[froggyg]

Okay, so I have a 2002 RC51, that twice now has had a very odd electrical problem. I turn the key and everything starts then everything cuts out like there is no battery power. So I turn the key off and then back on and it powers up and works. Now the second time it did that plus, when I turned the bike on and flipped the run button to run it killed the bike. So I turned the bike off and tried turning it back on but it wouldn't so I waited for a little bit and tried again. Once again it powered up and then cut as soon as I flipped the run switch. So I turned it off again and waited and then turned it back on and flipped the switch and everything worked fine. I am worried that this is a serious problem that may leave me stranded very soon. Any one have any ideas? Thanks for the future help.

[Red Rider]

Check the kill switch for loose or corroded contacts.

[jzanutto]

hey frog, just a couple of easy things to look at. Check your fuse box for corroded fuse ends or fuse terminal strips, then also check your main battery connections and main ground for corrosion as well.

[lanbrown]

Check the ground plug as well. The ground plug is where all the grounds come together. It will be a plug with a lot of green wires coming into it. Unplug it and you get all kinds of weird behavior.

[Carolina_954]

yeah you got something that is making poor contact. Nothing major, just gonna be a b**** to find. It can be anywhere in the circuit.

[froggyg]

okay so I have another issue that happened today... While I was riding to work the red "FI" light came on for about 3 seconds, along with that the engine cut out for about 1-2 seconds. It felt like the pump just quit supplying gas to the injectors. It didn't happen again for the remainder of the ride. I am worried that there may be an issue with the fuel pump but I am uncertain because I haven't had the time to troubleshoot anything. Any thoughts would be very appreciated.

[lanbrown]

Work on one issue at a time. You said everything cut out in the first post. Figure that out and see if everything clears up. Why work on two problems when they could be related?

[jzanutto]

There's a test plug that you need to ground, and count the flashes of the FI light. The plug is under the seat, right side of the bike, near the ECM , at the right rear of the battery. There are 2 wires to the plug, and you need to jump them, then turn the key "on", with the kill switch on "run".

If there's a code, the FI will flash your code(s). Count the flashes.

There's long blinks amd short blinks.

Long = 1.3 seconds

Short = .5 seconds

If you have a long blink, the 3 short ones.....that's 13.

A long blink = 10

A short blink = 1

9 short blinks = 9....and so on.

CODES:

0 - bank angle sensor, ECM, PGM-FI fuse
1 - MAP sensor
2 - MAP sensor vacuum hoses, or sensor itself
7 - ECT sensor poorly connected or open circuit
8 - TP sensor, TP senspr wiring
9 - IAT sensor connection, or open wire
10 - Baro sensor, or connection, or wiring
11 - Vehicle speed sensor, or connection or wiring
12 - #1 injector connection, or faulty injector
13 - #2 injectior connection or faulty injector
14 - #1 connection or open/shorted circuit
15 - #2 connection or open/shorted circuit
18 - Cam pulse sensor, connection or loose sensor
19 - Ignition pulse sensor, connection or loose sensor
20 - faulty E-PROM in ECM.

[jzanutto]

the above was taken from another post

[froggyg]

Okay I finally got all of the road tar off of my bike and got it put back together. So I immediatly have the same issue as before, but this time I got a chance to troubleshoot the issue. I found that it is most defianatly the starter push-button. With the bike powered up and the run/kill switch in the run pos. when I press the start button it kills all power to the bike while at the same time producing an audible "click" sound. It almost sounds like its tripping a circuit breaker( I know the bike doesn't have any). I have checked the fuses and can't find any blown, also the power will eventually come back on its own but I have a battery tender setup so that I can continually try to find the problem. Any thoughts???????????????????????????

[Red Rider]

Take apart the starter switch housing and look for corrosion or poor contacts.

[froggyg]

Okay, so I took apart the housing and found two of the wires and rubbed a hole in each other and they were shorting each other out. I repaired the wires and now the bike starts no problem. But when I went to go ride away as soon as I put the bike into gear it killed the bike. I tried this several times with both 1st and 2nd gear. The bike doesn't feel like its stalling but more like its tripping a safety mechanism or something. I looked around and everything is connected and with the bike in gear when I pull in the clutch I can move the bike so I know the clutch is engaging. Any thoughts???

[lanbrown]

Check the sidestand switch. That will cause the bike to quit as soon as you put it into gear.

[froggyg]

where is the sidestand switch located? I know it must be somewhere around the sidestand but a more detailed location would be great

[lanbrown]

There are two ends to a sidestand. There won't be a switch on the side that touches the ground. The leaves the other and you will see an electrical connection.

[jzanutto]

as you fold up your kickstand you will see it hit a little plunger somewhere on the frame. Thats the sidestand switch. Sounds like its just stuck

[froggyg]

Okay so all is now well with the bike.... The sidestand switch was removed by the previous owner(for whatever reason). At some point during the time I was cleaning my bike I apparently pulled the wires apart. Well I didn't notice this at first, anyway all wires were repaired and now the bike is back in top form. Thanks for all the help.

[jzanutto]

excellent