Electrical gremlin, need second opinion.

[Matt Vann]

You might want to open a beer for this one...

The problem started when I made a "pigtail" extension for my battery tender. All went well until it vibrated down into the void under the battery and shorted out. It melted the pigtail and scorched into some of the original wiring. My signal relay went out and that was the only reason I even bothered to remove the seat and noticed the problem.

So, I removed my stupid mod, checked and repaired the wiring and replaced the turn signal. Everything worked fine. For a while.

While riding one day, the bike just croaked much the same way a car does when the alternator goes out. The battery was deader than a fried chicken. The battery was old anyway and I thought the short probably didn't do it any good, so I replaced it. All seemed well. I was too lazy to go through the stator papers. I stopped numbering mistakes on this incident.

The starter wasn't working well, so I took it apart and cleaned it up. The contacts on the armature looked really dirty, so I cleaned them up like someone mentioned in a previous post. The bike started right up and ran like a dream.

I made a couple of short rides on it and all was well. I took off into the sunset on a nice day and made it halfway back before the bike broke down just like before. She made it home on a trailer, and I was out a case of beer for the rescue.

Back in the shop, I noticed two things. The ground wire on the R/R wasn't attached. Apparently, when I was checking the wiring after my meltdown, I neglected to put it back on. It is back on now. Next, the starter, after being used about six times since cleanup, was acting up again. "Click" goes the relay, no sound from the starter. The battery appeared fried, as a couple of cells were dry. I had a spare new battery, so I hooked it up and charged it. Still no starter. I took it out and apart again, and it was just as nasty as before.

I cleaned it up, put it back in and it's like new again. This time, I whipped out my multimeter and stator papers and went to town. The test showed all is well with the charging system.

My theory is that when I failed to attach the R/R ground wire, I was lucky to get as far as I did and only fry the battery. Well, two batteries. The R/R isn't stock, it's a Honda I think.

Can anyone explain the starter issue I'm having? Could it be related to the R/R ground?

Is there anything else I should check before taking off again?

Does my diagnosis sound right so far?

[gustovh]

Sounds like a connection issue to me. Recheck and clean your connections, it could be at the starter button as well.

[duaneage]

Rig up a Voltmeter and drive it around, hit a few bumps and see if it remains steady.

The ground wire is of course very important, especially because the honda regulator has a sense wire and needs a proper vltage reference or it will torch the battery at 16 volts or more.

I think you learned your lesson but here is a suggestion: Run accessories including the battery tender throught the fused accessory connection so there will be a fuse in the line. Cheaper than new RRs and batteries.

[Matt Vann]

Thanks to the advice from this and other threads, I've nailed it down.

After reading the instructions on my voltmeter and learning how to use it correctly, I found that there was a connection problem with the R/R. After replacing several connectors and the battery terminals, everything is in spec according to the "stator papers" and it's running like a dream.

I've been tinkering with this bike for about three years now and it's come a long way. It's like Joan Rivers now, where most of the parts are much younger than the frame. My best friend bought an 06 FJR and I told him that there's no reason to buy a new bike when you can buy an old one and replace every single part on it.

[t3rmin]

I've been tinkering with this bike for about three years now and it's come a long way. It's like Joan Rivers now, where most of the parts are much younger than the frame. My best friend bought an 06 FJR and I told him that there's no reason to buy a new bike when you can buy an old one and replace every single part on it.

Hear ya on that, bro. I shudder to think how much $$$ I've put into my GS. But it's not just transportation, it's a hobby, eh?