LilBeaver

Yikes!! Glad you are okay. And like both you and SilvrT mentioned, I do the same thing. As soon as I detect something that is abnormal (besides the driver) I probably look like a squirrel trying to find his... acorns.

Sometimes I get too wordy...

Mike: Thanks for the kind words. I'm no expert on these things, I just have played the electrical game once or twice with my bike... If I am interpreting your latest post correctly, you left the battery in the bike (presumably in an unheated garage or outside) not on a maintainer for the winter? If that is the case then your battery is probably not real happy with you. NOTE: The following text does not directly relate to the issue at hand but only to the question referenced in the following quote With respect to your question about how I feel about the 'stick it on a tender in the garage' as a 'solution', I don't want to get into anything with anyone on here but I will offer my opinion, since you asked. And if anyone disagrees with me, that is fine - I have no problem furthering discussion about it but do understand that I certainly am not trying to stir anything up or offend anyone or whatever here, just answering the question with an explanation of my method of thought. While sticking the battery on a tender while it sits in the garage is not a bad thing and if you do a lot of around town type riding where you are at low revs and on it for a short time, then putting the bike on a tender when you get home certainly is not a bad idea at all. If you do all of the tests and determine that there is not a problem other than you aren't on the bike long enough to properly charge up the battery (while riding) then I think we all would agree that plugging it in routinely is the solution. I think that using the 'plug it in and forget it' approach (as a solution) is not necessarily all that wise, right now, because you have sufficient reason to believe that there is, in fact, a problem. Plugging it in when you get home may treat the symptom(s) but may not address the actual problem. Under normal circumstances, one should not have the problem that you describe. I ride my bike daily, and on many occasions start it up multiple times a day. I also travel a lot for work purposes. Sometimes I am gone for 2 to 4 weeks at a time. I do not usually put the battery on a tender while I am gone, nor do I take the battery out of the bike (at least, since I have been living in Texas). When I lived in Michigan and Illinois, I would take the batteries out of all of my bikes and keep them in the house (if I didn't park the bike in the house) for the winter times that I was not riding. My train of thought it that if the bike has a hard start, cranks hard, or whatever I would rather fix the problem than simply treat the symptoms. Nothing says 'good time' like taking a rest break somewhere in the middle of nowhere and finding yourself on the side of the road in 100+ degree heat trying to push start the 900 lb beast. Point being: I'd rather be sure that I address the actual problem opposed to just treating the symptoms. If the solution is that say the bike isn't running long enough to fully recharge the battery, then the solution is put it on a battery tender as necessary. I have often been told that I go a little (or a lot) overboard when I troubleshoot problems with almost anything. Last summer when I asked for help with my bike on here, I seem to have ticked a few people off, being as thorough as I was as well as posting information that I found as I went along - I think that some misinterpreted my posting additional information as 'questioning' or 'doubting' their suggestions (where some offered things to do with no explanation as to why) when, in some instances, I was just putting up information about what I had done so that if someone else had a similar problem they would have a reasonable write up to go off of to help troubleshoot their own problems (too often I find on here when I search for some particular issues or whatever, I find a lot of threads that start but don't conclude). Also, they weren't the ones that were going to have to trust my bike to get them somewhere (not to mention fork up the money for the parts). At the time I was gearing up for a 3 week (5k mile trip) and wanted to be darn sure I had the problem figured out. It also gave me an opportunity to satisfy some of my curiosity about the electrical system of our RSVs. I have always been interested in how things work and way things do what they do, etc (hence my being a Physicist). So my 'troubleshooting' sometimes turns into a big question and answer session for me as I work on whatever it is I am working on. I especially enjoy analyzing something that failed and figure out why it failed. So. There is my long winded answer to your question. I hope that my time in putting the explanations on to my statements help folks understand the 'why' and motivation behind statements and suggestions that I make from time to time and maybe help someone learn something too. After all, we all learn from each other, experiences and asking questions.

One major point (in my opinion) that really ought to be noted is that facebook only 'requires' a name and valid e-mail address to sign up. When they first started they required a full name and a valid e-mail address that was affiliated with a major university. That is, in setting up your facebook account, they validated the domain of the e-mail address with the appropriate university. Unfortunately, now they have it setup so all you need is a valid e-mail address. Thanks to that, any and everyone can sign up as whatever they feel like calling themselves. Back to the point, the people that put in their phone numbers, home addresses and additional personal information, need to accept the consequences to their actions. That is, there is an aspect of responsibility involved that I think is all too often overlooked. Now, do I agree with names, e-mail addresses and other personal information being shared after the privacy agreement explicitly indicates that they will not, of course not. That is something that the company ought to be held accountable for. Like Joe said, if someone really wants to figure out where I live or whatever, it can be done. As for releasing personal information on this board, I have taken precautions to never post my address in a public place, or any other 'personal information', etc etc. Now, I have purchased things from various members on here and I have PMed them my address and whatever, but I was willing to accept the risk in that transaction and trusted the person on the other end of the deal to respect my privacy. I also have my browser set to prompt me for when I want to store cookies in addition to clearing any saved cookies and temporary files every time I exit the browser. I will reiterate, that for the folks on facebook (or any other social networking site, forum, web page, etc) that choose to not take advantage of the privacy options and still post their personal information all over the place - that is their own fault and, in my opinion, is a very irresponsible and stupid thing to do. IF the company or admins of the said site are the ones responsible for releasing information that was privilege to them due to the registration process or whatever, then that is a different story. Just a few thoughts.

Well, definitely something that should be covered/fixed under the warranty. I would say that next time you see it come on, pull over when you can safely do so, turn the bike off, then turn the key to the on position and write down the flash patter of the light it self. Then go back to the dealer and let them know what you saw. That will help them with the diagnosis. If you would like, the service manual does give a number of readouts for it you could go to the dealer with what the service manual says with respect to what the light tells you. Unfortunately though, on these bikes, I am pretty sure the light is just a light that shows up when the bike detects the problem and does not store any information about it (ie the 'on board diagnostic' system [OBD] is quite simple). I hope you get it taken care of soon and that you don't get stranded somewhere because of it.

Good luck with this!! I know that I have read where some folks on here have lucked out and get taken care of by Yamaha/their dealer, when slightly out of the warranty period. Even if you end up having to split the cost with them, that is better than buying a new shock and putting it on yourself.

First and foremost, if you are doing simple around town type riding, there is a good chance (especially if it is cooler out) that your battery is simply not charging back up while you ride (do to not having a long enough sustained higher revs to charge the battery while driving like it is supposed to). A common misconception is that if the bike is running (or any vehicle for that matter) the battery is being charged. On motorcycles (especially on ours when it is cooler and the carb heaters are on, headlights, radio, heated gear - whatever) when the bike idles the stator does not generate enough power to charge the battery and run the bike, so the bike runs somewhat off of the battery. So if you have a bunch of 'around town' short trips, especially if it is cooler out (ie carb heaters on), it is possible that you have simply sufficeintly depleated enough charge from the battery that you don't have enough juice left to start it. BUT, I would still check the system, to make sure. First I would check the battery, then the charging system, then I would check to see if there is some parasitic drain somewhere in the system. 1) Check the battery: A) If it is not an AGM type battery, check the fluid levels of the battery itself B) Take a terminal voltage reading with the battery hooked to the bike (like normal) but with everything off (should be somewhere above say 12.5 Volts or so) C) Turn the key to the on position (with your voltmeter still connected to the battery) and note the new reading. If a this point the reading drops well below 11.8V or so then you likely have an issue with the battery, if not then go to the next step. D) Push the starter button and see what happens. If the reading drops well below that 11V mark, then you probably have an issue with the battery. ALTERNATIVE BATTERY TEST: E) You could just take your battery to a place that sells batteries (in my experience, most auto parts stores offer some sort of free battery test). These battery tests are not perfect, but they simply do a load test without it connected to the bike. If you have an acid battery you could test the electrolyte and look at each plate in the battery to make a decision as to the condition of the battery, but we'll come back to that if you need to. 2) Check the charging system: A) Start the bike (with the voltmeter connected) and rev the motor up (service manual says to take it up to 5k RPM, but you don't have to go that high). When revved up, you should get a reading of at least 13.5V or so. If it is significantly less than that, you have a problem with the charging system. B) For completeness, I would check the resistance of the stator (should be between 0.279 and 0.371 ohms) -- To do this you can do it from above the rectifier or you can do it with the harness that comes directly out of the stator. The harness is located below the fuel filter. It is white, however, it is most likely covered in road grime and crap. It is a little bit of a bear to get to, but it is there. C) Check the harness that the regulator/rectifier unit plugs into. look for any sign of burnt pins, etc. There is not a conclusive bench test for the regulator/rectifier unit, but if you get a voltage reading (with the motor revved) of anything above 14V, you probably need to replace your rectifier. D) You could also start the bike and do an AC voltage measurement at this connector, but that is really not necessary if you have the 13.8V at a high RPM and the resistance checks out. 3) Check for parasitic drain while the bike is in the 'off' position. The easiest way to do this is to take an ammeter (multi-meter on the DC current setting) and pull each fuse one by one and measure the current through the bike. If you want to make it easy on your self, start with the main fuse (with the key in the OFF position) and write down that measurement. It will NOT be 0, but it will be on the order of milli-amps. Then, in the fuse box (right next to where the main fuse is) pull out the fuse that says 'back-up'. (Don't worry, this will not mess with the reverse system on the bike ) Measure the current through this fuse (by removing the fuse and touching both leads of your meter to the contacts that the fuse plug into). If your reading is identical to what you read of off the main fuse than you either 1) do not have any electrical drain issues) or 2) Have an intermittent drain issue. So while this test has the potential to be inconclusive, if you find that there is a significant difference between the reading from the main fuse and the back-up fuse, then proceed through the fuse boxes until you find the circuit that is drawing current with the bike off, and then we can go from there. 4) Check all of the grounds on the bike for clean and good contact. There are several. A) On engine block just behind stock horn B) Under plastic piece on the right side of the bike just in front of the fuel tank - you need to remove the tank to get to this puppy -- This is connected to the electrical junk inside the fairing by a a braided wire to a tab on the mount that the radio amplifier is connected to. C) Someone reported that there is one under the trunk too - I think for the CB, but I have not verified that one or exactly where it is. Hope this helps!!

Quite frankly, I agree with him. There are quite a few people that fit that description quite well. I do use facebook, not to meet people or anything but to stay in contact with old friends. The company has said numerous times that they will never charge people to use it, and if they do, I'm done. For now, I can't argue with free. On top of that, I simply do not share anything that I would care if it got plastered all over the place. Like others said too, I don't use the 3rd party applications and keep things simple. Some of that stuff was interesting to look at - thanks for posting it Brian.

Hope things continue to go smoothly for you. Ditto to keeping us posted! You better change YOUR cell phone number if you don't want visitors

I guess I need thicker glasses or something. Sorry about that )

Well, my key was pretty hot today when I turned off my bike. Although my thermometer did say it was 97 out (in the shade), and I was riding for ~4-5 hours or so... In the sun. So, while I don't think I am having premature switch issues, I just figured it was time that I come up with a quick and easy bypass. I know that there is a write up for doing this and cutting the wires on the bike to wire up the bypass for when it fails (and I will probably do this if absolutely necessary), but what I would like to do is get a plug and play setup going, so all I have to do is unplug my faulty ignition switch and plug in my bypass (using the existing wiring). I have also considered dismantling my current ignition switch for inspection and cleaning - as an attempt at a preventative measure. Question: Does anyone have an old ignition switch (failed or not, I don't care) that you wouldn't mind sending me? Either the whole switch or snip the wires as close to the switch as possible (so I have a decent length going to the plug-in connectors left over). I'll pay shipping (obviously). Thanks in advance!! : ) - Rick

Glad to hear it worked out for you!! Did you go from the "H" basket to the "I" basket? or what did you start with?

Good Call!!

Okay so they aren't necessarily obscure... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g266Uwp6ZnI]YouTube- Arlo Guthrie/Motorcycle Song[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_EFdod4YDo]YouTube- ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man (From "Live In Texas")[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIq1LvzSLsk]YouTube- Toby Keith - Should've Been A Cowboy[/ame]

Lol - okay so I guess I could have separated my thoughts a little more clearly than I did in that post, sorry. I do maintain that all you need to do is connect the two ends of the hoses together ('in' and 'out' with respect to the fuel pump) and I don't see why a double-end type connector wouldn't work as an in-line type patch.

Well sounds like things are going in a decent direction. Hope things continue to look up for you don.

Oh. Good call - I didn't even think about that. Although you'll probably be able to settle in mediation/arbitration before you'd even actually make it to the court room, you are correct.

Since the fuel filter itself is rather small, one would probably be better off just keeping a spare in your tool kit. But to answer your question, all you need to be able to do is connect two hoses together - so yes, a double ended connector [with clamps] would likely do the trick.

If you bypass the fuel pump itself I am pretty sure you won't be able to use all of the fuel in your tank. If I recall correctly, 'Seaking' as well as a few others that have had their pump fail, one of the symptoms was that they could go as long as they had a reasonably full tank then the bike would just die. But yea, once you give it a go without the fuel cap on, that ought to give some more info as to what else to look at.

Wow, that is intense. Also note that if you paid via credit card, I have found the protection from the CC companies to be of tremendous help. Hopefully you'll get them soon, with a reasonable explanation and maybe a little cash back or whatever you feel is warranted here. I admire your patience with this.

Uh oh... You guys smell that. *sniff sniff* I think I detect a hint of a 'why' thread comin on! GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!

Cool!! Looks like a relatively straight forward install. I am curious as to how dry those components will stay. I was talking to another member this last weekend who had installed a cigarete ligher type outlet just to the left rear of the driver seat and said that it was toast after the first rain he rode in. If you end up taking it back apart again anywyas (since you said you might be looking to switch it out for one one each side) you may want to consider putting a little dielectric grease on the inside (rear of the panel) of the rubber cover where the electrical contacts come together or come up with an additional way to seal it up in there - to help protect from corrosion, the elements, etc. Although, now that I am thinking about this, it'll probably stay pretty dry in there anyways - since the OEM main fuse is back there and is fine. Anyhoo, just sharing a thought.

Good call on making sure it IS the fuel pump before you pay some bozo 80/hr to tell you to replace the fuel filter. Actually, I know you've got quite a few miles on your bike, it may be time for the fuel filter anyways. How many miles do you have on your current one? I'd say if you are 10k or more on the current one, you may as well just go ahead and replace it. As far as your concern about them fussing about the trailering and extra wiring - the only thing I could see as a possible legitimate arguement would be if you managed to short out the fuel pump by your extra gizmos - which I think would be difficult to do unless you crossed some wires somewhere (and even at that, it would take some doing to screw it up). Regardless, it sounds like you are on a good track to diagnosing whatever the issue may be. Enjoy the humidity!!