Dog Quit on Me

Well after 6 years and about 24,000 miles the dog left me stranded on the side of the rode. I don't ride it around town much and most of our day rides are in the 300 to 400 mile range. Had a trip planned to northern Arkansas this week and it laid down on me. Made it just outside of Hot Springs AR and had to call my daughter to get the trailer and come and get me. I knew she would come and get her daddy :D She was there in a couple of hours.

Here's how it started.....left Texarkana and made it about 35 miles and was running about 70 and it just shut off. Like you turned the key off. No headlight or running lights. Still had the nuetral light and oil light. Cycled the key and still no lights or running lights or comp releases or starter, just dead. I have a PDM kit.....so I know its not the EHC :D

Pull the seat and start checking the wires. Find a loose ground wire and fix it, but nothing. (by the way I think the loose wire was the ground for my RPM, some times it worked and sometimes it didn't) Pull the fuse block cover and start checking fuses and find F7 blown. F7 is the running and brake lights (5amp). Pull the horn fuse and replace F7. All is good fires right up and eerything works.

Ride another 135 miles and it dies again. Check fuses and F7 is blown again. I'm thinking if it just does it every 135 miles. I'll just keep changing fuses and ride on :D. This time I only go about 200 yards and it blows again. There a store about 100 yards away, so replace it again and go about 50 yards this time. Each time it blows I loose running lights, brake lights, head light, comp releases, and starter. Everything else works...nuetral light, oil light, rpm, and horn. Checked everything and gave up and called my daugher.

When I would replace the fuse everything would work and I would shake pull and move everything on the bike and nothing would happen. Crank it up and each time the run time was shorter and shorter until it got were it would start and blow the fuse. I'm thinking the HCI is bad on it. F7 is the running lights and brake. R2 is the relay for the starter solenoid, headlight and power. and F10 is for comp release. Got me stumped and since I was close to Little Rock I just dropped it off at Rodneys.

On a side note......My Metzler tire is wore out. Only got 4500 miles out of it. Really hate that. I really like the Metzler. I told Rodney to put another Metzler on. I'll try them one more time. I'm kind of hard on tires. But I was getting 7000 out of the Avon Venom. The Cobra's wouldn't last a weekend. A 1000 miles is the most I got out of them before the tread splice would split. Went through 3 and changed to Metzler.

I can't complain I've made a lot of trips on the dog and this is the first time it let me down.
 

liferider

Looking forward to retirement
Mickee, if you ever break down south of Texarkana Shreveport area. call me. I have trailers and can fetch you up. 318-470-7288 Jonathan
 

Blackie

08’ RIDGEBACK
Troop Supporter
Supporting Member
Hey Allen, what's that saying "Shit Happens"! Man I hope you get your sled fixed soon and get back on the road. It can get frustrating but sounds like you got it under control. Good luck:2thumbs:
 
While I was setting on the side of the road the Hot Rod Tour 2013 came by. About 500 cars. Just my luck, they were on there way to SC.





 

Blackie

08’ RIDGEBACK
Troop Supporter
Supporting Member
Thanks Jerry.....if it happens every 6 years I can live with that :D
Running bald tires. I'm waiting on (2) new tires I ordered...not coming in till next week, therefore not getting to go to ROT Rally this year.
Sometimes things suck, sometimes they don't!!!
 

firedog19

Active Member
hey alan try dulop elite 3. They are a harder compound I have probably 3 to 4 thousand on my rear and it hardley shows any wear. I did not have any holding issues last year when we rode the twisties at bbandbbq. But then again I still have all of my pipes too. I am changing to the PDM when they are released for my bike. Ordered one of the first ones.
 

Fibersnake

Banjo Playing PsychoBilly
Would check the headlight harness as a good starting point to see if possibly it started with a simple chaff and short, then after you got her running, it just got worse with becoming more and more of a solid ground until it pretty much blew instantly. Keep in mind years ago they did have a TSB to address the harness connector for the bulb.

Let us know what you find out. Hopefully not something major that cannot be fixed quickly and cheaply.
 

HMAN

I just like my Freedom
Supporting Member
Would check the headlight harness as a good starting point to see if possibly it started with a simple chaff and short, then after you got her running, it just got worse with becoming more and more of a solid ground until it pretty much blew instantly. Keep in mind years ago they did have a TSB to address the harness connector for the bulb.

Let us know what you find out. Hopefully not something major that cannot be fixed quickly and cheaply.
X2. Sure sounds like a short...
 
hey alan try dulop elite 3. They are a harder compound I have probably 3 to 4 thousand on my rear and it hardley shows any wear. I did not have any holding issues last year when we rode the twisties at bbandbbq. But then again I still have all of my pipes too. I am changing to the PDM when they are released for my bike. Ordered one of the first ones.
Jan......Metzler and Avon are the only two I now of that make a 300. Dunlop doesn't make a 300
 
Would check the headlight harness as a good starting point to see if possibly it started with a simple chaff and short, then after you got her running, it just got worse with becoming more and more of a solid ground until it pretty much blew instantly. Keep in mind years ago they did have a TSB to address the harness connector for the bulb.

Let us know what you find out. Hopefully not something major that cannot be fixed quickly and cheaply.
Tim....I thought about that while setting on the side of the road but I didn't have anything to get the headlight out and I think I had that changed out several years ago when the TSB came out. It was still under warranty at the time. But that did enter my mind. Come to think of it I was running with the high beam on when it quit the first time. I ran it on low beam after that. I normally don't run during the day with the high beam on, but for some reason when I left Texarkana that morning I hit the high beam button. Very possible thats it. I will let everyone know when I get it fixed.
 

ChoppaNoob

Active Member
Would check the headlight harness as a good starting point to see if possibly it started with a simple chaff and short, then after you got her running, it just got worse with becoming more and more of a solid ground until it pretty much blew instantly. Keep in mind years ago they did have a TSB to address the harness connector for the bulb.

Let us know what you find out. Hopefully not something major that cannot be fixed quickly and cheaply.
X2 Change the fuse to get it going. Then start wiggling wires / bulbs till it dies.
 

bruce

Active Member
If fuse keeps blowing, you need to trace that wire and find out where it is shorting out. I had a like problem couple yaers ago, ended up being ground from computer that goes to battery, it broke just behind the connection at battery and because the wires are in there tight, it would make contact and run something. i also moved wires around but until I removed the battery wires you could not see the problem.
 
UPDATE- The dog is back on the road. The tank had rubbed against the wires under the tank. Had 3 bare spots in the wire that runs to the headlight and some other wires. So the moral of the story is to check them wires under the tank and make sure there secure. Feels good to be back on the road.
 

Little-Boo

Well-Known Member
Troop Supporter
UPDATE- The dog is back on the road. The tank had rubbed against the wires under the tank. Had 3 bare spots in the wire that runs to the headlight and some other wires. So the moral of the story is to check them wires under the tank and make sure there secure. Feels good to be back on the road.
Now that is what I call a happy ending on Father Day, :2thumbs:

Carlos :2thumbs:
 
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