory, and mow it down with the clippers.

[tanstaafl]

In the end, it's gonna be the battery clamps needed scraping. Oxidation causes a film build-up between battery post and battery clamp. Especially after a long, cold winter where the bike was trapped in a closed garage or storage shed.

I hope the primitive pays $500.00 to get it repaired. And I hope the repair guy holds on to the keys until the check clears.

[vesta111]

In the end, it's gonna be the battery clamps needed scraping. Oxidation causes a film build-up between battery post and battery clamp. Especially after a long, cold winter where the bike was trapped in a closed garage or storage shed.

I hope the primitive pays $500.00 to get it repaired. And I hope the repair guy holds on to the keys until the check clears.

Get a frigging horse, not that much upkeep except for shoeing and keeping their stall clean.

Or buy a 30 year old bike with no computers and learn to work on it yourself.  So the bike has a top speed to 70 mph, and rattles and throws  of nuts and bolts as you head out------ You got a Rat Bike that will last for years if you treat her well.

Same for cars and trucks, these computer run thingies are impossible for anyone to work on and when was the last time you saw a carburetor rebuild kit ?    Do cars even have carburetors in this day and age ??

[Big Dog]

Note for lurking DUmmies: Don't ride it if you can't wrench it.



I took care of all my spring service this week. Six new plugs, complete fluid changes, check  the battery and clean the terminals, and a new back tire. The only thing I had to have done at a shop was the tire. I run a car tire on the back, and don't have a lift to get the bike far enough off the ground to get the back tire out of the wheel well.

[obumazombie]

I watched the spectacle of an  enormous woman on a 49cc scooter go through a left turn signal on red the other day.  She wasn't even wearing a helmet.  

I'm not sure what use any of her organs would be, though.  She looks to have put some heavy use on them already.  

Organs ? You're worried about the abuse she gave her organs ? What about the load she is putting on that poor scooter ? Those shocks are taking a beating.

[Chris_]

The battery terminals on my last Camry had calcium build up to the point where it wouldn't start at work one day.  My only tools were a bottle of Coca Cola and a hammer.

The Coke didn't help much, other than to wash off some of the buildup.

[Chris_]

Note for lurking DUmmies: Don't ride it if you can't wrench it.



I took care of all my spring service this week. Six new plugs, complete fluid changes, check  the battery and clean the terminals, and a new back tire. The only thing I had to have done at a shop was the tire. I run a car tire on the back, and don't have a lift to get the bike far enough off the ground to get the back tire out of the wheel well.

I saw one of those today that had been converted into a three wheeler.  It looked a little silly.

[Big Dog]

I saw one of those today that had been converted into a three wheeler.  It looked a little silly.

Different strokes. Riding on three beats the hell out of not riding at all.

One of my riding buddies lost a leg to an IED. He has a triked GL1500 Goldwing and hand controls. He couldn't ride without the third wheel. A lot of older riders trike up, and are able to keep riding. When the day comes, I may convert mine.

For my money. the 'Wing is the best bike to convert into a trike; it's a tossup whether the 1500 or 1800 is a better platform. I read about an GL1800 that was going strong at 250,000 miles, and a 1500 with more than 500,000 miles!

[DumbAss Tanker]

You'd think that anyone who needed a battery charger might have bothered to also sink ten buck into a basic multimeter.