ZXS650
XS650 Member
Hi folks,I am reviving my old XS650 and managed to short the battery with the frame by leaving a part ( the bike's turn signal relay - aluminum casing ) under the seat before taking it out down the block for a test. Rode for 30 seconds then the bike died, battery completely drained within seconds as well. no heat or smoke, no blown fuses .Took the battery out and hooked up a jumper . No sign of the bike electrical system turning on after turning the ignition key.
Jumper has an audible short warning for when the terminals touch and it gave the warning.Started looking around the harness and figured out that if I unplug the tail light - specifically the black cables- I am able to turn the system on, start the bike where it runs without the jumper or battery connected and I have the tail light on as well as the license plate light on. However I do not get any brake light action from either front or the back ( both bulbs intact - i checked and also tried different bulbs . and I also lost the horn ( I didn't check the horn up close but no visible damage like burned cables or terminals)I took a video of the situation.
Once I hook up power, I can turn the bike on once I disconnect the black cable on the tail light. Bike starts right up and I am also able to plug the tail light in and it lights up.
The battery ( brand new ) looks like it's recovering via a slow charger and once /if it charges I will put that in the bike and see what is happening with that set up.
As seen on the video the jumper when connected goes through a number of cycles before it turns off, the manual for it says that's normal as far as what the lights on the charger do, but I didn't experience the same thing when I used to hook up the jumper to a dead battery to work on bike recently. It feels like something is reseting
https://photos.app.goo.gl/irpgEYMi1qAyNSHD9
Also in photo below - the tail light has two bulbs - from the harness the sockets are connected via yellow cables. Somehow both bulbs light up even though only one of the black cables is connected . I inspected the tail light assembly and it looks like both sockets are completely isolated and separated from each other.
If anyone has any tips or thoughts I would really appreciate it.
Other than looking for another tail light and /or unwrapping the harness and trying to see if at some point the black / blue cable somehow got hot and perhaps burned a little bit and once under load it finally creates the short by touching something else, I am fresh out of ideas, I am also an absolute noob as far as things electric on the bike.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Jumper has an audible short warning for when the terminals touch and it gave the warning.Started looking around the harness and figured out that if I unplug the tail light - specifically the black cables- I am able to turn the system on, start the bike where it runs without the jumper or battery connected and I have the tail light on as well as the license plate light on. However I do not get any brake light action from either front or the back ( both bulbs intact - i checked and also tried different bulbs . and I also lost the horn ( I didn't check the horn up close but no visible damage like burned cables or terminals)I took a video of the situation.
Once I hook up power, I can turn the bike on once I disconnect the black cable on the tail light. Bike starts right up and I am also able to plug the tail light in and it lights up.
The battery ( brand new ) looks like it's recovering via a slow charger and once /if it charges I will put that in the bike and see what is happening with that set up.
As seen on the video the jumper when connected goes through a number of cycles before it turns off, the manual for it says that's normal as far as what the lights on the charger do, but I didn't experience the same thing when I used to hook up the jumper to a dead battery to work on bike recently. It feels like something is reseting
https://photos.app.goo.gl/irpgEYMi1qAyNSHD9
Also in photo below - the tail light has two bulbs - from the harness the sockets are connected via yellow cables. Somehow both bulbs light up even though only one of the black cables is connected . I inspected the tail light assembly and it looks like both sockets are completely isolated and separated from each other.
If anyone has any tips or thoughts I would really appreciate it.
Other than looking for another tail light and /or unwrapping the harness and trying to see if at some point the black / blue cable somehow got hot and perhaps burned a little bit and once under load it finally creates the short by touching something else, I am fresh out of ideas, I am also an absolute noob as far as things electric on the bike.
Thanks a lot in advance.