89 R100RT is just full of surprises. HB flick switch engages Starter...

[pswanson]

OK. So I'm replacing throttle cables (badly ratched) and coil (cracked and suspected cause of intermittant failure (and updated ICM for good measure). It's all good. Seems to run great when I fire it up. Haven't taken it out or done the carb balance yet. Just finished up using my cool LED headlamp as it got dark out. Here's the thing though.

I did the whole "take all the connectors apart and spray with contact cleaner and reconnect" thing, of course making sure all wires are firmly inserted in each connection housing and each connection is tight when re-connecting. Not sure if this is a factor, but:

So now the headlight doesn't come on. The turn signals don't work. The gauge lights go OFF at the second position of the key, and... if I push down on the highbeam flicker it seems to engage the starter -- although not the same way the starter switch does.

What the hell?!? It's not like any of the connectors could be accidentally switched. I did them one at a time. Could it be a problem with the new ICM? I'll swap the old one back in and see tomorrow, but I would doubt it.

Has anybody else ever run into this same set of sudden electrical failures?

Fuses? I'll check them as well tomorrow, but again I doubt this much craziness would be from a fuse.

Thanks,
Paul
:violin

[beemerguru]

First guess would be a ground not grounding..Check the mounting bolts for the Ignition Module...the main ground should be on one of those bolts.

A bad ground can make the bike do all kinds of weird stuff...electrons will find a way no matter what.

[sumran]

I am capable of pulling the wires off and putting them back in a different spot. It is not that hard to do in the cramped quarters of the headlight bucket, especially on some of the relays and the ignition switch. My ignition has an unused spade, so it is possible to get it in the wrong location, even if I am doing it one at a time. Since removing and reconnecting wires is the last thing you did, I would check to be sure they are in the right spot.

The headlight relay on mine (1980) grounds through the soleniod. I do not know if that was still the design in '93. It should only be the low beam, but yours is not in the "should be" mode. Since there is a factory connection between the headlight system and the starter circuit (assuming your year was still wired that way), your problem may not be as strange as it sounds.

Hope you get your riddle solved.

[pswanson]

Don't know how. I thought I only took one relay off at a time, but somehow I managed to swap the green and silver ones. I do vaguely remember thinking something like "heheh there's no way to get this wrong because one has 5 blades and the other only has 3..." However as I just found out, both receptacles will take 5 blades.

Got that sorted out and took it for a test ride. All SEEMS better with the ignition, but the failure WAS intermittant, so I'm sticking close to home for the first few rides...

Thanks for your help guys! :thumb
Paul