I Got Power, Bike Won't Start

[deejinfla]

I am new to forums, so please excuse a newb if I sound/look like an idiot.....

I have a 1995 K75 that I purchased from my Dad.  I love this bike and, other than a couple hiccups, it has served me well as my only means of transportation.  But I have this little problem....

About a month ago, (occasionally) the dash lights would go out and the bike would die as I was cranking it up.  Alos, (occasionally) the bike would die while going down the road.  Both issues were corrected by turning the ignition off, then on, and restart.

Well, today, it died going down the road again.  This time it did not restart.  And I have nowhere to look for help without getting raped at $99/hr to "look".

What I have are lit up dash lights. Headlight/tail light/ turn lights work fine,ABS light blinks and makes it's little 'clicking sound'.  The display that shows what gear the bike is in doe NOT show any numbers.  (I know my bike is in neutral, of course).  When I hit the starter switch I get nothing.  The lights don't dim, the fuel pump doesn't make it's little 'wirring' sound, nothing.

Anybody have a similar problem or an idea what this could be?  I don't even know where to start.  I'm an EMT and I make bupkiss for pay, so I can't take it to the shop and nobody in the Annonymous book has any ideas.

If anyone has any advice I would be very greatful!  Get back to me here, or feel free to call me!  (813) 695-2750

Thanks!

[mystic red]

Both issues were corrected by turning the ignition off, then on, and restart.

Ignition switch?

[Scott_]

Are you trying to restart/start with the clutch lever pulled in or not.

You have to have 1 or the other of, the neutral light at the inst cluster, or the clutch lever switch closed(lever pulled in) to complete the power circuit to the start button. And yes, the power for these comes thru the ign switch first.....

[deejinfla]

The ignition switch would not kill the bike while it is actively in motion.  So, I think that idea is out.  Thanks though!

My brick ONLY starts if it is in Neutral.  I thought this was weird when I first got it, but I got used to it.

Here is a pic of what the dash looks like lit up.  The Neutral light is not on and the gear display has no number.  The bike is on it's center stand.

Anyone have an idea?

[TimTyler]

.... I have nowhere to look for help without getting raped at $99/hr to "look".

So a professional mechanic or technician who has invested years learning how to fix problems should incur a loss and spend time and shop resources solving your problem?

I bet an hour of ambulance and EMT's costs more than $99.

[kioolt]

The ignition switch would not kill the bike while it is actively in motion.  So, I think that idea is out.  Thanks though!

I wouldn't rule the ignition switch out.  Intermittent problems are just that.  Intermittent.  Have you tried turning the ignition switch on and off while watching the neutral light?  If you see it flicker, that would suggest it is indeed your ignition switch.  It's always a good idea to have a voltmeter and a wiring diagram when these problems happen.  Voltmeters can be had for $5 to $6 at Harbor Freight.  The wiring diagram is in the back of a Clymer manual.  If you can manage to get a voltmeter, check for voltage at the fuses with the ignition switch on.  On my K100LT I have voltage on 6 of the 7 fuses with the key on engine off.  I suspect that you should also.  You have checked the fuses haven't you?

[deejinfla]

Well, I don't really want to get into this but...........

I am an EMT, I have been since I went through the U.S. Army Combat Medic School 1994.  I make $10/hr.  The rest of that money the ambulance company makes off each transport, I don't see any of that.  So, calculating my time in service, experience, etc, compared to theirs....... Yeah, I think $99/hr is WAAAAAAAAY too much!

And I won't discuss this any further.  Thank you.

Please, I'm not trying to step on toes here.  I make very little money.  I can't afford to buy a car and pay the outrageous insurance fees here in Florida. So I turn my own wrenches to keep my ONLY means of transportation on the road.  I am looking for assistance and advice, not urinary olympics with anyone.  If I came to the wrong place, and this is going to turn into a bitch fest, please let me know and I will look for assistance elsewhere. 

Thanks again.

[deejinfla]

To kioolt:

To be honest, my understanding and knowledge of voltage etc is probably lower than the average highschool shop student.  Not exactly my forte.  Getting this bike has become a "learn as I go" experience.  So I will look into what you suggested and see where it takes me!  Thanks!!

[TimTyler]

..I make $10/hr.  The rest of that money the ambulance company makes off each transport,.

I'm just sayin... The guy at the shop or dealer who would try to solve your problem isn't making $99/hr either. But the shop has overhead like rent, heat, management personnel and liability insurance, not to mention a huge investment in tools.

My point is that the shop or dealer isn't "raping" anybody. Fixing motorcycle problems is their specialized business and they're entitled to charge a rate that allows a profit. Welcome to capitalism. You might have said "I can't afford to go to a dealer" which is accurate.

This is a friendly forum with helpful people. Consider signing your posts with your name and adding your location to your profile.

[kioolt]

I'd be willing to come to your place to help if your not too far away.  I'm very good at troubleshooting electric issues.  That's what I did for over 35 years in an industrial machinery setting.

[cy7878]

The bike needs to either be in neutral OR the clutch lever pulled in in order to start for obvious reasons.

The fact that your bike would not start in gear at all before, seems to indicate there is some thing wrong with the clutch lever switch.
Now that your gear indicator is not lighting up means somewhere between the gearbox and the indicator there is a break in the electrical signal.

There is a black round plastic looking thing with a cable/plug that (circled by #22) sends electrical signal to tell what gear your in, may be worth while unplug and replug it.  Also with the gear box in gear, try to rock the bike to see if that trggers the brain into picking up something. 

[Scott_]

The bike needs to either be in neutral OR the clutch lever pulled in in order to start for obvious reasons.

The fact that your bike would not start in gear at all before, seems to indicate there is some thing wrong with the clutch lever switch.
Now that your gear indicator is not lighting up means somewhere between the gearbox and the indicator there is a break in the electrical signal.

There is a black round plastic looking thing with a cable/plug that (circled by #22) sends electrical signal to tell what gear your in, may be worth while unplug and replug it.  Also with the gear box in gear, try to rock the bike to see if that trggers the brain into picking up something.

The actual "switch" that senses the gear position is part #19 in the picture there, and you aren't going to be able to get to it with the swing arm in place because it mounts the transmission body behind the swing arm.....

Check the Lieberry, I think there is a test/diagnostic to check the physical switch/wiring for the gear position indicator.

I just had been following a similar issue on some other forums that ended up being a broken wire at the ignition switch that was intermittent.

[cy7878]

The bike needs to either be in neutral OR the clutch lever pulled in in order to start for obvious reasons.

The fact that your bike would not start in gear at all before, seems to indicate there is some thing wrong with the clutch lever switch.
Now that your gear indicator is not lighting up means somewhere between the gearbox and the indicator there is a break in the electrical signal.

There is a black round plastic looking thing with a cable/plug that (circled by #22) sends electrical signal to tell what gear your in, may be worth while unplug and replug it.  Also with the gear box in gear, try to rock the bike to see if that trggers the brain into picking up something.

The actual "switch" that senses the gear position is part #19 in the picture there, and you aren't going to be able to get to it with the swing arm in place because it mounts the transmission body behind the swing arm.....

Check the Lieberry, I think there is a test/diagnostic to check the physical switch/wiring for the gear position indicator.

I just had been following a similar issue on some other forums that ended up being a broken wire at the ignition switch that was intermittent.

The gearbox sensor is #19.  There is a "clutch switch"  at the handle bar lever which will allow the starter to spin if the gear box is not in neutral.  OR for that matter, the gear box is not attached to the bike at all.  I think the OP has 2 different problems, both will cause the bike to not spin the starter.

[pallum]

Alos, (occasionally) the bike would die while going down the road.  Both issues were corrected by turning the ignition off, then on, and restart.

That sounds like my ride from Montana to Michigan a few years back. It was a dirty ignition switch and as soon as I cleaned it up, the problems went away. Maybe an hour and a half job so it's really worth trying. Like Cy7878 says, you may just have two separate problems causing the same symptoms so you may want to invest in a new clutch switch (PN: 61 31 1 459 569    SWITCH)-- since a bad clutch switch wouldn't cause the bike to shut down while running (aside from some short circuit).

http://www.eilenberger.net/K75S/IgnitionSwitch/

[deejinfla]

Thanks to everyone for your help!  Somehow the problem seems to have corrected itself.  "Rocking the bike" as advised above may have been what did it.  I took it off the center stand, turned the key and everything is acting perfect.  I'm still scratching my head on that one.

I AM still curious as to why the bike would lose power while I am going down the road.  I haven't had the issue again, but I definitely plan to researchb it to find the cause and see if I can prevent it in the future.

Again, thanks everyone for you help and advice!  I will check everything you have suggested!

[cy7878]

The power issue is likely the ignition switch like someone had mentioned.  You do want to clean out the contacts before it does it again.   Old bikes with old electrical connectors will run into problems.

also might as well fix the clutch switch, which I think you still have that as a problem.  Just pick up an used assembly off ebay and dissect that up to get what you need.

[JamesInCA]

If rocking the bike helps cure the starting problem, what you may have is a dirty starter. As the internal carbon brushes wear, the carbon dust piles up in the starter and impedes the starter's operation, as well as the grounding of the load shed relay. If this is the case, you'll also be approaching the need to replace the brushes (about $25), and might as well do it while you have the starter disassembled.

Cutting out in mid-flight can be a result of a dirty ignition switch as mentioned, and also a loose or dirty kill switch. Either/both can become intermittently problematic. If light jiggling of the kill switch causes your bike to stop running (e.g. when running on center stand), or causes your dash lights to flicker, you should disassemble and clean/tighten it up. There's a tiny spring in there that pushes the contacts together and can become weak. Pulling on the ends of the spring can help extend it so it pushes better again. (Also, be careful not to lose the spring during disassembly.) Clean the switch contacts with a wire brush, and/or contact cleaner, and/or Stabilant 22, and/or DeOxit....

[Big_B]

Well, I don't really want to get into this but...........

I am an EMT, I have been since I went through the U.S. Army Combat Medic School 1994.  I make $10/hr.  The rest of that money the ambulance company makes off each transport, I don't see any of that.  So, calculating my time in service, experience, etc, compared to theirs....... Yeah, I think $99/hr is WAAAAAAAAY too much!

And I won't discuss this any further.  Thank you.

Please, I'm not trying to step on toes here.  I make very little money.  I can't afford to buy a car and pay the outrageous insurance fees here in Florida. So I turn my own wrenches to keep my ONLY means of transportation on the road.  I am looking for assistance and advice, not urinary olympics with anyone.  If I came to the wrong place, and this is going to turn into a bitch fest, please let me know and I will look for assistance elsewhere. 

Thanks again.

I totally understand your point. 99.9% of the members here are incredibly generous people. They've saved me tons of time, energy & money. And they've even shared there personal phone numbers to help me track down parts or troubleshoot issues. I wouldn't be able to afford my BMW, which I swear stands for "Bring My Wallet", without this forum.

Getting back on track.....I've had several issues with my ignition switch and had to rebuild it. It acts up once in awhile, but hasn't left me stranded yet(probably shouldn't speak too soon on that one...lol). When my ignition switch failed, none of my lights would come on at all. But I can reach under the switch and press on the thin plastic piece while turning my key back & forth until the lights come on.

I agree with JamesInCA on it may be a dirty starter. It's a fairly simple process to remove & take apart to clean. Just make sure you put it together the exact way it came apart or it will spin backwards.....Don't ask me how I know just take my word on it.  :falldown: :hehehe:falldown: