yeesh, my bike just left me stranded in the rain

[Van]

My thought

If when you turn the key and you get 12 to the starter cylonid's input side, and you can short it across and start the bike, sounds like the windings in the cylonid has an open condition in it and the cylonid needs replacement.

Van

[donimo]

So I just went to buy some stuff for work, started raining, came back out to the bike and it was doing the same thing, lights came on everything else works fine, no click or starting from the bike whatsoever.

I tried shorting the ground pit to the frame, still no go. Shorted the relay terminals, fired right up.

So unless I can catch it at home when its doing this I am stumped, I still think the coil, but why only when it rains? its not getting the least bit wet...

3 for 3 failing in the rain, 5-5 starting just fine when not raining (since this started happening)

[DanTheMan]

So I just went to buy some stuff for work, started raining, came back out to the bike and it was doing the same thing, lights came on everything else works fine, no click or starting from the bike whatsoever.

I tried shorting the ground pit to the frame, still no go. Shorted the relay terminals, fired right up.

So unless I can catch it at home when its doing this I am stumped, I still think the coil, but why only when it rains? its not getting the least bit wet...

3 for 3 failing in the rain, 5-5 starting just fine when not raining (since this started happening)

Don't try grounding to the frame. Where the solenoid grounds to the frame (with a screw) it isn't making a good ground. unscrew one screw from the solenoid mounting, put a wire with a ring terminal under that screw, screw it back down, run the other end of the wire with either a ring terminal or open ended terminal to the negative post of your battery, screw it down and it should be fine. I had the same problem with mine several years ago, I thought the solenoid had gone bad, etc., and all that was happening was it wasn't grounding properly.

[donimo]

I will give it a try, but if the frame isnt a good enough ground then nothing would work would it?

Mine has spade connectors but I gotcha

[DanTheMan]

The problem here on your bike and many others is that the frame is corroded where it grounds to the solenoid, where the grounding strap is attached from the battery, and probably other spots. Without going through and cleaning all the corroded areas up, your best bet is to ground the solenoid direct to the battery ground. It's doing exactly what the frame would do, but doing it directly. That's what I had to do to make mine work, it was doing just like you describe yours, I wired in a momentary switch to use as a starter button until I figured out what was happening.
I've since grounded many more things to the battery via a terminal strip that has a wire from it to the neg post of the battery.

[VinnySem]

Maybe your bike just doesnt like rain...

Ok, serious now, how about the defeat switch in the clutch lever? Being on the handlebars I would think its very susceptible to even a light drizzle.

[klarowe]

dont know if it will help you or not but i had a very similar problem with truck this winter. Basically whenever it would rain I couldnt get it to start... but as soon as it was dry, it would start right up again. I wasnt about to go troubleshooting in the pouring rain, so I took a water bottle and put the truck in my garage. First I check to make sure it started fine... then went piece by piece with the water bottle until it wouldnt start again, and whatever I last sprayed, I new was causing the problem. Ended up being my wires.
HTH

Kenny

[donimo]

I was gonna do that this weekend haa.

I hear you about not wanting to do it in the rain though, I wanted to kick over my bike and walk home after 45min in a downpour last night...

[donimo]

Maybe your bike just doesnt like rain...

Ok, serious now, how about the defeat switch in the clutch lever? Being on the handlebars I would think its very susceptible to even a light drizzle.

I will check that, the PO disabled it, but there is electrical tape on it so maybe its exposed, who knows?

[donimo]

well, it's not the ground. ran a new one and it still did it.

Brought my multimeter with me this time, the relay trigger is only putting out 0.20 volts when you hit the start button, obviously something is either keeping it from going 12v (clutch lockout?) or the wire is toast...

As the clutch lockout never worked, and it appears to be a "fail open" type cicuit I am leaning more towards the start wire being toast, because the PO must have disabled the lockout. Weird part is it ohms out fine, meh troubleshooting wiring that is all wadded up under tape and covers sure is a pain!

I will try to find some time to run a new one soon. for now its screwdriver across the terminals every time it rains...

[briyenkieth]

Run new wires to and from start button. If you don't want to open up the stock harness this is the easy way. It just to wires.

[VinnySem]

I disabled my clutch lockout also, but using spade connectors and dielectric grease. I could share some nightmare PO stories. He installed a new r/r, but didnt connect it to ground. Brilliant!

[donimo]

Maybe your bike just doesnt like rain...

Ok, serious now, how about the defeat switch in the clutch lever? Being on the handlebars I would think its very susceptible to even a light drizzle.

ding ding ding! We have a winnah!

I am not sure how the bike EVER started to be honest, with the "continuity beep" setting on my multimeter it was going "beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep b-b-b-b-b-b-eeeepp" you get the idea, touching the lever made it even worse, I gues it was shorting and opening so much that it was fast enough to start?

Weird part to me still is the switch failed "closed" and when it got wet, failed "open". If anything I would suspect the opposite.

I do say it was nice of suzuki to predict this issue and privide male/female connectors to make it super easy to bypass!

Poured rain today, starts just fine, of course coming to work freezing cold with a soaked crotch is something I thought I left in my college days ha ha

[Odinist]

Crazy, that's what my starting issue last week ended up being as well!

[donimo]

it was a "slap your forehead" moment for sure, but I sure was stumped for a while.

I work in the electronics feild too, embarassing...