2004 R1150RT DEAD! any help appreciated

[JanMiller]

42K, bike running fine. Fired up, got about 2 blocks from my house, total shutdown. No headlights, dash or brake lights. Clock is running and power to the radio circuit (my GPS is powered off them).
All fuses are good!!!
Battery is good.
Power to starter.
No response to kill switch, side stand switch movement.

Not sure really where to start.

Any ideas???

Thanks,
Jan Miller

[breyfogle]

Not sure really where to start. Any ideas???

Well, I'd start with the easy stuff....
(1) Make sure the sidestand switch is closed with the side stand in the up position.
(2) Check the wiring that comes out of the back of the ignition switch. These wires are known to sometimes brake inside their insulation due to chaffing against zip ties that are too tight.

[JanMiller]

Good suggestion, thanks!
While tracing down the infernal wiring, decided to give the ignition switch a good dousing with electrical cleaner. About the third application, followed by cycling to on/off position several time, all lit up and appears well. Seems ok now, maybe a piece of foreign matter. Guess I'll order a replacement switch...
Thanks!
Jan Miller

[Andy VH]

I noticed a similar reaction on my 94 R1100RS. So I regularly spritz WD40 or some similar lube/water dispersant/cleaner into the ket slot and let it soak. Do that at least once oer season, more if you do a lot of rain riding.

[breyfogle]

ISo I regularly spritz WD40 or some similar lube/water dispersant/cleaner into the ket slot and let it soak.

The ignition switch is really two separate sub-assemblies, each in its own plastic case and connected together only by a plastic shaft and held together by an outer cylinder that is usually called "the ignition switch". By spritzing cleaner into the key slot, you probably have a very clean lock cylinder. The electrical switch subassembly is probably just as dirty as it would have been if you had never "cleaned" it. The only real way to clean the switch is to dis-assemble the whole thing and clean the individual parts.

[JanMiller]

The ignition switch is really two separate sub-assemblies, each in its own plastic case and connected together only by a plastic shaft and held together by an outer cylinder that is usually called "the ignition switch". By spritzing cleaner into the key slot, you probably have a very clean lock cylinder. The electrical switch subassembly is probably just as dirty as it would have been if you had never "cleaned" it. The only real way to clean the switch is to dis-assemble the whole thing and clean the individual parts.

Good point, but... it did work, so I ASSume some of the cleaner leaked into the switch, likely why it took 3 hearty applications to have an effect... Pragmatically.. it's still running fine...