Triumphrat

quagmire · 09-08-2009, 03:38 PM

Well it finally happened. I got stranded on the side of the road. I was going to ride my TR6 to work last friday afternoon. I got a mile from my house and the bike let out a loud backfire, then quit. I kick started it , another backfire then everythign went dead. No lights, no horn, nothing. I pushed the bike back home got in my car and went to work. Later that night I put a meter on the battery to see if it went dead and it read 18 volts?!?!?!? Lights work, horn works, and oil pressure light comes on when key turned.

I was too tired to check anythign out, so the next morning I put the meter on again and 15 volts. Hmm, Kick it over and starts up one kick?!?!?!?

Now what?

motobob · 09-08-2009, 04:02 PM

It doesn't sound like battery. However, I would check out my voltmeter calibration. I don't think it is possible for a battery to read that high a voltage.

Most likely culprit is fuse not making good contact in holder, but the best bet is to pick up a cheap electrical trouble-shooting probe or use your voltmeter and work your way back from the battery.

quagmire · 09-08-2009, 04:41 PM

When the bike died, I took the fuse out and it looked good. I put it back in and still nothing worked.

motersikelist · 09-08-2009, 05:10 PM

The movement of the handlebars also moves the wires going in and out of the headlight. A lot of critical connections and common grounds are housed in the headlight. If you have a wiring diagram look for the color of your main HOT lead (possibly brown) and check those connections in the headlight. Good luck.

panda · 09-08-2009, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quagmire

When the bike died, I took the fuse out and it looked good. I put it back in and still nothing worked.

Sometimes fuses have hairline cracks in them, they work at some temperatures and not others. Also possible is for a fuse to get corrosion inside and turn in to temperature sensitive diode. Always teatthem both ways with a meter. Better still change it, I have had some really odd faults caused by 'good' fuses. also check out all the connections and power cables. It is pssible you have an intermittent break somewhere.

motobob · 09-08-2009, 06:24 PM

You can go crazy without a trouble shooting probe . Most of them are under $10 and can be picked up at any auto parts shop. I prefer one over a multimeter, since they have a sharp tip which you can push into wire insulation and hard to get places in connectors.
Troubleshooting electrical without one is like showing up at a gun fight with a knife.

KADUTZ · 09-08-2009, 09:14 PM

Quag

Is your bike wired so ign has to be on for the lights and horn to work? If so I would consider the main on/off ign switch. How many keys on you bike key fob?

I also think your bike is giving Karmatic payback for thinking of selling it. Like zay say payback is a female dog

course that jus my pinion

K

68TR6R · 09-09-2009, 06:40 PM

Check your charging system for a bad ground. A bad ground on a regulator can cause overcharging as you speak. Also, a bad battery can create unstable voltages when charged, without the ability to supply any sort of current. These are the first things I would check.

Tooz · 09-09-2009, 08:04 PM

Just a long shot. Check for a loose Zener Diode. Mine came loose and did almost the same thing. But it tripped the fuse when the screw backed out. Mine fell all the way out, yours might just be loose.

quagmire · 09-10-2009, 08:48 AM

Thanks for all the replies.

K, I though about my bike "getting back at me." I think we both made our peace when I pushed it back home! As for my hookups, the lights go on only when the key is turned but the horn will work all the time. I only have the one key in the switch, I don't want any other keys to scratch the paint.

Thanks for all the ideas, when I get soem time this weekend I'll have to check these things.