Motorcycle electrical issues

[KDCOffical]

Hi all,

 

New to the forum, thanks in advance!

 

So a bit of a long one. I had an attempted theft on my motorcycle the other night, the ignition barrel had been pushed in with a screwdriver and the wires to the ignition barrel had been cut. So my solution for this was to replace the fuse they blew and wire up a lamp switch for a keyless ignition (the bike has no immobiliser). This all worked, I took it to the petrol station and back home without any issues. The morning after I set off for work within about 20 minutes, I noticed my headlight flickering so I made a mental note and carried on, after another 10 minutes the bike stalled out and when I tried to turn it on and off there was nothing, I had my voltage tester and tools in case this happened. So I set out to start working on it and to find the cause of the issue, first I checked the fuse, and it was fine, second I tested my main wires to the switch they were still carrying voltage, I then tested the switch for continuity and that was also fine, so I am struggling to find a cause for all of this as nothing blew, nothing overheated and everything is working so as I am not massively clued up in electrics, I was wondering if anyone could give me any ideas of what to try and do next and to stop it cutting out every 30 mins. Thank you, if any extra information is needed, let me know.

[husoi]

First check is the battery charge.

Depending on what you mean by flickering it could be sign that the alternator or the voltage regulator are faulty.

Flickering of the headlight could mean the corrector bridge is gone and you have a modulated current instead of continuous.

Could also be a wire not connected properly and messing with the whole system.

[KDCOffical]

I have checked the charging system but that all seems to be working as it should. The flickering I can best describe as a bulb dimming out then picking up again so less of a flicker and more of a dim then back to normal and on repeat until the engine starts to stall, but you can feel it jolting before the stall happens. I have checked fuse's on different lines and none of them have popped. I have ordered a new ignition barrel in hopes that it fixes it, but at the rate it's going I have a feeling even if this didn't happen I might still be facing the issue. I will also recheck all wiring to make sure nothing is earthing somewhere. Thank you

[husoi]

It will help if we know what bile we're talking about

For the explanation you're giving sounds like the regulator isn't doing the job properly and the battery is getting drained while you ride.

Is the battery still above 12V when the bike stalls?

Do you have to charge it back after?

If the battery is charging properly it could be a rogue wire getting short circuit to ground while you ride and maybe cool down and doesn't short.the system after a while.

Another unlikely option is some gremlins in the bike...

[KDCOffical]

The bike is a honda CBF 125 2013. The battery remains around 12v once stalled and doesn't drain at all, it's above 12v when the bike is running so is still getting the charge it needs. Which is to why I'm leaning more towards like you say a rogue wire shorting somewhere but even with that, I'm confused as to why I'm finding no blown fuses if it is a short somewhere. I have solved regulator/rectifier issues before so I have already tested the regulator to make sure it's doing it's job which it is. So other than tracing each wire to see what's happening I'm not sure else what to do haha

[RideWithStyles]

Might be a red herring about. how old is the bike? Older it is the more likely they dim or brighten naturally. 
 

i will go general case of its a few years old - the lights are dimmer when a t idle but brighten noticeably when a few thou of revs applied, that is normal, if it doesn’t then it’s more likly the stator or its wiring is weak, especially if after it does this cycle the battery is probably drained.

If the battery isn’t particularly drained then I’d be looking abit more at the regulator and about paying attention to the wiring- any difference in resistance when cold and hot.

the jolting could be due to its not getting enough of something hence then stalling or its out of sync so notice it…

maybe it’s been on its side it could have filled or blocked a breather with oil or fuel giving pumping issues maybe???

 

if you can 100% clear them things first

.

Edited November 6, 2024 by RideWithStyles

[RideWithStyles]

Right bike answered. As I post just as you answered.

They do have slight brightening and dimming habit so fore is the same.

the Hondas of that era had a natural habitat of putting shite regs and In stupid places with not the best wires beyond the warranty.

 They do have a decompression unit /sprag clutch inside so the slight jolt and slow stall is pretty normal.

if it’s been on its side fuel and oil go places where it’s not ment to, oil will go into the air filter and other parts.

just for future reference!

 

what battery is in it (ah and cca) how old?

Edited November 6, 2024 by RideWithStyles

[KDCOffical]

The headlights normally do dim like you say difference shown while idle and then giving some revs, but the reason I took a note was because I was doing about 50 MPH at the time so it is in a high RPM and hasn't done this before and is slightly different to the idle dim. The battery is a 6.3AH and 100CCA. The age is around 2 years old.

[RideWithStyles]

Now were actually getting a clearer idea….

How much above 12v is the bike putting back in the battery?? If its barely above 12 its bad…real bad it needs to be putting more like high 13-14v.

reason is while it uses 12v or itself it needs to put excess energy back to the battery because it used load to start the bike and run it while its doing its thing untill its filled back up, unless you a have at loss recharge system/set up the racers did way back in the day/motogp…..which your bike doesn’t do for clarification.

sounds like id be poking at the reg or its wires/connectors first, if not then the second will be a weak/dirty stator system. If all that really doesn’t come true then come back and we’ll all have to breakdown wtf is missing…

Edited November 7, 2024 by RideWithStyles