Total electrical loss while riding?

[dimwittedSucka]

Four questions for the wrenchheads...

Was driving my 08 klr (approx 2500 kms) yesterday and engine dies. Pull over and all electrical is dead. Now it's sat on a somewhat bad street overnight...at least I hope it's still there, heh.

I'm presuming that this means the main fuse is blown. Only other possibility I could think of for sudden total electrical loss would be a loose wire somewhere.

Q: Does a blown fuse sound about right?

From what I gather from a phone call with the dealer, I'll need to access the 30A fuse, requiring me to remove my seat and the right side panel.

But, there seems to be what looks like a(nother?) fuse box under the left side of the dash. Near as I can tell, I need to remove the left fairing to access this (strangely enough, the allen key provided in the toolkit doesn't seem to match the required allen bolt, nor a couple others in that area).

Q: Do I need to open up the seat and right panel, the left fairing, or maybe both?

Q: Anyone know the location of spare fuses on the 08 (presuming they have spares)?

Finally, I'm trying to figure out why a fuse would go when I have no extra draw on the system other than the oem stuff. I suppose it could be a faulty fuse, but is this a warning sign that there's something up with my electrical system?

Q: Should I be concerned, if it turns out to be the main fuse?

Apologies in advance for any stupid questions I just asked, I don't have much experience wrenching on bikes, and I don't have my owners' manual on me (recent move).

Cheers for any answers (including what 07- models would require)

[fleshytarget]

My '05 did this to me twice. I took off the seat and wiggled the battery cables, and as dumb as that sounds it worked. Since you're taking the seat off to check the fuse give those cables a wiggle, and a tightening. Remember, there's always push starting

[rattler]

I`ll let you know my `04 is in the shop for same reason. There is no power when the key is turned on, but if you jump the starter relay the bike will start(once started relay does work) . Once started all electrical runs but weak, so i guess i`ll just wait and find out how much this will cost me.

[dimwittedSucka]

Thanks for the comments. Here's an update:

- Pulled seat off, turns out the main fuse isn't there. It's next to the solenoid, on the left side of the bike near where your leg is (don't know if this is different from previous models). It's covered by a plastic piece that is removed with a Phillips screwdriver.

- I put in the spare 20A fuse (dealer said it was a 30A, but it clearly says 20A), seemed to work, put everything back together.

- Rode 200m, bike dies again. Pulled off cover and fuse had blown.

- Try a 30A fuse because of dealer's insistence that's what it is. Three fuses tried, shorts each time I connect it.

- Lots of cursing.

- Took bike to dealership, since there seems to be some kind of fault that I can't deal with. Fortunately, it's still under warranty. Waiting for them to finish their weekend so they can take a look at 'er.

PS: In reply to push starting comment...that would be fine, except that the bike isn't capable of running at all. It's not just the starter that doesn't work, it seems the engine won't run at all with this fuse blown.

[beefalumpalo]

Same thing happened to me today, driving along at 60mph and all of a sudden the bike lost all power... I coasted to a stop and after checking everything out I found that the main fuse had blown. I replaced it and it blew again the instant I turned the key on.

luckily it's still under warranty. It does piss me off though.

[Eaglemike]

This might be a drawback to the 2008 model if they've changed the circuitry. The older models could be push started if the fuse was blown. You'd have no lights, but it would run. I'll be watching this to see what the final resolution is. Good luck with your dealer.

all the best,

Mike

[R_W]

instant blowing fuse is a BAD sign, sounds like the wiring harness rubbed through somewhere.

[Hutch]

Originally Posted by R_W

instant blowing fuse is a BAD sign, sounds like the wiring harness rubbed through somewhere.

I just had this happen to me today. After running the bike in idle for about 2 minutes it suddenly died. NO electrical power at all. I took out the battery and took it in to the stealership and they had a hard time determining if the battery was good. How do these clowns justify their hourly labor rate?

So they gave me a new better battery (Yuasa) and I reinstalled it. Turned ignition to on and nothing. Checked the fuses and saw that the main fuse was blown. So I replaced the 20A fuse with the spare and tried it again. Same thing, blew out the fuse again. Fukin pissed right now, cause now I have to pay to tow the bike to these incompetent fuks. And I just got the bike back from its 600 mile service! What a rip off.

[beefalumpalo]

After removing the seat and tank etc and inspecting the wiring harness, I failed to find any wires that were shorting.

I am hoping that I found the problem.... there are 4 electrical connectors up under the rear fender just behind the seat. Completely exposed to any mud water etc...

They were pretty bad even after only 1100 miles of mostly street riding. I cleaned them up, replaced the main fuse and it started right up.

I'm really hoping that I don't find myself sitting on the side of the road for 3 hours in the hot sun again waiting for my wife to bring the truck.

Time will tell.

[wingerr]

If you get a chance, try connecting a headlamp or other high wattage bulb in place of the fuse, then switch on.
Try jiggling all the wire harnesses while watching the bulb to see if it suddenly changes brightness and goes full bright.
If it does, you can try to isolate where the problem might be by watching the lamp as you move things around. Beats stocking up on fuses when they keep blowing.

If you don't find any problems that way, the other thing to do would be to take an actual current measurement across the fuse contacts when it's working, to see if your current draw is overly high and approaching the fuse rating. Have to be careful with the measurement though, because most meters won't handle 30A before blowing up themselves. Inductive current probe would be good, but most people won't have one handy.

[Judjonzz]

On '07 and earlier, the bike will keep running if the main fuse blows. The headlight will be a little dim, and it won't run quite as well. If the bike goes completely dark, I would start looking at the battery terminals.

[mcrider18]

My '99 blew the main fuse a week ago too. I thought it may have been a short underneath the seat but I couldn't find any indication of it. No insulation worn away or pinched wires, etc.

I think the short may have been from something I had done though. My Givi trunk light wasn't working due to poor contact between the case and rack. I put two pieces of tin foil to make up the gap as a trial fix and I think they moved and touched while I was riding. I replaced the fuse and am riding it again. Now I just need to come up with a robust solution to the Givi contacts.

If it's a new bike that's blowing fuses without modifications to it, that's a different story. The dealer should be able to troubleshoot it though. I've found electrical problems are often difficult to find and fix though. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Maybe the factory has some problems with the routing of a wiring harness or how their supplier has built some harnesses. Others could benefit from these downtime experiences. That's one of the great things about an active forum like Glenn has here. Thanks Glenn.

[puddintame11]

My main fuse blew on my 2008 just recently. Fortunately, I was only a few hundred yards from home. I replace the fuse and it blew again when power was put to it. I checked all the wiring and did not find any noticable problem areas. Plugged in another fuse and it blew again, but this time I noticed a slight spark near the right fan/horn area of the bike. I inspected that area closely, but did not see anything obvious. I grabbed another 20 amp fuse and prepared to plug it in and watch the right fan area like a hawk to see exactly what was going on and . . . . Nothing. The fuse didn't blow and everything works fine now, except now there may be some sort of Gremlin that will pop up in the future. Did any of you guys that took your bikes to the dealer get results ? Did they acknowledge any common problems on the 08's ? I've had mine for 13 months with a little over 2000 miles with no other problems.

[Len P]

http://www.klr650.net/forums/showthr...lown+main+fuse

The 08 forum addresses this issue many times.

Hope this helps.

Len

[puddintame11]

Good Lookin' out Len.
Thanks !
I'll go over that area with a fine tooth comb until I find the culprit.

[puddintame11]

Update. Found the culprit. Chaffed wire on that sharp bracket near the horn. It took less than a minute to find using photos from the link you sent me to.
Saved me lots of time and heartburn down the road.

Thanks again Len !

If you end up riding to Redwood Country, the beer is on me.

P-11

[Len P]

Glad it helped. The beer sounds great. Too bad there is over 3000 miles of asphalt separating us.

Len