Hi there folks,

My bikes stopped starting!

My battery is full, both terminals are connected fine. Sometimes when I turn the key, cockpit lights come on which is just normal, push the start button and it bursts into life. After a few minutes the lights start to flicker and the revs drop to almost cutting out, then it either rectifies itself or it then cuts out... all the lights go out and it doesn't want to start. If I shake the handle bars it sometimes comes back on.

I know its an electrical problem as the engines well serviced and the battery is fresh. Where should I start looking/checking? its really getting to me!

 

If I shake the handle bars it sometimes comes back on.
Where should I start looking/checking?

Start there. Look at the harness around the front. Look at places where it bends and loose connectors that are being affected by moving the bars.

 

The ignition switch could cause all those symptoms. You can unscrew it from the base of the lock cylinder and inspect/clean it and see if that helps at all. Also check the electrical connection at the end of it for corrosion or damage.

Also check the connection from the stator to the regulator/rectifier (3 yellow wires from the stator) for any melted connectors or burnt wires.. it's a fairly common problem on the older CBR's.

 

I'm with TahoeRider on this one...sounds like ignition switch.

 

Strange one for you all, its working again as I found the loose connector but I also found that the main fuse under my right panel was melted... any ideas what could cause that? I've replaced it with the spare and i'll have a few in my pocket but its completely mystified me.

 

Not uncommon for various components to melt, unfortunately. Honda was great at building engines, but their electrical was not always the best. However, it could be something else too. Just make sure all the connections are clean. Resistance = heat = melt.

 

Typically it's a corroded connector or wiring somewhere in the circuit that's building up excessive resistance and heat which will melt plastic connectors & wires. I haven't run into an actual fuse melting very often though.. could be a defective fuse that overheated.

 

I know that both a fellow CBRforum member and I both had a problem with these symptoms. What ended up being the problem was that one of the metal connectors where the main fuse meets the solenoid was broken. This caused a condition where i'd be running just fine then as i'm riding then randomly i would lose power and the tach would jump and and down. A quick wiggle of the solenoid would seem to give a temporary fix, but buying a new solenoid was what we both eventually had to do

 

You know something, it was the solenoid. Thank you everyone for your help. Now to sort my cam chain tensioner, its really annoying me.