Ever been towed?

[No Worries]

When I blew the engine on my CBR, I had to call for a tow. Came with a large van with a back tailgate. The bike was lashed down inside and brought to my house. Cost $85.

Today I had to have the GS1000 towed. Ran perfect up Lookout Mountain. On the way down, the engine died. Coasted to a turnoff. No power at all. I pulled out the battery. The fluid was a bit low. A bicyclist going uphill asked if I needed help. I asked if he could spare some water from his three bottles. I filled the battery to the full mark. Put it in and nothing.

I checked the main fuse. Replaced with a new one. Nothing. Turned the ignition switch a hundred times. Nothing. Flipped the emergency switch a hundred times. Nothing. Moved the clutch lever and the ignition switch a hundred times. Nothing.

A couple came back from a hike to their car next to me and asked if I needed a jump. Put the cables on the battery. Nothing. Hooked his cables to my cables. Nothing. I asked if they had a cell phone. Called the number of the guy who towed the CBR. That number was disconnected. Called 411 and got a tow company in Golden.

He came up within an hour and had a flatbed that tilted. Meanwhile, one of my friends on a Aprilia Caponord stopped, but I told him I had a tow. Dozens of sportbikes zoomed by. The huge tow truck came and he lowered the bed. He winched on the bike while I sat on it and kept it from falling. He strapped it down and towed it to my garage where it sits. I'll look at it tomorrow. Sixteen miles and $135, thank you. I was more embarrassed than anything.

[OneSickPsycho]

You, my friend... are in need of a new Concours 14...

[Mr Lefty]

Yup... when I got my flat and then broke my rear set, break lever, and fairings after patching it... I was about 150 miles outside of anchorage... and it took 50 calls to AAA to get one to go through long enough to let them know where I was. lucky I had signal at all... a mile down the road I lost signal riding in the tow truck for the next 90 miles...

[byron12]

Yup... when I got my flat and then broke my rear set, break lever, and fairings after patching it... I was about 150 miles outside of anchorage... and it took 50 calls to AAA to get one to go through long enough to let them know where I was. lucky I had signal at all... a mile down the road I lost signal riding in the tow truck for the next 90 miles...

Damn and I was gonna say he needed triple a but hell I'm going with the new concours 14 I wouldn't mind on myself..........

[No Worries]

You, my friend... are in need of a new Concours 14...

I'd rather get a Busa and make it into a sport/tourer. Or maybe a Blackbird. But I also like the older CBR 900's and Aprilia Mille's. We'll see.

[Mr Lefty]

Damn and I was gonna say he needed triple a but hell I'm going with the new concours 14 I wouldn't mind on myself..........

AAA is awesome! it was just that in Alaska... you don't have signal much outside of anchorage... I have nothing but good things to day about AAA

[OneSickPsycho]

I'd rather get a Busa and make it into a sport/tourer. Or maybe a Blackbird. But I also like the older CBR 900's and Aprilia Mille's. We'll see.

Awesome. Any way you look at it, the motorcycle gods are telling you it's time for a change...

[byron12]

AAA is awesome! it was just that in Alaska... you don't have signal much outside of anchorage... I have nothing but good things to day about AAA

I agree just had the locksmith out here making a key for this free bike I got this afternoon pays for itself in one tow or locksmith visit....

[Mr Lefty]

Yup... the only time I've been dissapointed was when I took my car to the beach and decided to drive it out ON the beach... got stuck and called AAA... they said basicly because I was further than 15' from the road I'd have to pay for the tow truck... ($500) so I paid a guy who was launching his boat near by $80 (he was a dick but my only real option) to pull me out

[byron12]

Yup... the only time I've been dissapointed was when I took my car to the beach and decided to drive it out ON the beach... got stuck and called AAA... they said basicly because I was further than 15' from the road I'd have to pay for the tow truck... ($500) so I paid a guy who was launching his boat near by $80 (he was a dick but my only real option) to pull me out

I actually got stuck in a yard that I was landscaping tore the shit out of it too. When I called AAA I told them not to send a huge tow truck since it would get stuck too I was about a hundred yards from the road. Of course the the truck that shows up is like a freaking 20,000 billion pound monstrosity of course dudes like I can't drive out there I'll get stuck fortuantly me and him were able to rig a collection of the ropes and chains we had between us and winched me out all covered by AAA. If they told some bullshit like that I would just hang up and call back for a different operator...

[Mr Lefty]

well I was like a good half mile off road by walking... but a mile and a half by way of driving... so I could kinda understand... and the sand was soft... he probably would have been burried if the tow truck would have come

[NONE_too_SOFT]

fucking riders were just passing you? thats irks me.

[No Worries]

fucking riders were just passing you? thats irks me.
I was just sitting there on a rock waiting for the tow truck. If I had waved down any of the bikers, I'm sure most would have pulled over to help.

So what did I do with the bike? I used my digital voltmeter to figure out what's wrong. With the battery out, I checked the resistance of the power wire from the battery and ground. No resistance, that means a short. I used a clothespin to hold one wire to the power wire while I probed grounds. The Kawasaki R/R that I installed had a ground wire together with a ground for the lights. No resistance until I separated both grounds.

The ground from the R/R was open, but the ground from the lights wasn't. I went to the schematic.

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4703/suzukischematicak5.jpg

The orange wire had continuity, so I pulled the ignition switch. That's when I found a burned mark on the back of it. I took off the back and saw what burned it.

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/1644/suzukiignitionswitchiy9.jpg

The red wire at BAT is completely melted away, and the orange wire is burned too. So I need a new or used ignition switch. They come apart so I can use my key and cylinder with a new electrical switch underneath.

Surprisingly, Suzuki still makes them at $145@, but it will take a week to get one. All the used motorcycle parts stores are closed on Monday, so I'll call them tomorrow. Of course it was 75 degrees today. You know I wouldn't give up too easy on this.

[Quick281]

Glad to hear you got it all figured out. Sounds like the overall fix hasn't cost too much either.

[No Worries]

I bid on a 1978 ignition switch on ebay and won it on Monday evening. I received it in the mail this morning. Waited until after lunch to install it. Then I had to do a three-hour test ride to make sure it worked right.

The funny thing about electronics is that it always finds the weakest wire or most corroded switch to mess up. I took several connectors apart behind the headlight and sprayed contact cleaner on them. it was a great day for riding.