idles fine but dying under power

IMG_0053.PNG Yeah, that's the solenoid. Check out this schematic from Jayel, solenoid and starter button in the upper right corner. Use your logical imagination to put it in the overall scheme.
 
I see it's right above your fuse box. Wiggling it may be wiggling the fuse box and I'll bet that's where the loose connection is. Probably at the main fuse.
 
I did some more digging, pushing wires around in a few different places are making a connection that turns the lights on. I look at all of the fuse connections but they didn't appear to be making the connection.
Ultimately, it appears to be one of the wires connecting to this box. Not sure what this is called (connection relay?).

I tried disconnecting them one at a time with no luck narrowing it down, I also tried moving each wire independently, again with no luck.
I scribed the metal connectors as well. I'll keep at it but if anyone has any bright ideas, they would be greatly appreciated.
I am getting close to getting it towed to a shop..

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Rsv7mvYgSK1A9iJZA


Cheers!
 
Looking at the videos ( is it possible you write a short description how to upload a Video there
http://www.xs650.com/threads/more-carb-questions.60693/page-2#post-714458 )

I can see movement on the connection box

upload_2021-10-22_11-17-53.png


It can be so that a screw is missing at the left side .Under all circumstances it is good practice not having things moving around unless rubber or other insulators is there.
If I recall right the backside of the solenoid and some other electrical components / stock regulator has bare metal .Solder joint
As long as things are not moving that is fine since no fingers can come in behind and if not moving there is no shortcut.
But otherwise that back can touch the frame and then it can go wrong

Also on the picture is some Orange stuff electrical tape or so that has seen its best before long time ago A little oil , grease , dirt on that and that can short

Assuming you can affect the blinking by pushing there .I would take off the remaining screw Pull it out a bit and push in some insulator
behind cardboard plastic or so and then observe if that changed anything
Inspecting the wiring and how it looks at the backside ..

If you are electrical competent a service in that region would be fine if not the separation mentioned above can solve it
aka no Loose parts moving around no wires not clamped .. The ignition lock backside inspection so it is not near the
frame or so.
If the connection box insulation with cardboard don't fix it do the next part isolate it

And the fuse Box inspection check not hitting metal on the back and taking out the fuses checking nothing is loose
 
When troubleshooting the first step is to islolate the problem then fix it.
Helping from afar my instinct is to take a fresh look at what you worked on last for the problem, IE the iggy switch. Very simple to make a jumper to eliminate the iggy switch and see if that's where the issue is, that applies broadly to everything electrical. Hot wire directly from battery to pamco/coil red wire does it run, rev now?

An example perhaps or mebby just story telling?
Yesterday started troubleshooting a new to me bike. PO had installed a new harness and never got it to run again. Methodical always wins; removed battery, topped up with distilled water, charged, checked it holds a charge, reinstalled, checked ground, power wires, connections. Turn on iggy, nothing, found blown fuse, replaced, ignition switch on, fuse glows, blows. Installed a circuit breaker in place of fuse for troubleshooting. :thumbsup: Turn everything off, then iggy on, lights etc worked, found breaker would trip as soon as I turned the kill switch on. OK issue is in ignition circuit. Removed the gas tank and found this.
20211021_155046.jpg

:doh:
:laugh:
Know now I will be able to trust NOTHING on this bike was done right. :cautious:
With a custom DIY electric setup like yours, extensive troubleshooting, checking EVERYTHING is likely the only way forward to a bike you can trust.
Unresolved electrical issues are likely why the PO sold it.
I doubt having a shop work on it will be economically feasible. It will have to be a small independent, a dealer, large shop will run screaming when they see all the custom stuff. Unless the PO supplied you with a wiring diagram of what was done (what are the odds?) MUCH time ($$$$) will be sent head scratching, deciphering the control logic. This is never trivial on any bike, on a custom with no diagram or standard wire colors, it may involve basically rewiring the bike, been there done that, several times.
Has it ever run well at higher RPM for you?
Still trying to decide what the function of that "junction block" is "junction block" is normally the "fuse box" in a simple bike like the XS.
 
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Yes to that .. gggG says Here a dealer dont even take on a bike with old wiring even if it is stock reason being that it can take many hours and if the wiring is bad problems can come back .Set up a new harness is not a small feat and as it sound beyond this owners skills
In this case we can solve it with postings videos and patience .Something that in my view is always possible to do no matter how bad the existing wiring is.
If not been in a fire then someone more experienced is needed
So to sum it up
Shop is not possible
Do it yourself not possible
But here is a point that seems to reproduce the error ..by pushing there -- If so the finding process can be over and we are on to the fixing part
In other words the solution is on the way
 
With battery charged, a simple troubleshooting step is to unplug the voltage regulator, start it, see if it will run, rev.
 
Ok this is where it gets weird.

I have gone over a lot of the wiring. That all appears to be intact. Solenoid is working fine.
While working on it tonight I noticed that it wasn't any actual wire/connection that was killing the power, but actually pressing down onto the meal under the connection array (black box with connections).

I found that there is more than one place that I can press to kill the power. Its like a bloody switch!

This is way above my pay grade, could this be an earthing issue?
The metal parts that I am pressing are barely moving.

Seems pretty bloody odd to me, and this has developed a year after I got the bike....weird.
I have not done anything to the bike other than rewiring the lights but those wires don't go anywhere the problem areas.

Disconnected the connection array (listen for clicking noise):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2QYftCLHbDRujQbz7

Reassembled wires:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/HvL4ueJSQJQzHVXV7

CHeers
 
Did I see the rear light LEDs coming on/off as you pressed the battery box? Yes, must be an earthing problem. Something that makes an intermittent connection when you move it makes me think along those lines. The battery box is rubber mounted to the frame, which could account for it making a connection when you push it. Components that are earthed to the battery box, maybe take the earth wire to a better point on the frame or at the battery terminal? Or add an earth from battery box to frame?
 
Did I see the rear light LEDs coming on/off as you pressed the battery box? Yes, must be an earthing problem. Something that makes an intermittent connection when you move it makes me think along those lines. The battery box is rubber mounted to the frame, which could account for it making a connection when you push it. Components that are earthed to the battery box, maybe take the earth wire to a better point on the frame or at the battery terminal? Or add an earth from battery box to frame?

Hi,
I am not actually pressing the battery box itself. Its just a metal section of the frame, same affect when I was pushing with my finger from the side.
I've look into that section and I can't imagine how such a subtle depression could cause the power to be cut off.
 
I had a career working on electronic systems. The key for troubleshooting for me, was to reexamine the work that was done on the system prior to it failing. What this meant back then was, which cabinet was the last tech rummaging around in during the last maintenance visit? Did he leave a connector loose etc? Did he yank on a connector to hard and break some wire strands? For the systems I worked on back then, I always figured there was a 50% chance that any given fault was related to previous mucking around.
For your bike, when so much has been altered.... I suspect the wiring has deviated from original quite a bit. That terminal block that you are pressing on is a case in point. Speaking of which, the screws going into that block could be going through to the back and shorting out somewhere.
If it were my bike, I would methodically go through the wiring, and start making my own diagram. It is a tedious job, but will have good results.
A couple of years back , I was doing some work on my bike. I cut the tie wraps holding the wire loom to the frame. I forgot to tie it back up when I was done. The wire loom eventually sagged onto the head of the engine, melted some insulation, shorted some wires and blew a fuse. I was stranded on the side of the road. This fault, was directly related to the previous idiot mucking around on the bike, namely myself.
A good reminder to myself.
Good luck.
 
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