Suzuki LS650 Savage: fuse blown?

Hi,
This afternoon I went riding with my wife and after gassing up her bike
(Suzuki Savage) wouldn't start. No lights, horn or anything electrical.
Since she rode from home to the gas station, I'm guessing a blown fuse,
however, I don't know where the fuse box is located on this bike. Does
anyone have an idea? Or should I be looking for a different problem?

TIA for any info you might have to offer, Ton

 

Battery died? Battery cable fell off? Ignition switch failed?

check those and get back to us.

pierce

 

Um, excuse my ignorance: it is possible for a battery to die on such short
order? I mean we start the bikes, ride to the station (half a mile at the
uppermost), she fills up, end of ride.
I'm just curious. I have had batteries die on me before, but never in the
middle of a ride, and never heard of it happening like that either. Bike is
always stored inside, and is on a trickle loader when stored.
Other than that thanks for your suggestions. I'll check out the wiring
tomorrow if I find the time (am in the midst of planning a tour for a group
to take place on Tuesday).

Ton

 

I've suspicious of those kickstand kill switches. I'm seriously
considering bypassing the one on my Suzy DR650.

Charles.

 

I suppose it could happen, but it does sound suspicious, Ton.

It sounds more like the battery cables aren't cleanly mated to the battery
posts. That will cause precisely the situation you have referred to and
sometimes it can be a real pain to get it right. Fortunately, bikes usually
aren't as bad as cars in this regard. Also check for grounding points on the
frame, etc.

Ed Cregger

 

It is possible. I have seen it a time or two. Jump start it and things
seem ok and then when you get home and shut if off, nothing.

When did you last check the water level of the battery?

What happens is that the battery gives up the ghost and the bike is just
running off the alternator.

Check for a broken ground wire off the battery too.

pierce

 

Forget what I said. Even if that switch failed, the headlight would
still come on. Check your battery cables like R. Pierce suggested, but
check them at both ends. Having a negative cable tight on the battery
does no good if the other end has come loose where it bolts to the
frame. The Savage is a thumper (like my DR) is prone to vibration.

Charles.

Charles.

 

Fuses under the seat somewhere. There is a spare fuse
in the tool kit or taped inside the cover over the tool
kit.

 

Charles,

Be my guest. Just never ever drive off with the kickstand down and make a
quick left turn. You will quickly understand why they put them on.
Fogetting to put it up happens to the best of us. I have on the rare
occasion forgotten and left the kickstand down. (My bike has no such
switch) I wish that there was at least a light telling me it was down.

It is just like the vacuum petcocks on the Honda CBX motorcycles. The 79
models did not have them and what would happen is that due to
circumstances, a carb needle wouldn't seal and #1 cylinder would fill up
with fuel. Honda added a vacuum petcock in later versions. The owner
wouldn't know this of course, and fire it up, instantly bending the conrod
or breaking it. There is a second advantage in that if the bike sits for a
long time, the carbs always have a fresh supply of gasoline to relenish the
losses due to evaporation which means that over time the carbs will fill
with varnish. I was able to revive a CBX that was stored with it carbs
undrained for 15 years and did so without pulling the carbs off thanks to
the vacuum petcock. Had there been a constant supply of fuel, I would
still be battling them. It took over 40 minutes to clean the tank petcock
alone. It was clogged solid.

The vacuum petcock has it's disadvantages in that if the bowls aren't
filled, it doesn't start right away. It takes about 3-4 tries before it
starts. The vacuum petcock dighragm could stick closed after being in
storage for a long time too resulting in no fuel flow even if vacuum is
applied. I will take a little periodic aggravation over a ruined motor
every time.

The moral of all this is you are free to do whatever you like but be
prepared for the consequences.

pierce

 

Entirely possible.. If you've checked fuses and grounds, and the
ignition/relay.. then next would be to make sure the bike's not in gear
with the sidestand down... Sidestand switch/Relay may give the symtoms you
describe - depending on how the mfg. wires things...

Rex S.

 

As piddy said, fuses under seat, spare on the tool kit cover.

My Clymer manual states:

"Whenever the fuse blows, find out the reason for the failure before
replacing the fuse. Usually the trouble is a short circuit in the
wiring. This may be caused by worn-through insulation or a
disconnected wire shorted to ground."

If it is a swinger, you can replace the fuse and run until the next
time it shorts out.

 

it is very possible....i bought a sears "diehard" battery(junk) for the
mighty tuna last season...early season...it did fine for about four
weeks....went out to take 'er for a spin, turned the key everything lit
up....tapped the starter button and NOTHING....then the headlight was also
out....i thought "bad connection at battery"....nope...checked fuses,
wiring, etc...then, for no reason, put a testlight on the
battery....nothing....battery completely died in the blink of any eye...or
punch of a starter button...<G>

 

<snip>

All this is of course assuming that the owner is both ignorant
and didn't RTFM. The "Off" position on the non-vacuum
petcock is a dead give away, not really rocket science.

And to fill a cylinder, you need two simultaneous faults. Not
only must the float system fail but the overflow must be
blocked as well. Or would the unsuspecting owner start a
bike standing in a pool of petrol?

 

You couldn't ask for an easier check. Put your voltmeter across the
battery and see if there is 12 volts. If not, then check your voltmeter,
leads, battery, etc. Whenever checking electrical problems, I start there.
It seems like very time I have not, I wished I had.

I have also seen the battery terminal fail internally to the battery.
Result? 0 volts at the battery yet a hydrometer check indicated the
battery was fully charged.

pierce

 

Check the fuse with a voltmeter. Fuses can develop fine hairline cracks
resulting in an open circuit.

pierce

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, R. Pierce Butler

<checks fuse>

0v. Is it broken?

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

The overflow on the early models was a single overflow placed in the
middle of the bike. So if the bike was on it's kickstand, and #3 carb
started to leak, the gas would rise to flood #1 and it would continue to
do so until the cylinder and/or crankcase was full.

Honda fixed more than a couple of engines under warranty and even past the
warranty period.

pierce

 

One both sides?

 

I've got 0V across all my fuses too. Are they broken, too?

Or maybe my voltmeter's broken.

<checks voltage across finger>

Ah, I've got 11mV there. Would that work better than the fuse, do you
think?

 

(big snip)

OK, here's what I did so far:
- pull the seat and check the two 20amp fuses under it (as suggested on
another forum). Both appear to be in good order.
- Did a quick visual check on the wiring; no obvious loose ends or frayed
cables.
- put my old multimeter across the lead I use for the trickler (wired this
straight to the battery when I put it on). This shows over 20V ??? (it's an
old analog one that I got as a present years ago, difficult to read, but
_definitely_ not near 12V). Switching on the ignition drops it to near zero.
- as a test, hooked the trickler back on; it has battery testing circuitry.
I got a red LED, meaning a deeply discharged battery; now, after a few hours
of charging, it shows green, meaning battery charged and trickler in
maintenance mode.

Based on all of this my best guess now is battery dead. I've had the same w/
the previous battery on this bike: trickler would charge, then indicate
battery ready, but the starter would not turn over; just the *click* of the
relay. What's different now is that all the other electrics are gone, too,
where previously at least the neutral indicator would light up (and yes, the
bike's in neutral; she pushed it home herself, the champ).

Any other suggestions are, of course, still welcome.

Ton