Turn key, hit starter, POP! Now no ignition no lights nothing.

Bummer! My swiss watch finally decided to quit on me.
97 750 50K+ on OD. Replaced the RR around 16K. has never given me any other issues but today I went out turned the key, Lights.
Pulled the choke, hit the starter Rrr, Rrr, POP!
Dead.
No power to anything. I figured main fuse.
I know there was a 30 amp fuse next to the battery & starter relay. but had to get to work so off in the cage I go.
Came home the eve & started tearing into the bike.
I have corbin beatle bags on it so it takes a bit of work to tear it down & start visual inspection, testing connectors & such.
Well checked all the front fuse panel ..nothing all good. Pulled & checked the battery 14v perfect. I pulled the connector for the starter relay figuring that is what it has to be, nope still good....

Now What? Anyone ever have the fail occur to them?

 

14volts at the battery? Are you sure it wasnt 13 or 12.7 or something. Im not sure on the 97 but my 98 has two 30 amp main fuses. The pop you described, where did the noise come from? exhaust? Or under the seat area. I know when it comes to electrical troubleshooting you need to take your time and be very methodical. But i would start by checking your battery again. Because 14v is good while it is running but not so great at all when not.

 

The 30amp main is intact. no damage or frying on any wires or connectors.
So looking for a quick troubleshooting flowchart ....
Suspect the RR since it is 1st in line from the battery but I dont understand why that would prevent all power from being accessed via key on?
I need to find a service manual

 

Have you checked your battery again? Something is wrong if you are reading a battery at 14v and the bike is not running?

 

The 14V can be attributed to an out of cal meter, or a battery that just came off a charge (not rested).

I am going to assume you know how to use a meter and have actually used it to confirm that all fuses are serviceable, as well as the holders that they are in. Sometimes the fuse will be fine, but the circuit is still open due to contaminated, or faulty fuse connectors.

The RR will not prevent power getting to the bike, as it is not between the battery and fuses, or ignition.

Check battery connections and look for voltage between +post and a good grounding spot, that is not the -post, on the battery. (voltage always present)
Check for voltage on both sides of the main fuse. (voltage always present)
Check for voltage at fuse F. Is the clock still working? (voltage always present)
Check for voltage at fuse D, with the ignition off and then on. (voltage present when on)

If any of these tests fail, then the problem is between the test point and the battery.

My guess, if all the fuses and connectors are good, points at the ignition switch being the culprit, unless the clock is not still working. The clock is not controlled by this switch.

Let us know the results and we'll go from there.

 

Switched meters...12.9
Yup clock works ! (Funny I never even noticed it)
Found a service manual & started troubleshooting.
First tested the RR and sure enough its not in spec. So its likely the root cause of my electrical failure, but as you say doesn't explain my no power situation.
Starter relay has no issues.
The manual points to either the Ign. switch or the starter switch.
Dissembled & inspected the starter switch ..nope.
Looking like the ignition switch, but reading the circuit diagram I started checking everything ...including the diode just off the fuse pod.
using the diode setting on DMM it shows its possibly fried . ~!?
Could this be a result or cause of my no power condition?

Although the bike has a fair # of (hard) miles on it it has always been maintained & stored indoors so all the connectors are corrosion free & clean.
When I originally replaced my 1st failed RR I read up & modded it slightly: instead of it mounting to the sub-frame potting out & metal to metal I flipped it over, used some stand-offs to provide an air gap from the sub-frame, & then found the biggest CPU heat sink I could find that would fit under the side panel, secured it to the now exposed metal base side of the RR with some thermal paste & zip tyes & its lasted me about 35K miles.
I need to order up a replacement. Last time I was in a pinch & paid dearly for a OE unit off a dealers shelf. This time I though Id try a Electrex (now Electro sport?) or Ricks?
Is the ignition switch a common failure point?

 

I'm in the same boat as you with my 92. Will be following this thread, hopefully I can get mine sorted out with yours.

 

It is not common, but yours' is not the first. It could be just the wiring or connector. You won't know until you get at it. Now that you have the manual, you'll be able to meter out the switch.

The clutch diode will not cause your snag. I just prevents a false neutral light. The starter switch only controls power to the starter, so would have not caused this problem, either.

Replace fuse D before you start hauling it apart, just to be sure.

PS: Just to make sure we're on the same page. You still have no power to anything except the clock?

 

Correct nothing but the clock. I starting yarding out everything in the circuit to be sure. Ignition switch - OK, Starter switch - OK, The D fuse was good (metered) but I replaced it with a spare.
I was getting pretty frustrated so I spent about a .5 hr reading the wire diagram then decided to put it all back together it ensure I hadnt missed something.
I had ...
Once the bad RR, ECU & everything else were plugged back in I turned the ignition switch & saw that the clock ...lost power. when the switch was back on it came back....

What the hell.

 

Sounds like you have a short, but seems strange that a fuse isn't blowing. Now to find out which system is the culprit. Because the ignition applies power to all of them at the same time, it will be tricky.

I would take out all the fuses except D & F. Ignition on to check result. If ok replace fuses until bad circuit is found. If not ok, you'll have to trace and meter the ignition wires to find the problem.

 

This happened to me on my 1990. My rr is new. I tightened the main power lead to the starter motor and this solved it for me. Hope it's this simple for you.

 

Thanks for the Tip. I checked it (as well as every connector & ground) but no Joy.
So I hadn't any time to troubleshoot but did find some today so tried your approach Karazy & I agree if you have a short to ground it SHOULD blow the associated fuse ~!

First I was so intent on understanding the circuits that I missed another obvious discrepancy....the manual is wrong.
On my 97 the fuse panel differs in circuit sequence. All fuses are 10amp with exception of the 1st (HL) at 20.
VS the manual (after 93 on pg 19-2) which has them in a diff. order.


Anyway, With key on and all elements plugged back in I observed the process of the clock fading to blank.
then I cycled the ign. key off removed the HL (20 amp) fuse (top of my panel) & recycled ign. leaving the fuse out.
Same issue. Then I removed the next fuse on the panel "C: indicators" skipping "B" which is the clock.
Same issue. Then the next "D: meter tail position" ...
And the clock stayed lit! Great!! or so I thought...
I replaced all the previously removed fuses except "D" & cycled again, back to short~!
So leaving out "D" I again pulled the HL fuse ... nope. So I replaced it.
then pulled "C" indicators, and lo... that was the ticket.
So now Im down to the one of the switches or relays in one of those two circuits...? This thing is driving me crazy.
I still dont get why it would suppress all power to lights & meters but not pop any fuses?

 

Check all known grounds for loose fasteners, breaks, or weakness and check for corroded leads (especially hidden corrosion inside the wiring insulation) running off the battery to fuse-block or starter or to accessories. From what you are describing with the initial POP and now the clock fading in and out under load I'd say you have a bad or loose ground or a corroded lead from battery.

 

Thanks but Im kinda past faulty grounds & as I commented earlier in this thread there is no corrosion, crispy or worn wiring or connectors.
Ive now gone over every point & connector on the bike.
The behavior of the clock & lack of fuses burning out is still puzzling.
Problem is I seem to have narrowed down to two circuits (described just prior) the "Meter/tail" & "indicators"
but my diagram reading isnt so great so Im struggling

 

I guess the next step would be to disconnect the 6P plug to the tail lights to see if that helps. If not move on to the other circuit and disconnect those plugs, until the guilty one is found.

 

I would still go to find the faulty grounds. If the main ground is missing, you will get 0 ohm reading with ohm meter due to the weak grounding through the light bulbs. In this case the grounding is enough to run the clock but when trying to start, the connection is be too weak and also the clock will go off.

Try to use some thick wire to connect the battery minus terminal, frame and the engine body.

 

^

What he is saying is quite true and would explain the fuses no blowing.

 

The battery could also have an internal fault. Ive seen batteries that float at around 12V but cannot provide much current at all. This could be due to a cracked connection between the cells.

 

Thats true batteries are being made cheaper and cheaper.

 

You ned a new "rectifier regulator", when the vfr is dead, it is burn out, my vfr did the same thing. Battery ok, no power or light.

Old version: 31600-my7-600, do not use / by this one - new version: 31600-my7-305.
Sorry for incorect english.

Benny