Name that electrical Gremlin....

[Herman]

Here is how things went down....

Driving all day, everything going well.  New battery (got it about 4-6 weeks ago).  Turned the key, indicator lights and headlight came on just fine.  Hit the start button, everything went completely dead, like a fuse blew.  I now have 100% nothing.  Like there was no battery in there at all.  All the fuses under the left side cover were good.  Are there any more fuses I missed?

I haven't looked past the fuses and the battery connections (looked good and tight) yet.  Will start looking into things tonight.  Any thoughts on where to start.  My thoughts for a starting point are the key switch or battery.

[dgc67]

The main fuse?  If the batter checks out fine still I would look there first.

[Charles S Otwell]

If your battery, checks good and the fuse is good I would start with the ground from the battery and work from there.

[stereomind]

Loose or dirty connection on the battery/chassis ground terminals could work just enough to light up the instruments, but as soon as you hit the starter it would arc and quit altogether.

[Capt. Howard]

Looking at the battery cables "looks good" will allways bite you in the BUTT. Take battery cables off and re-clean them. Also check your ground connection as well as your positive cable to solenoid.You will be surprised how many times that has happened to all of us. Didn't get them tight enough when done the first time or not clean enough......This is my bet......

[hootmon]

My main positive cable from the battery to the Solenoid only had about 3 strands left when I found it to be bad.. I had to replace the end connector.. If I hadn't found it when I did, I would have been in the same shoes as you are now, but most likely 100 miles from home..

[Damn Yankee]

If solenoid = starter relay switch, I got burned by that last fall. Not a difficult fix once you track down the proper connector hardware. Switch out the 30 amp fuse for a new one while you're there.

[Greg Cothern]

I have seen this a couple times and it was the battery... 

OR the start push button switch..

[Herman]

Update

Battery connections clean and tight

Main ground connection clean and tight

Pulled the main fuse, looked good (I hope whoever designed the bike to have the main fuse where it is was fired!), put in a new fuse got power to the headlight and indicator lights.  Hit the start button, everything went dead and heard a pop sound come from down behind the battery by the main fuse.  Pulled the new fuse and it looked good.  Put in another new fuse and nothing.  Hit the start button, if I held the start button the indicator lights slowly can on, but very dim.  I tested all the used fuses, they were all good, even the original.

  Here is the goofy thing.  When everything was off, the battery was reading about 13.04 volts.  When the ignition switch was on, the battery read .40 volts.  When the ignition switch was on and the start button held, the battery was at 2.3 volts

Goofy thing #2, randomly tried turning the ignition switch on (with a old fuse in) and got everything back.  Hit the start switch, everything was gone.

It the main 30A fuse sitting on the starter switch relay?

Any other ideas?  Could it be the starter switch relay?

[Capt. Howard]

Take your battery out and take to where ever you bought it and have it load tested if you do not have a load tester. Sounds like BAD battery under a load.

[Herman]

Take your battery out and take to where ever you bought it and have it load tested if you do not have a load tester. Sounds like BAD battery under a load.

Just went down to Auto Zone and it looks just like you said, a bad battery under load.  I'll take it back to batteries plus and see if I can get a new one.  I just got this one on 4/2/09

[Greg Cothern]

Battery again! 

Seen it too many times..

[silveradocowboy]

Hit the start button, everything went dead and heard a pop sound come from down behind the battery by the main fuse.

The popping sound makes me think it is the wires from the R/R. Check the wires coming from the R/R (regulator/rectifier), there should be 3 yellow wires in that bunch. I would bet that it is shorting out on the frame or swingarm... then again I don't play poker either lol

[Brad Badgett]

Same thing happened to my '96 ~1.5 yrs ago.  Key on, hit starter button, and 'pop'.  Then no idiot lights.  Then remembered Devon had the same problem, and a new battery was the solution.

Brad Badgett
OK Region

[Herman]

Battery it was....I would have never guessed by the way it was acting, in addition to the fact that the battery was only a month old!  Go figure.  I sure owe you guys a big THANKS!  I would have been tearing my bike apart if it weren't for you guys.  Come on over to AZ and I'll buy you a cold one (one = your choice of drink) and dinner.

Lesson learned:  Always get the battery checked first.