Loose cable causing issue

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by Jerzy John Jr Kubiak, Nov 13, 2017.

  1. Jerzy John Jr Kubiak

    Jerzy John Jr Kubiak New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2017
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Hello fellow VFR riders,

    I'm Jerzy Kubiak and I'm based out of Windsor Ontario Canada. I landed a job out West in Alberta and need to sell one of three motorcycles. I want to buy a newer VFR out there.

    This bike has treated me well and has been in storage. But I've ran it numerous times and took it out about 2 weeks.

    Posted it for sale and I have many people wanting to buy it but I can't get it to start now.

    I installed a brand new battery, brand new fuel 94 octane. The bike wants to turn over we've tried it numerous times but we're thinking there's a ground issue. After ripping after the left fairing and gas tank we can't find where this cable goes... any help would be great!!!

    Regards,
    Jerzy
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017
  2. slovcan

    slovcan New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2013
    Messages:
    231
    Likes Received:
    22
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Annapolis Valley, NS, Canada - IBA #63720
    Hi Jerzy,

    Welcome aboard. What bike (year, model and mileage) is that cable on? It looks like an electrical cable and the round end is a plug? Does your bike have an alarm or immobilizer?

    About your starting problem - does the engine turn over at all when you push the start button? Do the lights and other electrical stuff come on when you turn the ignition on? If not, check the main fuse. Did you connect a booster battery? Even new batteries can occasionally be faulty. The big negative cable from the battery normally goes to one of the starter mounting bolts on most bikes. Sometimes that needs to be removed and and cleaned up along with the mating surfaces under the bolt head and on the starter case.

    Cheers,
    Glenn
     
  3. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

    Country:
    United Kingdom
    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2016
    Messages:
    1,969
    Likes Received:
    548
    Trophy Points:
    143
    Location:
    London
    Map
    Also what's the battery voltage?

    Have you tried bump starting?
     
  4. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

    Country:
    France
    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2009
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    369
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    French Alps & London
    Map
    Hi Jerzy and welcome to the MadHouse.


    When it comes to posts I admire brevity, but in this case it would help us if you could provide a lot more information. Unfortunately your post is somewhat confusing - Is that lead attached to the bike you currently own or the VFR you intend to buy? Is it attached to the bike you are having starting problems with?

    Also please start with the specifics of the motorbike you want help with - importantly year, model, how long you have owned it, were there any other issues prior to this which might be pertinent.

    With issues like this, it is often a good idea to make a short YouTube video of you attempting to start the bike, and then post a link on this thread so we can see and importantly hear what is happening as you attempt to start the bike.

    I doubt that cable has any relevance to the bike not starting, as it looks very much like an old style video camera cable connector (4 pin aviator connector). Was an old style analogue mini-cam ever fitted to the bike? Obviously it won't hurt to follow the cable to see what components if any it is attached to at the other end which should allow you to figure out whether or not it can be safely removed.

    Over to you..


    SkiMad
     
  5. Jerzy John Jr Kubiak

    Jerzy John Jr Kubiak New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2017
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Heres another photo
     
  6. Jerzy John Jr Kubiak

    Jerzy John Jr Kubiak New Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2017
    Messages:
    3
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Hey brother!

    It is a bike I currently own. It's a 2001 5th generation honda vrf800 with approximately 79000 km...

    I'm the second owner of the spike and I've owned it for approximately two and a half years...

    The bike was running right after I put in the brand new battery for a few weeks... I would warm it up in the garage and I even took it out for a quick 5 km ride...

    Shortly after it would take three or four tries to start it up and then it would finally turn over which is really rare and it never happened before.

    My buddy is convinced it is a bad coil or a bad spark plug. But we check the spark plugs a year ago and they were fine. The bike has been in storage for over a year.
     
  7. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

    Country:
    United Kingdom
    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2016
    Messages:
    1,969
    Likes Received:
    548
    Trophy Points:
    143
    Location:
    London
    Map
    How old are they? Can you pull one and post s picture?
     
  8. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

    Country:
    France
    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2009
    Messages:
    2,269
    Likes Received:
    369
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    French Alps & London
    Map
    Thanks Jerzy

    (PS - I can't see you subsequent photo? But no worries as your update points very much towards towards charging system or fuel issues.

    Your comment “The bike was running right after I put in the brand new battery for a few weeks.. Shortly after it would take three or four tries to start it up” strongly suggests your 5th Gen is just the latest to suffer from the charging system gremlins which those bikes are renowned for.

    All 4 elements (Stator, RR, Battery, Loom) of your charging system need to be in good order and a fault in one can can damage some or all of the others. You really have to find out why that battery needed replacement? OK it could simply be you replaced it because it was too old to hold a full charge, but quite often with these bikes the battery is actually the victim of faults elsewhere in the charging system - in which case fitting a new battery will only provide a temporary fix.



    To work out if that applies to your bike I suggest you round-up a multi-meter and then run the tests set out in post #9 of the following thread.

    http://vfrworld.com/threads/how-to-fix-common-regulator-stator-failures.39277/

    IMPORTANT notes

    (1) to get accurate results you must start with a fully charged healthy battery – I am guessing repeated attempts to start will have badly drained even a brand new battery, so before running the tests put the battery on charge overnight ideally using a proper motorbike battery charger.

    (I assume your battery is a standard agm type – but if you installed a lighter Lion type battery they typically depend on only using a charger specifically designed for that battery type).

    (2) you need to do those test TWICE - once with the bike cold and then again after taking the bike for a 20 minute plus ride which will ensure the electrical system warms up and heat related faults will be revealed. Sometimes an RR diode will only work fine whilst cool, or the insulation on stator windings will fail as it warms up and instead of charging the battery will quickly drain it leaving you with a bike which won’t start.



    As for fuel – the underlying issue question is whether the fuel is still fit to use? Hopefully your tank is filled with fresh premium fuel.

    However long stored bikes which have not been properly prepared for storage are prone to both octane degredation and more seriously old fuel can eventually turn to gel which will clog the injectors and other fuel system components. A partially filled tank also poses the risk of rust developing inside the tank with dislodged particles easily capable of clogging up the fuelling system.



    Let us know how you get on, and if you need help understanding the test results just post them up here.

    Good luck





    SkiMad
     
  9. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

    Country:
    United Kingdom
    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2016
    Messages:
    1,969
    Likes Received:
    548
    Trophy Points:
    143
    Location:
    London
    Map
    Also how old is the battery?

    What date roughly was is last run - this year?

    For how long?

    Did you try starting after charging the battery?

    Have you tried to bump start it?

    More information is required?
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017
Related Topics

Share This Page