Lighting fuse prevents starting? And hiccups....

[Guest Ianell]

I collected my V11S this morning. Would have been yesterday but the seller couldn't start it... a new relay on the rearmost position (fuel pump?) seemed to cure it.

 

Yesterday was dry and sunny with temperatures in the mid 60s.

 

Today was cold and wet with driving rain and temps in the low 50s.

 

Also the roads were very greasy as it's been dry for weeks. What a fine start to my relationship with the new bike...

 

To add to this he was late arriving at the service station we agreed to meet at. This was due to a puncture, repaired with a repair kit he was fortunately carrying. So that'll be a new rear tyre tomorrow then...

 

I got 15 miles up the road and stopped to fill up and check the plug was holding air. Went to start and nothing happened on the button. I fiddled with the relays, and still nothing. I checked the fuses for the pump and the main 30A one - all looked OK. Called the RAC and they said it'd be a 90 minute wait so I retired to the McDonalds in the services. Personal choice but I HATE McD's. It was better than standing in the rain or sheltering in a derelict public toilet though...

 

An hour and a quarter later the guy turns up and does the basic checks and within a couple of minutes discovered the 15A lighting fuse blown. Replaced this, and after clearing the flooded engine - lots of pops and bangs but it then ran clean - it was fine. He gave me a handful of spare fuses and sent me on my soggy way. Got me home fine and starts OK.

 

 

Why on earth does the fuse for the lights affect the starter? Is it because of the relay cutting the headlight while the starter is on? Do European bikes even do this?

 

A couple of times after that I experienced fairly big hiccups - usually when opening the throttle to overtake or when I'd throttled off then opened up again. Is this common?

 

It's a standard 1999 V11 Sport with Mistrals on running a standard map and collector box. Got home and after 2 hours I'm almost dried out.

 

The RAC man was very impressed with the looks of the bike though!

 

Cheers

 

IanE

[Guest russ]

A couple of things come to mind but most center on the relay. Replace them all with Bosch units. You can find a source in one of the relay posts on this site. Also, I think that was a first year model. Bound to have some glitches, that have not been taken care of. Find a good dealer (emphasis on good) and have it checked thoroughly.

 

I have had a few problems with my brand new LeMans, but I am pretty sure that once the factory screw ups are isolated and fixed, the bike should be trouble free and long lasting. It is a blast to ride!

[dlaing]

Why on earth does the fuse for the lights affect the starter? Is it because of the relay cutting the headlight while the starter is on? Do European bikes even do this?

 

It is kind of a safety feature that if the fuse for your lights fails, so shall your ability to START the bike. So, you won't go riding off without brake and headlight. The turn signal is not included in this fuse because you should see it not blinking. The ECU and other engine related fuses are separate. Note that it is smartly designed that your engine will not die if you blow the lighting fuse. Older bikes often had the brake light on the same line as the starter for safety reasons. Now days the headlight is considered an important safety feature so, it is put on the same line and yes the relay cutting the headlight feature goes hand in hand with the safety issue. I don' know what bikes do this. It is a good idea but, it can make trouble shooting tricky.

 

A couple of times after that I experienced fairly big hiccups - usually when opening the throttle to overtake or when I'd throttled off then opened up again. Is this common?

 

Yes, this is common. You should look for an air leak between the throttle body and the engine. If no leak is present, no other problem can be found and the bike is well tuned, you might want to buy an ultimap or a PowerCommander to remap the fuel delivery. Personally, I think the Power Commander III is an essential accessory. But don't use it as a band aid for everything. Tune the bike first, ie. TPS position, valve adjustment, CO, idle and throttle body balancing. Then make it run better with a remap.