ready to start but...

[Guest mbaudiment]

here what happened :

the bike, cool engine start perfectly.

When i stop for refeeling at the petrol station for exemple, i turn the ignition key on and i can hear the petrol pump running, the clutch-andle is on, the side leg is back on the side and the gear selector is on neutral position, i'm obvustly ready to press the start button and nothing append at all.

But this problems doesn't happened all the time and of course it does't do it when i want to show it to my dealer... grrrr

When I play a little bit on the gear selector, i could hear the relay clapping and the engine seems like to start.

Have you heard something like this hapenned around you ?

in fact, it's been sold in 2001 650 V11 le mans and in 2002 750 v11 le mans in france, anD i haven't found somebody you've heard about this problems.

 

best regards

michel baudiment

france orleans

V11 lemans 2002

R1100RT bmw

K100 bmw

[RichMaund]

Michel

When you play with the gear selector you are making the relay the neutral lamp is wired to cycle in and out. (Making and breaking the contact inside the relay as it goes in and out of neutral.) Since this seems to have helped it work, I would say that relay has a bad contact in it that isn't always closing properly to pass current to the starting system. Try replacing that relay and see if it works more reliably. Hope this helps and good luck to you!

The poor relays my bike came with when new would sometimes fail to work. Cycling t he ignition off to on to reset them would help. Installing the new and better Bosch relays cured my bike's problem. The OEM Marelli relays weren't up to the job.

[docc]

Definately sounds like a common, easy to fix relay problem.

 

Go to www.dotnet.com/~dprune/ and Dan can set you up with a good set of the Bosch relays. Do them all, they're very inexpensive.

[Guest Jaap]

2x

Agree with both, replace all relays with Bosch. Can also be found at automotive stores.

[Lex]

Jaap,

 

Getting the Bosch relays in an auto parts store may be a good plan for Europe but here in the US I have to second Docc's suggestion of ordering through Don's biker trash.

 

First, almost no one carries or can even get the Bosch parts in the US. Second, I got four relays for a little less than I was quoted for one from the one place I found that could get them. Also, I had the relays in my hand four days after contacting Don, faster than I would have gotten them from the other source.

 

JMHO,

 

Lex

[jrt]

The sidestand "safety" switch goes bad occasionally (uh, regularly?) as well. Make sure it's not that.

cheers,

Jason

[Guest J.R.]

I agree with that diagnosise Doc.

That's what happened to me 300 miles from home.

Playing gently with the gear shifter would allow it to start.

When I got back home all the relays and side stand switch

were replaced.No problems at all since then

[Guest mbaudiment]

thanks so lot to all of you for the imediate answers.

 

I've ordered new bosch relay and write a letter to "guzzi head office france"

 

If one of this day's your road trip take you tol "le mans city" for the race, i 'll please to welcome you.

 

here the official website : http://www.lemans.org/2003/index_fr.shtml

 

thank again

take care

michel

[Guest mbaudiment]

hello,

 

In fact after swapping one after one all the relay siemens by bosch (i'm sure it a really good thing), my starting problem still here.

 

So i think it could be the neutral contactor, i disconect it and plug the wire to the ground and try to start, and it works all the time.

 

So i've ordeded a new neutral contactor, but i don't anderstand how come that the neutal light's working properly and not making the contact to start. For me if the light is on, the contact work !!! obvustly not.

 

The bike is brand new 1678 kilometers ??

[dlaing]

There are two paths for getting power for ignition.

one is through the neutral switch and relay. I think you can assume this is working despite your ground test, because the neutral light is working and you replaced the relay. There still could be a loose connection to the relay, but that is unlikely.

The second path is through the side stand switch.

Correct me if If I am wrong:

The bike should start or run with the side stand up and the bike in gear, or the side stand down and the bike in neutral. So, both switches would have to fail, which is possible but unlikely.

The most likely switch to fail is the clutch switch that does not effect the running, but the starting. If the bike is in neutral and you put the side stand down, does the engine stop? This would indicate a bad neutral switch or connection along that line. But I doubt it, because your neutral light is on.

Try holding in the start button and pulling the clutch in and out, in and out. It should start.

If not you probably have a bad connection at one of the relays.

Of course there are also possible failure points elsewhere like the starter relay or solenoid, but try wiggling the clutch as it is easy to test.

I suspect that it was only coincidental that grounding the neutral line fixed the problem.

Did the neutral light brighten after grounding? If so, than I am wrong.

Good Luck

[Guest mbaudiment]

well,

 

I try to find the problem by eliminate one by one the evalutly sources, and the "grounded" idee was base on the matter fact ; "by playing with gear selector, i could hear the relay clapping", i change all relay's by bosch.

Now, nothing have change at all, the fact is :

 

neutral light's on

sidestand is up

clutch is on

 

when is press the start button nothing hapenned. (execpt when i play with gear selector very smothly).

 

What i did was :

grounding the neutral contactor, the one on the side of the gearbox. This make the light on all the time and make it start all the time.

So, by common sence, i've ordered a new neutrol contactor.

 

Here are my invertigation... wait untill i get a new contactor.

weard isn't it ? because for me if the light is on, well the contact is on and goes to the relay, am'i right ?

 

michel

 

ps : excuse my english

[dlaing]

You are correct Michel, if the neutral light is on, you should be able to start.

And if you make a permanent ground so that the light stays on and the problem goes away, you have either a coincidence and the problem is elsewhere, or the neutral light switch is working, but the flow of electricity is too weak to activate the relay....

[Guest mbaudiment]

Flow of electricity is too weak ?

 

Is the neural contactor could be the cause ?

 

Or could it be the general wire ?

 

This turn me crasy ....

 

michel

[dlaing]

Flow of electricity is too weak ? Though the neutral switch.

 

Is the neural contactor could be the cause ? Yes, for the reduced electrical current.

 

Or could it be the general wire ? Yes, but only at a point that you did not ground. So if you grounded the wire where it connects to the neutral switch, than the neutral switch is the problem or atleast a co-factor.

It is always good to have a second switch, so go ahead and get a new one, and it may fix the problem.

I thought that my bike needed a new clutch switch, but the new relays fixed the problem.

Make sure that when the relays were installed that they did not push any wires out the bottom.

Don't go Crazy!

You could try getting a volt meter, look at the wiring diagram, and probe for voltage drops but it is hard to find places to probe, You could start with the point between the neutral switch relay's ground terminal and ground. You should get close to zero Ohms between those two points. Ignition should be off when you test there.

Then with inition on, test for voltage at the starter relay, and then the starter solenoid if you can get to it.

Also, make sure your battery terminals are tight.

[Guest mbaudiment]

ok,

 

I'll wait untill a got the new contactor, and i'll go from there.

thanks so lot. By the Way have you got any contact with friends who could sell the rear cargo rack ?

 

michel