Dead Short! Progress Made!

noahdog

noahdog

Been Around the Block
So the new $300 bike has a dead short somewhere. The main fuse blows instantly when you connect the battery even with the keys out of the ignition. From what I can gather the only thing not "switched" on the bike is the rectifier. I'm gonna disconnect it tonight and try to power the bike up w/o it. If the lights come on I'd have to assume the rectifier is fried. If not my next guess is to start metering the ignition switch itself. If it is the rectifier that's not the end of the world since I can get a new and improved aftermarket one for $145 shipped so I'd still only have $450 into what is at least a $1500 bike.

I'd love to hear any other ideas where to start or if I'm wrong in my initial suspicions as to the short culprit.

Thanks
 
Re: Dead Short!!! Help!

crazypj said:
You do have battery on right way round?
Click to expand...

Damned good question. :-[ The PO said the main fuse blew while being test ridden last weekend and it keeps blowing fuses. I just brought it home sunday night and it never occured to me to see if he had the battery on backwards but I will check that first thing tonight after work.
 
Re: Dead Short!!! Help!

One more question if I may. If the battery is indeed hooked up right and it is the rectifier that's fried can I start the bike w/o the rectifier hooked up? Will the bike run and just not charge? I'd like to hear the bike run at least once before I order a $150 part if that is indeed the culprit.
 
Re: Dead Short!!! Help!

careful to make sure if the battery was in the wrong way that your CDI if you have one and or rectifier and regulator are not fried they tend to hate when juice is flowing the wrong way.

my 2 cents
 
Re: Dead Short!!! Help!

Mortikan said:
careful to make sure if the battery was in the wrong way that your CDI if you have one and or rectifier and regulator are not fried they tend to hate when juice is flowing the wrong way.

my 2 cents
Click to expand...

I'm beginning the trouble shooting tonight starting with the battery. I'm kinda doubting that the battery is hooked up backwards though since the PO said it blew the main fuse during a test ride and I doubt it would've ever started or ran if the battery had been hooked up backwards. I will check first thing tonight though.
 
Re: Dead Short!!! Help!

doesn't it have car type alternator mounted behind cylinders (under carbs)?
If ign wire is shorted it will blow fuse (goes to regulator)
Rectifiers are pretty spendy for it
 
Re: Dead Short!!! Help!

Ok, I think I have it mostly figured out. It appears to be a 2 part problem. Once I disconnected the rectifier the short stopped so I feel pretty safe in saying that's fried. The next problem arouse when turned the key and got nothing only to discover the back of the ignition was completely disassembled. Well that led me to find the other end of the ignition switch with the wiring and traced the wires back to the fuse block under the headlight. Here's what I found .....

P7200349.jpg



The switch assembly is now missing some parts from the PO messing with stuff and the wires are toast so it looks like I need a new ignition along with a new rectifier. The rectifier can be found for around $150 shipped and I've got a line on a new ignition. Fortunately I found out today that the sissy bar on the bike is worth a small fortune. Apparently it's very rare and one just like it ended on Ebay today for $284. :o That should cover the parts and maybe have a little left over for title and tags. ;)
 
Re: Dead Short!!! Help!

I should add that the rectifier on the bike currently is not stock judging by the shape of it. The stock ones and most of the new replacement ones are tapered to a point on one side sorto of like the Honda logo and this one is square so this aparently isn't the first time this bike has had this electrical issue. The question is what caused what? A guy on the Nighthawk forum says he had a very similair experience on his bike and traced the wires back from the rectifier to the stator and he had a white wire worn and grounding out to the case. He suggested disconntcting the rectifier from the stator and reconnecting it to the battery and see if the short is gone. Who knows maybe I'll get lucky and the rectifier isn't fried and all I need is a new ignition switch assemly. ;) If that is the case and I find an exposed wire and can fix it we should be able to hot wire the ignition while I wait for the new one in the mail to try and fire the bike up.
 
Re: Dead Short!!! Help!

Hmmm, seems there's one more expensive part that it could be. Someone else on the Nighthawk forum thinks the short may be in the stator itself. Yet another $150 part with shipping. I sure hope it's just one or 2 expensive parts to fix and not all 3. ;) I already know I need a new ignition switch. >:(
 
Ok so I disconnected the rectifier, jimmy rigged the ignition back together and taped the living crap out of the wires and low and behold no short. I even got the bike to run and took it for a spin around the neighborhood. :beer: Holy crap that thing is fast compared to my little KZ400 cafe racer. Much more comfortable though. I can actually seeing myself not crippled up after riding all day on that bike. :winker:

I'm pretty positve the rectifier is toast but I need info on testing the stator. I know I test the wires coming off the stator when the bike is running but I need some hard numbers to give to my electrician buddy to trouble shoot and diagnose if it's working properly. What voltage am I looking for coming off the alternator and any ohm specs would be very helpful. We're gonna take it for ride on sunday and just throw an extra battery or two in his saddle bags. :naughty:

And of course I had to listen to all my buddies call me a dick all night for scoring such a smoking deal. ;D
 
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