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Urgent help needed!!

7K views 34 replies 17 participants last post by  silverspurs 
#1 · (Edited)
hey guys... I'm in trouble... I'm on a 10 day Canada trip, in Prince Rupert BC. This morning when I went out to start my 09 Nomad, it started up as usual, ran for a couple of minutes at idle, but then as I started to pull away, it died... everything died... all electrical out... we looked at all the system fuses and they were ok... then we pulled the Main fuse and it was fried... I put the spare 30 amp fuse in, it started up, all appeared to be ok, then rode it for about 15 min and every thing died again... the main fuse had blown again, we replaced it, turned the bike on, all appeared to be normal until I started it, the main fuse immediately blew again...

I have removed all accessory wires, and have checked every wire and harness I can get to and can find no problem...

does anyone have any ideas?? is this a regulator problem??

I'm 2000 miles from home, there is no motor cycle repair shop in this town and I'm at my wits end...

thanks for your help!! rick
 
#2 ·
Possible causes

I am retired Navy electrician - not a motorcycle mechanic... so for what it is worth - there are a few items that would draw that kind of current.

I would start by checkng the battery leads and the ground screw on the frame forward of the battery. If they are tight, suggest pulling the battery and inspect the leads around the frame from the positive side (red) and the frame. Inspect the leads to the starter and voltage regulator. There is tight clearance around the battery and you may have worn the insulation away. Electrical tape if you see any metal should get you home. Sounds a bit intermittent as you were able to drive one time for 15 minutes.

Generator - short circuit in the stator. The rotor has permanent magnets, so that is not a likely source. If there is a ground path from "wear" dust, oil, dirt etc you could be getting a short to ground drawing that type of current. In either case, it is not a fast repair as you need to pull the right engine cover.

Voltage regulator - this is a go or no-go situation either they work or fail. Not sure if you can just unplug it and run off the battery to see if the fuse blows again. If it runs on the battery, and does not blow the fuse, you have found the problem. Obviously, not a long term solution as the battery will dischage.

Part numbers from Kawasakipartshouse.com

21003 21003-0076 STATOR $330.08
21007 21007-0116 ROTOR $599.03
21066 21066-0043 REGULATOR-VOLTAGE $139.65


Starter - with the new fuse, does the starter disengage? if the solenoid does not release, that could draw enough current to blow the fuse. If you are able to get it running, I might suggest holding the lead on the starter to get it running and then pulling it away once running. If it is hard starting, the brushes may be worn out and causing the short, but solenoid should release.

1039 21039-0009 BRUSH $22.93
21040 21040-0003 SPRING-BRUSH $5.28
21163 21163-0055 STARTER-ELECTRIC $493.88
27010 27010-1446 SWITCH,MAGNETIC $77.67

Good luck - and hope it is a simple fix.

Bob
 
#3 ·
I am retired Navy electrician - not a motorcycle mechanic... so for what it is worth - there are a few items that would draw that kind of current.

I would start by checkng the battery leads and the ground screw on the frame forward of the battery. If they are tight, suggest pulling the battery and inspect the leads around the frame from the positive side (red) and the frame. Inspect the leads to the starter and voltage regulator. There is tight clearance around the battery and you may have worn the insulation away. Electrical tape if you see any metal should get you home. Sounds a bit intermittent as you were able to drive one time for 15 minutes.

Generator - short circuit in the stator. The rotor has permanent magnets, so that is not a likely source. If there is a ground path from "wear" dust, oil, dirt etc you could be getting a short to ground drawing that type of current. In either case, it is not a fast repair as you need to pull the right engine cover.

Voltage regulator - this is a go or no-go situation either they work or fail. Not sure if you can just unplug it and run off the battery to see if the fuse blows again. If it runs on the battery, and does not blow the fuse, you have found the problem. Obviously, not a long term solution as the battery will dischage.

Part numbers from Kawasakipartshouse.com

21003 21003-0076 STATOR $330.08
21007 21007-0116 ROTOR $599.03
21066 21066-0043 REGULATOR-VOLTAGE $139.65


Starter - with the new fuse, does the starter disengage? if the solenoid does not release, that could draw enough current to blow the fuse. If you are able to get it running, I might suggest holding the lead on the starter to get it running and then pulling it away once running. If it is hard starting, the brushes may be worn out and causing the short, but solenoid should release.

1039 21039-0009 BRUSH $22.93
21040 21040-0003 SPRING-BRUSH $5.28
21163 21163-0055 STARTER-ELECTRIC $493.88
27010 27010-1446 SWITCH,MAGNETIC $77.67

Good luck - and hope it is a simple fix.

Bob
I will check those things this morning... thanks!
the fact that it turns on with no problem, and doesn't blow the fuse until it starts up, leads me to suspect a problem with voltage regulation... but I'm no electrician... rick
 
#4 ·
I will not be much help to you in locating your problem.

But I had the same thing happen on my 99 Nomad. It would run a while and then blow the main fuse. I was at a VROC rally at Eureka Springs for three days, trying to track down the short. I'm not a mechanic. A Kawasaki tech was there with the Kawasaki truck. He pulled the entire wiring harness out and checked it for a short. Replaced it, saying when I got it home to have the dealer call and he would cover the cost of the wiring harness if I have the dealer do the labor, since he was unable to find the problem. I never had a problem with it since. Evidently, something was shorting out and when it was moved, never grounded out again!!!!?????

Good luck!!
 
#7 ·
As an add, if both are unplugged and it no longer blows fuse, then try replugging one and then the other to see if the fuse blows. Then leave the one that blows the fuse unplugged, keep your electrical load down...no light bar, etc, and you can probably make it to a repair shop.
If you have access to a meter, I can tell you how to check the alternator output to verify.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Same Exact thing happened tome on my09 vv

I was on my nova scotia trip I the middle of no place

Long story short... Ignition wire rubbing against fuel tank insulation wore thru an shorted to tank

Call me and I can exPlain all to help you out

Home # 516 609-0478
 
#10 ·
thanks everyone for your responses... I've been unable to access internet for the past two days... anyway, on Thursday morning, I tried everything I could think of to try to find the short... the short had progressed from blowing the main fuse only when the bike was actually running, to blowing the main fuse after the ignition had been switched to the ON position for a few seconds... obviously a dead short somewhere... I was running out of time because the ferry was due the next day, I needed to get things moving, so I rented a uhaul and I'm on my way back home with the bike in the uhaul... I'll be there tomorrow... when I get home, I'll be tearing things down (something I couldn't do in Prince Rupert, it's the rain capitol of Canada) so I'll need all the help I can get when I get er' home... thanks again for your posts and I'll be back on here as soon as I get a chance to tear things down... rick
 
#11 · (Edited)
Damn.....1700's are beginning to look a bit unreliable....
I for one, WON'T be buying one.
Ma Kawi BETTER take a long, hard look at this bike.

(let us know the problem)....
I'm on the fence whether to buy the wife her own bike...(shadow)....or, combine the 9 and the money and buy a tourer/cruiser of some type. Lotsa decisions...I keep a close eye on the 17 forums...and I don't think the bike is suitable "outta the crate"...
 
#13 ·
It's hard to judge reliability on an internet forum. People are much more likely to make a thread about a problem they had than a "Rode all week without any problems" thread. But, I do agree, seems like we see a scary number of costly failures on the 1700's on the forums, as compared to most other Vulcan models. It almost seems like bikes are outgrowing themselves. I frequent a handful of motorcycle forums (or skim them). Seems like the big Harley twins (96 and up), and other big metric twins (various 16, 17, 1800+ twins) seem to have a lot more problems compared to the sub 1600cc category. Those 88" Evo Harley's seemed fairly bullet proof compared to their previous engines, but then they headed downhill again (in my perception) with the 96" and 103" motors. More power means more heat, and perhaps, these components can't get rid of heat quick enough, or just can't handle the power these big motors make. Who knows. (Although, the Vulcan 2000 seems to be another dead reliable gem, judging by these forums anyway!)

I was in the same boat as you a while back. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I really did enjoy touring on my 900. There are things like cruise control, lower rev's on the highway, and the like that would be nice, but nothing wowed me so much to justify spending a whole bunch of money. Ended up getting the Shadow for the wife! We've got a bluetooth headset, and hearing her tell me "There's nothing in the world like this!" as she's riding in front of me on her little red shadow really affirmed that decision. Mushy I know, but watching her enjoy the joy of her own ride is worth all the electronic cruise controls in the world! :p

I'm in the process now of just building my 900 into a big touring bike. Most recently installed a Harley tour-pak. That's much bigger than any of the aftermarket trunks on the market (that I'm aware of) for the 900. The weight added over the rear really added some stability to the bike. It was already solid, but now it really feels like a big bike. Big bikes aren't stable in the wind and on the highway because of their horsepower, it's the weight and size of the bike. The 900, despite the small motor, is already the size of most big twins (in terms of the size of the bike itself) and is only INCHES shy of the dimensions of the 1700, or the big Harley tourers. The high RPM's don't bother me, personally, and I've never felt limited by the 900's power because I don't ride 80+ anyway. I've pulled some serious hills, in top gear, at 65 no problem. Having owned a couple manual transmission cars, I'm used to downshifting on the steep hills at a lower speed, so that doesn't bother me either.

Moral of the story, if you aren't sure what bike you want to upgrade to, don't discount what you've already got. Not saying the 900 is the greatest touring bike ever made, but it is certainly more capable than people give it credit for. I still have a smile on my face on 500+ mile days on my 900! The future plans for my bike include a stereo fairing (or adapted Harley fairing) and big hard bags. My thinking is, whatever bike I move up to next (and I eventually will, I do love my 900 but a big twin is in my future in the next several years I'm sure), I can simply transfer those touring goodies over. Rather than buy a voyager (if I go the 1700 route), I can just go with a Nomad (for the cruise control, otherwise I'd just get a 1700 Classic!), add my tour pak and fairing, and go! If for some reason I went the Harley route, I could turn a softail or road king into a full dresser. And so on and so forth.

That's the plan anyway! Good luck with whatever you end up doing. If you have any questions on the shadow send me a PM and maybe I can tell you what I know. I've done some research on them before I bought one and, well, now I own one! Wife's is a 2011 Aero, and she loves it. It's great for a new, shorter rider.
 
#18 ·
main fuse shorting out

Hi guys; I'm resurrecting this thread because I'm going to start working on the bike in the next couple of weeks... to recap:

on a trip to Canada over Labor Day, my main fuse blew one morning about 5min after the bike had been started and was running. we replaced the main fuse and the bike started up again and ran about 10 minutes before the main fuse blew again... all other fuses were ok...

after that, the problem progressed so that the main fuse now blows immediately upon the ignition switch being turned to the ON position... the bike doesn't get a chance to start at all...

we had been riding in some light rain the day before all this started, but experienced no problems while riding in the rain, it was the next morning that things went haywire... the bike has about 20,000 miles on it.

any more suggestions to guide me on my quest are appreciated!!... thanks!!
 
#22 ·
Hi guys; I'm resurrecting this thread because I'm going to start working on the bike in the next couple of weeks... to recap:

on a trip to Canada over Labor Day, my main fuse blew one morning about 5min after the bike had been started and was running. we replaced the main fuse and the bike started up again and ran about 10 minutes before the main fuse blew again... all other fuses were ok...

after that, the problem progressed so that the main fuse now blows immediately upon the ignition switch being turned to the ON position... the bike doesn't get a chance to start at all...

we had been riding in some light rain the day before all this started, but experienced no problems while riding in the rain, it was the next morning that things went haywire... the bike has about 20,000 miles on it.

any more suggestions to guide me on my quest are appreciated!!... thanks!![/QUOTE

You mention you were riding in the rain the day before the problem surfaced. Two things come to mind here: The first is, could you have gotten water in somewhere and it's shorting something out? I know, motorcycles are designed to be ridden out in the elements, but sometimes odd things occur we don't think about. Secondly, you may, as a result of vibration, have a wire rubbing against a frame member or some other ground source, that has worn through and is now shorting. I say this because my wife had a problem with her Burgman 650ABS scooter a few years ago. Not the same problem as yours, but a problem, in that it quit shifting and didn't want to start. End result was, on teardown, the tech found that a main wiring bundle was incorrectly routed at the factory so that it was wedged between the fairing and a frame member and eventually shorted out blowing a couple fuses.

Not saying this is your problem, but just a couple suggestions. I rode my '10 Nomad from Lewiston to Grangeville in some very heavy rain once, but never had any electrical problems after that.
 
#19 ·
Romans and TX1677095 hit the nail right on the head.

Unfortunately in all forums you normally see only those people having a problem. Granted there may be a hundred different people having a problem with the same motorcycle. But there may be thousands with no problems we never know about.

You never get many posts about "I have got 30k miles as of today and not a single problem" posts. There is no way of actually knowing how many people are happy with no problems, and how many are unhappy with problems. But the latter are the ones we see the most.

BUT... its the posts with problems that help us get our problem fixed if it happens.
 
#23 ·
Silverspurs

I have a 2009 Voyager Almost the same bike. My cruise stopped working ended up being a short, wire looped over a stud on the thermostat housing any ways since the tank was off I decided to check wiring elsewhere and found a wiring harness running from the ignition down the left side of forks (the tank hides this harness) looking very carefully I noticed a wire had rubbed real good and could short out next this wire came directly from the ignition. You may want to check this area it may be your problem
 
#26 · (Edited)
this sounds like exactly what I'll be looking for... was this worn wire on your bike on the right or left side (sitting on the bike looking forward) of the frame? and do you remember what color it was??

do you guys think if it was a wire from the ignition touching the frame... would it blow the main fuse like that? or more likely to blow one of the smaller fuses first?... (none of the smaller fuses ever blew)
 
#27 · (Edited)
I decided to check wiring elsewhere and found a wiring harness running from the ignition down the left side of forks (the tank hides this harness) looking very carefully I noticed a wire had rubbed real good and could short out this wire came directly from the ignition. You may want to check this area it may be your problemLeft side Once tank is off just look to see if harness is touching any thing then examine for rub marks mine was rubbed "bad"
 
#28 ·
Yes, a bad sort in your ignition wiring will cause the main fuse to blow. There is more than one circuit going through the switch assembly. Such as main power contacts on the very bottom contact section, and then ignition, and other systems on a upper contact point section.

Thats why some people have noticed that after putting on driving lights and connecting to a regular power circuit like the head light low or high beam wire will notice the key being hot/warmer than normal when they take it out.
 
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