XR650L Not starting, no cranking

OK, so I took a trail ride up in Yosemite. Woke up, rode for about 45 mins, I crashed. Brushed myself off, picked up the bike, fired up and continued on. I rode for about another 10 minutes when I stopped to verify if I was on the correct trail, via a map. I was, I hop on the bike, nothing. No cranking, no clicking from the relay(which I never heard before, but read about it). Bump started the bike, and everything was back to normal.

I stop again for lunch. Eat, finish, jump on the bike, NOTHING Bumb started again, bailed out to camp, no stops, just made it to camp.

Now im home, working on it....... Working on it.......................Working on it........
I pulled the seat, checked to wire to the start for breaks/cuts. Its good, a little wornout but shouldn't effect it yet. All the fuses are in good shape. Took a hammer and tapped the starter. The turn sigs work just fine in the garage. Headlights(aftermarket) no issues. My grounds look good. Bypassed safeties years ago.

WHAT COULD IT BE?!?!?!
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Im at a total loss, please help, thanks,
~Junior

Sounds like the right handle bar switch assembly.

I tested with a completely new/separate starter switch setup(I have a spare)

~Junior

Kick stand switch?

I had this happen to me. For me it was a relay located in the head light fairing/ shroud. I don't know what its called but take off the shroud and fallow the wires from starter switch down to where it meets the harness. It will be sitting around that spot. Its black it looks like a relay/sensor. I bet you it has a crack in it or a wire pulled out of it. Ben

Battery almost gone??

Ground wire under the seat on top of the air box?

recheck them, they may have corroded or come loose.

Do you mean the turn signal relay? Or the diode?? The turn sig(stock) was the larger black one with two spade connectors. The diode is buried in a black boot with the turn signal connectors and cluster connectors and is noticeably smaller then the turn sig relay. Diode has never been fiddled around with.

Fresh and new. Not even half a season on it. Bought it in May-ish....

Though I doubt it, I havent confirmed just cause EVERYTHING else works just perfectly. So the sigs are grounded and the batt is grounded. Plus whatever else that ground right their.

..............:huh.............................. Yer on............


Called my Uncle, said he'd be here tomorrow with his fluke. He's an electrician by trade, so I will also love to hear what he has to say.....

Thanks dudes for reading and helping!!!!!!
~Junior

Im an ass...... Really... Im just going to hang my head in shame... Such an idiot.....


OK so I honestly couldn't sleep over this issue. So here I was at 3:30am, chasing my wiring harness for loose connections, pinched wires, and checking my safeties..... After in depth review of the switch. They're 3 wires coming from it:
1.) To the relay in the battery box
2.) To the headlight High/Low beam switch
3.) To the headlight fuse
Turns out it was the headlight fuse.......I would have NEVER thought the starter button was based on the headlight fuse, seriously.... Here I knew I didn't know everything about this bike. But that to me is not 2+2=4.... Something else in my opinion...

Thanks for all the input guys!!!!
~Junior


P.S. How do I change the posting title to Solved??? I thought by editing the first post it would have done it, but no. I wrong again.....:huh

HUH.. I would of not figured that either. Congrats on figuring it out.

The schematic tells all

:ddog






Put Down the Wrenches and Step Away from the Keyboard!!

True dedicated adventurer...

I have the Baja Designs dual Fuego lights, which have their own fuse direct to the batt... Should've pointed that out.... oops

~Junior

OK, so I thought this issue was solved. I blew one fuse, replace it, all done. Case closed..... So I thought...........

Ok, so the bike did fire right up when I put the new fuse in. I even drove it to the nearest car wash for a quickie clean. I got it home, and it blew another fuse. Then another, and then another.... 3 fuses in 5 minutes means their is something wrong. Where do I begin?? Then ground under the seat, above the airbox, is nice and tight. I haven't found any chafed wires/exposed wires. And its still the headlight fuse that is blowing...

More thoughts please,
~Junior

You have a short someplace in the wiring that is protected by that fuse. You need to get a wiring diagram and and trace those wires till you find it. Chaffed wiring is often hard to see. It tends to be on the bottoms side of the harness bundle, tight to the frame, and dirty. It doesn't take a very big spot of bare wire to cause a short. Any place that the wiring has been tampered with is suspect. You said you replaced the headlight with an aftermarket one that has it's own wires. What happened to the stock head light connection? Is it flopping in the wind? Could it be hitting the frame and shorting out? The starter switch is in that circuit. There may be a short in it. Are there any other mods made to the electricals of the bike besides the headlight? If so could they have caused the short.

Walter

Could it be retifyer.. It's time for a change? Has it been 1yr??

Yea, my uncle said the same thing. Yesterday. Stock headlight connector is flopping in the wind with zip ties..
I've traced those wires already and didn't see anything wrong. Dirt, HELL YES but no exposures. I'll go over it again, now that the tank is off, and clean the wire up a little bit.
Other mods are LED's all around. And started to do the Trail Tech Vapor, but never hooked the unit up... No reason Just cause, I guess.

1Yr?!?!?!?? You have to replace these at all???? Are you serious???? Mine is still OE!! :huh
Well, I guess I can get one cheap on evilBay...


Thanks again guys!! Its time to ride and im getting 'the itch', and this issue is not helping me any,
~Junior

Electrical problems like this are best found with a logical systematic troubleshooting approach. That circuit only feeds a few things. The stock headlight and associated switches, and the starter switch, starter relay. The headlight power is routed through the starter switch so that it can be shut off while the starter is engaged. So then the question is does it only blow the fuse when the starter button is pushed? If so the problem is in the starter switch, starter relay, or the wiring between them. If not then it is in the headlight side of the circuit, which includes the starter switch.

Ok so lets try to isolate where the short is. So get a bunch of spare fuses and your wiring diagram. ( If you don't have a shop manual you should get one.)To start I'm going to assume that every time you push the starter button you blow a fuse. Start by unhooking the wire from the starter switch to the starter relay, at the relay end. Make sure the end of the wire isn't touching anything and push the starter button. Still blow a fuse? If no the problem is in the relay. If yes, reconnect the wire to the relay, and unhook the starter switch end. Push the starter button. Still blow a fuse? If no, the problem is in that wire, If yes the problem is in the switch assembly.

Now I will assume that the short is in the headlight side. Every time you turn on the key you blow a fuse, or most of the time you blow a fuse. The headlight is powered by a wire from the fuse to the starter switch. From the starter switch it goes to the headlight dimmer switch, where it splits to high or low beam depending on the switch position. You aren't using the headlight anyway so unplug it where it exits the starter switch. Did that fix it? Yes well you aren't using that part so just leave it unplugged. No Well the next step is to unplug the starter switch. Still blowing the fuse? No then the starter switch is the problem. Yes, then the short is in the wire between the switch and the fuse. Are there any joints/connections in that wire. I suspect there is one under the seat. If so keep working back till you isolate what section of wire the short is in.

I suspect that you will find the problem is in the starter switch, but unless you like wasting money replacing good parts you need to prove it.

hope this helps
Walter