Radio control stayed on when bike turned off

[LilBeaver]

Get loaded up and backed out of the garage, fire up the bike, go to turn the radio on - just like I do every morning, and I get nothing. Turn the handlebars all the way in both directions, turn the bike off and back on (Don't know why, but for some reason this helped before I reseated the plugs a few weeks ago) and still no radio (or CB). I take off for the office anyways, figuring it is no big deal and I will figure it out later.

 

About 5 or 10 minutes or so while riding the radio turns on all by itself. I have full control over everything on the unit. Another few minutes later and the radio still plays but there is no control (cannot use the up/down arrows, adjust the volume, turn the CB on or off, any function at all with the 'select' button and cannot turn the radio off). For the rest of the ride in I regain and loose control over the radio head; (at this point I am just trying to turn it off). During the stints while the radio was on it would go in and out (meaning I would have the radio signal, then only static). I finally park the bike, radio still being funny turn off the bike, dismount and lock the forks. upon getting my briefcase out I see that the radio head is still on (no sound, but the radio still reads the station I was on). I try pushing buttons and turning the volume knob and nothing happens. There was no noise coming out of the speakers but at this point the radio had changed to a preset that was a dead station (I know this because it was one of the default presets that I remember put out nothing). So I get back on and start to ride home. Radio still being intermittent, I pay attention to the buttons that I press and the order of which they get pressed and notice that it seems to do the functions that I ask it to, just on a really odd time interval. I finally get the dumb thing to shut off. As I am pulling into the garage I try it one more time, and it does not turn on right away, but eventually turns on again with no other responses. I turn the key off and again the head stays on.

Pull the seat, disconnect the battery.

 

It seems to me that this is either a short to ground somewhere, bad remote head, or a problem with the radio.

I have split the fairing, checked all of the radio connectors and all were tight. Pulled the passenger seat and checked both radio-related connectors under their and both tight. Unplugged and replugged all of the associated radio connectors and no function now. (The head lights up but it does not turn the radio on or off).

 

I have the passing lamp relay grounded to the headlight surrounds - unplugged that and no change.

 

I figured that when my rectifier went out a few weeks ago that I may have toasted other electrical components, but, I got it all back together and have ridden 5,000+ miles with no problems until now; I would have thought that if it was related to that it would have shown up pretty much right away.

 

I cannot seem to find where the radio unit is grounded though.

Questions:

1) Does anyone know where the radio unit is grounded?

2) Any suggestions on what else to look at or how to test to see if the head or radio is bad without spending the $300+ for a new radio & control unit?

 

Thanks in advance for any input.

[Nighthawk II]

Sounds about like what happened to my 05 not long after I bought it. Took it to the dealer and they checked it and said that somehow water had gotten into the control head and shorted it out. It would play sometimes and sometimes it wouldn't. I had already checked all the connectors before taking it to them.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

You must be generating a strong electro-magnetic field, with all the gremlins you've been finding in your bike!

 

How about your cellphone, TV, car, ipods, cd and dvd players? They all working ok???

 

I guess your computer is working ok...(for now!)

 

 

[LilBeaver]

Bill:

Thanks for the feedback...

 

Sounds about like what happened to my 05 not long after I bought it. Took it to the dealer and they checked it and said that somehow water had gotten into the control head and shorted it out. It would play sometimes and sometimes it wouldn't. I had already checked all the connectors before taking it to them.

 

HAHA, yea... well, I think I might have to ground myself to get some of these fields to chill out. Although after just getting back from my trip, this IS the optimal time for this kind of problem to occur (and the bike still runs fine so it really is not THAT bad...)

 

You must be generating a strong electro-magnetic field, with all the gremlins you've been finding in your bike!

 

How about your cellphone, TV, car, ipods, cd and dvd players? They all working ok???

 

I guess your computer is working ok...(for now!)