RantMachine Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 Should've been a bit less vague; I understand the function of an earth, just not where to find it or if each of the electrical systems would have an earth (such as one for the lights, one for the starter, etc etc) or if there's just one big one for the whole circuit. So now I will check the connection to the battery first and foremost, but also hunt around the starter motor.As a thought though; if it was a dodgy earth on anything other than the starter motor, wouldn't the bike have cut out while I was riding rather than after I came to a stop? Especially if it wasn't connected properly at the battery. Unless it jarred loose when I came to a stop... but then, I'm fairly certain I pulled up at his house and left the engine running until he caught up so that my lights would all be on and he'd see me in time to avoid my bike when turning into the drive, so it was still chugging along happily after coming to a stop.Aaaargh too much thinking for work time Quote
Fozzie Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 It is getting a bit overcomplicated here, everything suggests a battery failure and not much else.Replace the battery, measure the voltage levels and see what is happening first.This doesn't reek of an earth failure fortunately. But I'm sure it will come around some day for this bike Quote
RantMachine Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 Yeah, I'm certainly thinking battery as my first port of call. But if I have to buy a bus ticket and spend an hour traveling there and back, I figure I might as well check for any and every possible issue while I'm there. Although taking all the ruddy plastics off to get to the battery takes long enough as it is, I'm sure I don't need to spend even more time fussing over it Quote
RantMachine Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 Toying with the idea of just getting Start Rescue to recover it to my house so that I can work on it at my own leisure Quote
Fozzie Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 Toying with the idea of just getting Start Rescue to recover it to my house so that I can work on it at my own leisure Try bump starting it first, as if it fires up or tries to it says that the battery or charging circuit are to blame. Quote
RantMachine Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 I read various people on the F650 forum saying that if the battery is utterly utterly buggered then it won't even push start as there's no power to the FI pump. Guess maybe the fact that the tank is below injector doesn't help, gravity is not on its side Quote
eastanglianbiker Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 ollie for the earths the negative of the battery should go straight to the frame somewhere and also check one from engine to frame if need be use a jump lead from battery to frame and engine to frame that will check out most the heavy duty earths Quote
RantMachine Posted August 12, 2015 Author Posted August 12, 2015 !UPDATE TIME!Problem 2 is solved. Took the plastics off and attacked the battery with a multimeter. First thing we noticed... battery seems perfectly healthy. In its prime, one could even say. Second thing we noticed... the clock comes back to life when we connect the multimeter to the battery terminals. Guess that'll be a loose connection then I imagine that would explain the odd sound I noticed on the ride up to Connington, like something was resonating whenever I hovered around 4500rpm - it was, and as the noise has now gone it seems fair to assume that the "it" in question was the bolt on the negative terminal Problem 1 is still present and I can't do much about troubleshooting it because I forgot that I loaned my jack to someone. Will have to look at the weekend. Had a quick test of the steering head bearing by sitting on the pillion seat the tip the bike back on its stand - certainly no notchy feeling anywhere, but seems to turn to the left a lot more readily than the right. I've noticed that the high mudguard wobbles up and down as the bike shakes, so I'm definitely not imagining it.Mainly just glad to have it home, though - can work at my own speed now Quote
Tango Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 Glad you got one of the probs sorted Ollie........my money was on a loose battery terminal........ The other problem does sound like front wheel bearings........ Quote
Glorian Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 Have you tried setting it on fire? I hear that's a common fix Quote
Fozzie Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 It moving to the left more easily than the right either suggests the head bearings are worn, and a slight difference on the left side of the bearing is causing it to fall more easily. Or your wheel bearings weren't really replaced, or at least done properly. Quote
RantMachine Posted August 13, 2015 Author Posted August 13, 2015 Or your wheel bearings weren't really replaced, or at least done properly. Given the quality of most of the other work done by that garage, I would not be surprised Quote
Fozzie Posted August 13, 2015 Posted August 13, 2015 I hope they didn't do anything too intensive with your bike!Last time I trusted my bike to a garage was for service history, they lost the bolts for the cam chain tensioner, put replacements that were imperial and ever so slightly too small in on a metric bike, fell out with said new tensioner and my bikes engine nearly pulled itself to pieces when the timing chain starting jumping around like a cat in a bath.Never again Quote
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