Erratic cutout

[BooG]

Hi all!
Some idiot knocked my bike over when it was parked. very little damage was done, luckily. However, when I started her up the day after, she started fine, and then cutout for no apparrent reason. All the lights on the instrument panel dissappeared as well. I fiddlled with the key, and she started again, but on a short test run, the bike started cutting out erratically, and then starting again. I'm going to have a look right now; firstly at battery connections, then maybe at the ignition switch itself. Am I in the right areas? Any wisdom always welcome!

[nhmaf]

By "lights on the instrument panel disappeared" I assume you mean that none of them illuminate, and not that
someone ran off with them ?   Best to always start with the simple things first - check the battery and the battery
connections.  Depending on how hard of a fall it was it might have knocked some plates loose in the battery, causing
intermittent shorts.  Another likely suspect is the fuses - especially if you have the "stock" fuse holder assembly located
under the rear part of the fuel tank.   These can get partially dislodged or moved around in corroded contact metal to
cause an intermittent circuit.   Good idea to go to the fuses after the battery and pull them out, inspect (test if you
have a multimeter), and clean all the contacts, and reinstall.  After putting the fuses back in you can put some dielectric
grease or some vaseline over the metal contacts that hold the fuses to help prevent future corrosion.

If none of these solve the problem, we'll help you move onto step #2..

[BooG]

Well, thanks for those tips. I've gone over everything suggested and she seems to be running fine again. I guess they just don't like the horizontal position for too long!!
Grey and damp in London at the moment. Takes longer to start the bike in these conditions. Do other people have difficulty starting in colder weather? Is there anything I can do to improve it? During warmer times she will start with no choke real easy. Starting in cold and damp really seems to work the battery.

[Bob_Roller]

I had hard starting problems below 55 F. (13 C.), and got progessively worse as the temps got lower, it was a weak coil, the primary winding resistance was about half of what it was supposed to be, this was with a single dual output coil. Replaced it with a Dyna 'brown' coil, cost was about 2/3 rds the cost of an OEM coil. The bikes starts fine down to 22 F. (-6 C.) now, that's the coldest it's gotten here in Phoenix for about the last 15 years.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

And if you consider changing out your battery, consider a 'dry' cell like the Odyssey or one like it.  I love mine!


One time my bike was running perfectly, and I thought I would do some "preventative maintenance" by removing the fuses and cleaning the contacts and all.  Ha!  Suddenly I would have no tail light or turnsignals  at no particular time!
I would rotate the fuse in it's holder, and they would come back on, and stay that way for days or weeks, and then flake out again.  
I finally found myself at a dealer one day (none local) and bought a new fuse.  Problem solved.

[thrang]

I did away with the standard fuse box comlpetely and replaced it with a blade fuse set up. It's a mod I'm going to do on the RT when I get round to it, as the Lake District roads vibrate the stock fuse apart.
Tony

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I did away with the standard fuse box comlpetely and replaced it with a blade fuse set up. It's a mod I'm going to do on the RT when I get round to it, as the Lake District roads vibrate the stock fuse apart.
Tony

A modification I plan to carry out, as well!

[nhmaf]

I was thinking of installing an automotive blade-type fusebox setup, though before I spend money on that
I think that I'll be replacing the stock, gray coil with a Dyna brown coil - probably more likely to bite me
at a bad spot/time, though those stock fuse holders aren't the greatest design either !

As for fuse panels, I was looking at the Centech AP-1 or  the "Marine Fuse block" from Overton's

http://www.centechwire.com/catalog/cycles/ap1.shtml

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?r=view&i=35059

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I used the 6-gang for my accessory fuse box from this place: http://www.wiringproducts.com/en-us/dept_136.html

They have a nice, compact 4-gang that I will probably use to replace the stock fuses, unless I can find a 2-gang.




Now, having looked at the site for Wiring Products, I found this gem that I might use to upgrade my current 6-gang.  One side is already bussed, where I had to do that myself (rather sloppily, I might add).

[Frank_M]

I've a '82 R65 with 56K on the meter. A while back, it began to cut out and cut in erratically. This cut-out endured for a second at most, giving the bike and myself a jolt when the speed was up. The coil looked okay but I took it to a dealer for a check, and the checker said it was heating up and recommended replacement. I took him at this word but the new coil did not solve the problem. Later, while messing with the carburetion, the cut-out disappeared, although I lost some power. Now just recently I had it tuned by a fellow who knows his stuff, and while much of the power has been restored, the "nanosecond" cut-out has reappeared. Any thoughts on this to consider?

[Bob_Roller]

Frank, most likely you have a loose electrical connection, now the work begins on exactly what offending wire or connector is the problem. When you have a cut out, do you lose the entire electrical system, or is it just an ignition problem ? I would try pulling apart all the electrical connectors, checking for security of the metal 'pins' in all the connectors to see if they can be pushed out when the connectors are pushed back together. Clean any dirt or corrosion on the mating metal parts, put it back together and see if the problem comes back. If you have any 'loose' fitting connectors, you could try heat shrink around them, or possibly a small ty-wrap to see if it solves your problem. I had a similar problem on my '81 R65, and it took about 6 months to finally correct the loose wire in a connector. Be patient, and don't start changing parts like the voltage regulator, rotor, stator etc............., until you can confirm that the component is bad.

[Frank_M]

Bob, the cut-out, cut-in happens so quickly that I'm unsure if the lights etc cease to momentarily function. I've not discovered any loose connections, but there were many that were dirty and dusty, most likely from the third-of-a-mile gravel lane to my place. (Which I think has contributed to another immediate problem. See my post on neutral indicator switch.)

[Semper Gumby]

One source of shorts on my 1980 was up around the steering head.  There are a couple of green and black power wires that are set up for optional equipment.  Make sure these ends are covered up.  One of mine was inside a protective rubber bell.  But that didn't prevent a bolt head from reaching up inside to establish an unwanted ground.