Turn Key and Nothing!

[outlaws justice]

Went out last night to start the Vmax to ride out to teach MSF and I turned the Key on and Nothing! No lights, No Nothing! Just ride the bike home Sunday from a class in Rome NY, put about 200 miles over the weekend, parked it Sunday afternoon and have been riding the FZ1. So I took the FZ1 to class again and got home last night to tear into the Vmax to find the problem.

Checked battery and all connections, Grounds and relays and fuses. Still everything checked out. So remember had problems with the contacts inside the ignition switch with one of my Nighthawks a couple year ago.

Took the ignition switch apart and the spring that pushes the contacts down broke, contacts not making contact. I reversed the contacts 180 and back in bussiness again! So not your normal problem, but 45 minutes from start to finish and problem solved!

 

[mikemax04]

Way to go Dave. Good info for us all.

 

[Calimus]

Very cool. That would have made a perfect technote with a few pics.

Hope I never have the same problem, but if I do, now I know what to look for.

 

[outlaws justice]

If I had started out checking the ignition switch proable only a 20 minute fix, But like normal you start by checking the simple things first, Battery, Connections, fuses and so on.

Taking the switch apart involves removing the right side scoop, Plastic cover for radiator hoses (Slides off) shield behind hoses (Really only remove rear screw) and then two screws to remove plastic cover over ignition switch. Then two bolts that hold the bracket that holds the switch, top one with a 10mm socket, bottom (Behind radiator hose) with a wrench. Two screws then hold the switch and contacts to the plate. Remove them and you now have three pieces in your hand. At this point be careful as the contacts inside the switch will fall out unless you turn it upside down. Clean contacts, check for spring action and reasemble. If the spring is broken or has failed on one side, remove the contacts inside the switch, trun 180 degrees and replace with the good side now making contact, or get the new pieces to fix it. Without parts a simple reverse of the contacts worked for me. So a allen wrench, 10mm wrench, 10mm socket and a philips screwdriver and a few minutes time and you are back in business.