Dead Bike

[concho]

In need of serious help. I rode my 02 Nomad FI to dinner and back. After being home about 20 minutes I went out to put the bike back into the garage. I turn the key on and thumbed the starter. The starter kicked and then the bike went dead. Everything went out and now nothing. I checked the fuses under the right side cove and under the seat and all are good. What gives.

[hammer]

You could start with checking your battery connections. Disconnect negative first, then positive. Reverse when re-connecting. Do the first part and then put it on your trickle charger for at least 4 hours, overnight would be better. If it takes a charge you may be OK but how old is your battery? If it is 8 years old, it's time for a change anyway. A battery that old can be damaging your charging system if you are working it too hard to keep it alive.

[Cajunrider]

+1 on what Hammer said. It's probably a loose connection. Do you have any lights with the switch on?

[swiftboot]

+one on the above suggestions, also check that you didnt accidently hit the kill switch and finallly, check for tight connectiion of the harness under the left handle bar where the connection in made to clutch housing etc. It may have gotten loose on your ride and just reared its ugly head. good luck

[concho]

The battery is about a year old and the connections on the battery are tight. There are no accessories on the bike other than exhaust and backrest. It not the kill switch ( 1st thing I checked ), I'll check the wiring on the bars in the morning and report back. Thanks.

[concho]

Sorry forgot to mention, that there are no lights at all. Would the connection be on the brake side or clutch side or could it be in the ignition switch since I have nothing when I turn it to the on position.

[jasperboy]

+1 on the battery terminals. No matter what they "look" like, disconnect, wire brush the terminals and the connections, hook back up and try. Had the same thing happen on my 2006 last year 600 miles from home. Tried to jump the bike to no avail, finally push started and rode the entire way back only to figure out the terminals were a little corroded. Has worked fine since. Initially did the same as you, had a look and thought they were fine...

[ringadingh]

I know you said you checked all the fuses, but did you check the Main fuse? Its tucked in down beside your battery on the RH side of the bike, it can be kind of hard to find at first.
Also check the switch at the clutch lever, sometimes the plug pulls off a bit. Just push it back on. And make sure your sidestand switch is functioning, it gets all mucked up with crud over time, clean it with contact cleaner and an old toothbrush, and test that it functioning ok.
Do you hear your fuel pump come on when you turn the key? It should whine for a few seconds. If it doesn't there is a good chance that your ignition swicth has worn contacts. My 02 has done this. You can take the switch apart and clean it, this is only a temporary fix.but its best to replace it,

[phred]

Originally Posted by jasperboy

+1 on the battery terminals. No matter what they "look" like, disconnect, wire brush the terminals and the connections, hook back up and try. Had the same thing happen on my 2006 last year 600 miles from home. Tried to jump the bike to no avail, finally push started and rode the entire way back only to figure out the terminals were a little corroded. Has worked fine since. Initially did the same as you, had a look and thought they were fine...

This same thing happened to me Friday. I got lucky, I was at the in-laws house, so tools and workspace was no problem. I pulled the seat and looked at the battery terminals and connections. The looked good and were nice and tight. After wiggling the connections around, I hit the starter again, only to see an arc at the negative terminal.

Once I pulled the connections off of the battery terminal, I found just a slight amount of corrosion. I cleaned everything with a wire brush and put everything back together. I hit the starter and she fired right up.

[concho]

Connections to the battery are great, just checked. Where is the main fuse on the right. I do have a singular fuse that rides on top of the backbone (15 amp). It seems to me to be a Ignition or a fuse because there is nothing working, fuel pump, lights and all do not function. I cant even push start it.

[leadbelly]

Did you put a meter on the battery? Tight connections don't matter if there is no juice in the battery. Which could be the result of a faulty charging system, or a pooched battery.
If the battery was drained real low there is a good chance it won't come back up.
It sure sounds like a main fuse, or the main pos. & neg. cables from the battery to there connecting points.
That neg. cable is more important then many realize and must make a good ground, both ends of the cables should be cleaned once in a while.

[duneseven]

don't worry its easter it will live again itself

[macmac]

The fuse under the seat ties in near the battery should be a 30 amp fuse. I can't see how any 15 amp fuse can be there. get a test light, and a multimeter. Pulling fuse only works if the fuse is pulled and looks good.. You need to know both sides of any given fuse has power.

A light is a fast easy way to go / no go fuses and wires.

[cactusjack]

It's possible your ignition switch has gone "tets up". If the battery and fuses check out okay, that's the next place to look.

[bedouin418]

I am having a similar issue with my '08. I got it out of storage last week. Pulled off the wheels/tires to have new tires mounted & balanced. After getting it all back together, time to fire it up. I had the battery on an automatic battery tender all winter so figured the battery should be fully charged. It fired up almost immediately and ran great, idled smooth. Let it run for 10 minutes or so, shut it off, went in house to get helmet and leathers. When I turned the ignition on, everything lit up, fuel pump on, speedometer needle doing it's cycle. Lookin' good! Hit the starter switch and a slight click and everything went dark. Turned the key off, back on and everything was still black and then lights started to flicker and then after about 20 seconds or so, everything lit up, fuel pump on, hit starter, dead again.
I have found where the click is and I believe it is the starter solenoid, right side of bike behind coolant tank with red cap and 30 amp fuse under it? Every time the bike powers up again, hit the starter and it clicks.
I have recharged the battery, cleaned every connection I can get to in the area of the battery box and put dielectric grease on everything at reassembly, ensuring that all connections are good and tight.
Is my battery pooched? It is 2+ years old. Could the starter solenoid be bad. It is still under warranty so I'm thinking I need to trailer it to the dealer for diagnosis but I hate to find out it's just a bad battery and end up paying the dealer a crazy price for a new battery.
Any ideas? Any all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Greg "Bedouin" Lozier
West Bath, ME
'08 Nomad Blue/Silver
VROC# 7710