VFR 1200- Absolutly Nothing! Help!

Hi all,
I'm sorry if I'm breaking any forum rules by posting in the wrong place but I'm new to these sites and a little desperate at the moment!
I've got a VFR 1200 2010, which has a major problem. I started it this morning with no issues and came all the way to work, stopped and switched it off to clock in but when I went to start it again nothing is happening. I turn the key on and there's no lights, gauges or anything. If I press start the little digital clock disappears and nothing else happens. Turn the key off again, wait a few seconds, the taco does a full sweep and returns and digital clock comes back. Try the process again and same thing!?
I'll be calling the AA later but in the mean time I'm trying anything I can think off. Checked all the fuses I can find, tested battery, swapped relays, disconnected battery for a bit, nothing seems to work. Has anyone experienced this? I'm quite mechanically minded but I'm limited when it comes to modern vehicles with so many ecus and cutout circuits.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time and patience with a newby!

 

Check battery voltage. Sounds like the battery has died on you.

 

Thanks for the advice. I tested the battery, which was at about 13.3V although I know under load this doesn't always mean much. I've had plenty of batteries fail in cars over the years but normally there's some sort of warning signs. This seemed to be virtually instant! No warnings until switching off the bike and then nothing when switching on. Is it possible for a bike battery to instantly fail like this? What is concerning me now I think of it is that the voltage reading seems high when not running. I'm at work so limited time to check it but I'll see if I can test it again later. If the AA find anything I'll leave an update here.

 

13.3v is showing a fully charged battery which looks good. What does it show with ignition on?

Its just that the symptoms are those of a discharged battery.

 

Bad battery connection, battery to frame, battery to solonoid, unlikely but possible

 

I agree about it being battery symptoms but I'd just expect to see some sort of signs of life. Connection fault is also highly likely but again it was strange how it didn't show any signs on the road, only after turning off. The dash shows nothing but the time. When I press the start button this disappears as if there's not enough charge to run it. Once I turn the key off the taco moves once and the clock reappears like there's just enough charge. Other than that no lights or warnings at all. It is probably something simple but without the tools here I'm a bit stumped. Hoping it's not an ecu fault. If I find anything out I'll report back. Thanks for the help and any other ideas you can one up with.

 

Is this the original OEM battery--six years old now, likely worn out.

13.3 open circuit voltage seems high for a flooded lead acid, maybe it is AGM or some other technology.

Sometimes a worn battery will show high voltage but has no current-carrying capacity--lays down under load.

 

Umm - welcome to the Madhouse:welcome:

Sorry to hear your first forum post is to report problems. When you get a chance please visit the Introductions section to say Hi to the rest of the folks on here and its a good idea to add a photo of your VFR if you don't want folks raggin on you. Maybe update your forum profile (Forum Actions+Edit Profile) to include the specs of your bike and an approximate location - so the information appears automatically with all your posts and if you need help you may find someone nearby is willing to swing by and help.

:focus:

OK as for your current problem those battery volts look acceptable.

So I would take a deep breath and run through the start-up basics. Your bike has lots of interlinked safety devices designed to prevent you starting the bike in gear so I would probably go over the top and take steps to remove as many possible sources of starting problems.

So consider trying to start the bike again after raising the kick-stand and pulling in the clutch, also cycle the kill switch a few times just in case it has been knocked or contacts have corrosion build up, check the bike is really out of gear (can you wheel it along?) Don't assume that the neutral light showing means it is good to go.

The big question can you hear the fuel pump prime when you move the key to the ignition on position? If not we need to think why?

Does you bike have HISS if so make sure ONLY the correct RFID key is in or near the ignition? If you have a bunch of other coded keys on the same ring it may block the HISS being disarmed.

Tell us what happens when you press the start button - do the lights dim? can you hear the starter turning the bike over or just a click?

Does the bike have an aftermarket alarm/immobiliser fitted? If so is it disabled correctly?

Sorry to offer more questions than solutions at this stage - hopefully the AA man will figure out what is wrong.

Lift the seat and check battery terminals are not loose.

Let us know how you get on.




SkiMad

 

13.3 is a very high voltage for a resting lead acid battery. My lithium only sits at 13.2 when resting. I would test how much the voltage drops to when the key is put to the on position and also when the starter button is pressed, also I have the battery load tested. You said that you checked all fuses right? I would double check all connections for signs of dirt or heat and check for loose grounds. double check that the battery terminals are tight.

 

Well I'm finally home after a long and frustrating day! Thanks to all of you for your advice, and thanks once again to the AA who have never let me down.
The battery is most certainly dead but what has caused it remains a mystery. At the moment we suspect a short somewhere causing massive drain on the battery. All of your suggestions are sound but as it's still within it's three month warranty I'm reluctant to start stripping the bike down just yet. I'll be getting in touch with the dealers tomorrow to try and get it sorted. If and when the problem is solved I'll report back. As soon as the ignition is turned on the voltage drops completely and the battery won't hold a charge. At the very least it's a replacement battery but there's definitely something causing it. I'm a relatively good DIY mechanic but I don't want to risk invalidating my warranty.
Thanks for the kind welcome Skimad4x4. I'll definitely be sorting out my profile and look forward to getting involved in the forum and hopefully even help someone else with their problems.
Ride safe everyone and enjoy! I'm back to four wheels for the time being but hopefully not for long.

 

perhaps you left the key on

 

Hopefully it is a bit too early for the stator/rr connector to have failed taking the charging system out but you never can tell. Be aware that VFR's are a bit hard on their charging system because of a crappy connector between the stator and rr

 

So far it seems that that is more of a 6th gen and earlier thing. 8th gens are factory mosfet equipped and in turn have much better connections.

 

Well you never answered Kennybobby's question of whether or not this is the original battery. If it is original it's a really good run for it and I would feel fairly confident that a new battery is going to solve your issue. You can verify that you don't have a perasitic amperage draw easy enough while you are putting in your new battery. Inquiring minds are waiting:eagerness:

 

I had literally the exact same issue happen to me on my 2010 honda VFR1200f. My issue was that my alarm system on the bike would keep draining the battery down to the point where my bike would not even start. Only the dial on the gauge would go up and down. I had honda test everything from the charging system and they even tested the battery at a later date and said it was good. I ended up ditching the OEM battery and getting a nice AGM battery. I also put a switch on the alarm system to prevent the extra draw on the battery and this solved all my issues. This was happening to me back in 2012 about 6 months after I bought the bike. Do you happen to have any extra accessories that could be draining the battery. If you put a multimeter in line on one of the terminals and wires on the battery (pick one) and measure mA DC, it should be really low. I can't remember the exact number but much less than 1 mA with no accessories.

 

Any update on what problem was?

 

So Karmit, what was the outcome with this problem? 10 days ago you said you were going to talk with a shop about it the next day. Sooooooo?