Hey Guys,
My bike is acting weird while I ride it. In the middle of the ride, the bike starts hesitating and the digital speedometer resets (similar when i first turn the ignition key ON).
It does it every now and then during a bike ride, like it has been turned off. Most of the time the bike recovers; but it is definitely a big problem.
I suspect something with the electrical system; but i would like to see if anyone has experience a similar situation and/or have some suggestions as to where to start troubleshooting

thanks, Alex

 

I would check ignition lock wiring first. Try wiggling it's wiring loom while key is turned on, does it cause flickering?

 

It could be a bad earth - sometimes it is only when the cables warm up with heat from the engine that the connections start to play up.
I would recommend taking the tank off, check the wiring for any chaffing and clean all connector blocks and contacts (especially to the ignition switch as Wesku79 suggests) and reseat them.
Find the main earth connection for the loom and remove it, clean (in case corrosion has built up), and put back together.
The next steps are considering the computerised components which start to get expensive.
Good luck,

 

Your symptoms sound similar to my RRS when my ignition was malfunctioning.
At its worst, you could start her up and by simply moving the key a millimetre or so and it would cut out. My issue was the barrel itself and not the loom.
Whatever is causing this, it needs sorting out before it gets you into trouble probably just when you least want it.
Best of luck mate

 

thank you guys for the feedback and suggestions.
I had the bike running for several minutes, while running I did pull and check every connection in the hardness, including the ignition and nothing I did caused the bike to replicate the power outage issue I've been experiencing.
My brother notice that sometimes the lights have a noticeable flickering (not all the time; but frequently and varies intensity).
I check the main earth cable and cleaned it well just incase that was the issue.
Once i put everything together and decided to take the bike for a spin, it starting doing this again within seconds of me starting to ride it (light and cluster restarting) and it recovered after a few second and took it for a spin around the block.
If all the suggestions you've mentioned have been vetted, what else could be? The stattor, retifier? How do i go about checking if these are working properly?

thanks again

 

I had the same issue with an old BMW K100 and it was only when I actually cleaned all the connectors (electrical contact cleaner) that it was cleared up. The bike had been sat up for a few years and was otherwise original and untouched, just had some poor electrical contacts.

Check all the connectors with a magifying glass (especially the female one as they can hide the corrosion) and if any look less than shiny metal, give a gentle rub with some 200 grit sandpaper to expose the metal again. Female connectors are more of a challenge and need patience, thin knife blades and electical contact cleaner to scrape off the mating surfaces.

The symptom of total power loss makes me think it could also be your battery - check the contacts there and if you can get a multimeter on it when the power is playing up, check for fluctuations coming from the battery (test over the terminals). I think this is more common amongst the gel or solid state batteries rather than the prehistoric lead acid ones, but it is a long shot. The ignition switch is also a strong contender for this.

If you do have a lead acid battery, check the electrolite levels as a faulty recifier will boil it dry in no time and kill it.

The flickering of lights can be caused by the alternator output not being recified correctly and supplying to much power to the circuit. Power output varies with revs so tickover can give noticable differences in light intensity if things are amiss - if you want to check this there is a good Youtube video on it for a CBR600RR that should be close enough to work:

If you have time, get a multimeter on the ignition switch and test it by wiggling it when in the on position to see if you can replicate a change in resistance - you should be able to do that without stripping too much of the bike and it eliminates an obvious candidate.

Good luck - these sorts of issues are frustraing and time consuming to sort out.

 

thanks UncleBulgaria.
you are probably correct since this bike is pretty old. I have purchased a connector cleaning kit with small brushes and contact cleaner spray.
I hope to get this done this coming weekend. Fingers crossed this works. Thanks for the link to the video.

 

Update.
Cleaned all of the connectors with contact cleaner and a brush and fine sand paper.
Tested the bike and the problem still there.
what would be the next step to check? any specific component first?

thanks again

 

Were you able to test the ignition switch thoroughly?

From the symptoms there is a clear break in power to the bike which makes me think of the two main connections for this - battery and ignition switch. You have checked the loom and connectors so my focus would be initially on the ignition switch (maybe try to get a replacement from eBay - test if it makes a difference and if not you can resell it again) then on the fuse connections.

You mention you have cleaned up the battery - were you able to check if the charging voltages were correct and whether the battery needed electrolyte? If these were off, then it could be the overcharging causing someting to overheat and lose connection briefly.

With the fuses, they can corrode so maybe check popping each one out and check all is clean and the ends are firmly attached (some rotate and the contact can be intermittent). It is one of the few remaining things I can think of that would cause a complete power reset as described. I don't recall is the CBR has a main inline fuse but check the manual in case there is one outside of the fusebox that needs checking too.

The other long shot I can think of is the engine management module, but I really doubt that would cause a power reset as described. Maybe check it it is getting really hot (if you can reach it) when you have the issue.

Good luck.

 

Could be the famous Honda RR failure. I would do the charging system tests and stator continuity and output. Check the plug into the RR...they are a classic fail point. Inspect plug contacts for corrosion and or melting