Startup Error - What does it mean?

Hi,

I've been around here quietly lurking in the background since last summer when I bought my SV400, I wrote that off in October on mud (another story, but insurance claim against the farmer sucessfully won ) and bought a yellow SV650 curvy (Tweety) to ride instead.

Since buying my 650 I've had loads of silly problems with it, from having to rejet for the standard can to electrical problems .

Now I know I haven't managed to fix them all because he's still running a little lumpy occasionally, but I've had a new one this morning that I've never noticed before.

When I turned the key to start the bike I think it was the speedo, but common sense actually tells me it was the rev counter, but either way the needle slowly moved up to about the 30pmh position twice, then settled back to zero. It then behaved normally.

Can anyone give me some suggestions are to what he is trying to tell me to help me narrow down what I need to investigate this time as I am getting pretty fed up of undressing the bike to get to various parts to fix them.

Thanks

Doof

[flymo]

faulty battery connection, earth connection or flat battery?

The bike started and ran as normal, so it doesn't really suggest battery, but I will check that when I get home.

On my 600 diversion if the TPS was disconnected then it would cause the needle on the rev counter to move up to about 5k and then back, but this would continue to happen whilst riding too, not just happen twice when I turned the key

I know some of the manufacturers build in error codes for diagnosis, I susoect this is one and am wondering what it's trying to tell me

Doof

[flymo]

Rev counter needle moving like that normally indicates that the permanent live to the clocks has been dropped at some point.

I'm not that familiar with the curvy though so not sure if you have the same capability to view error codes etc as on the pointy.

Rev counter oddities can also be the first warning sign that the charging circuit is faulty - almost every time I've seen the rev counter/speedo pick random revs/speed it's been a warning that the alternator is about to die.

Thanks guys,

It didn't do it when I left work this evening, nor when I stopped partway home to pick up some bits I needed, so it looks like yet another intermittent electrical problem

I'm getting very tempted to rewire the whole bike, but I don't have the time as I need it for transport.

Oh well, looks like rebuilding my Doodlebug (the SV400) is highest priority, then I can use that and sort out the 650 properly

Doof

check reg/rec if charging circuit is at fault. Do you have a multi-eter?

The battery has a healthy voltage, charging system also seems to be running fine,

but I have recently had some intermittent electrical problems,

I lost all lights and clocks except my headlights a couple of weeks back as it kept blowing the signal fuse, that turned out to be badly chaffed wiring under the left seat panel.

Then after a weekend of playing around the derbyshire twisties without any problems whatsoever, I called to visit a friend on my way home, went to leave after dark to find I had no headlights and was experiencing odd behaviour from the clocks and indicators.

This was traced to the 20pin connector block on the left side of the headlight, but there's a chance I've missed a connection that isn't as good as it should be or I've disurbed something else.

I also have an intermittent misfire that is not directly connected to the weather (or the bike getting wet), but every time I try to investigate, as it usual with intermittent problems, it isn't there.

As a rule, since I bought this bike in November, it has ran well for 3 or 4 days at a time, then I've spent a week or so trying to fix a minor problem that has not been enough to take the bike off the road, but has been enough to warrant investigation, then its fine for 3 or 4 days again, anyone see a pattern here?

I'll get it fixed properly in the end, I just wish I had the backup bike I'm used to having so I could take it off the road a few days and make sure its all fully fixed before I rely on it again, but that isn't going to happen until I rebuild and re-register my 400

Doof

have you actually checked the reg/rec electrically tho?

[flymo]

Originally Posted by Doofer

The battery has a healthy voltage, charging system also seems to be running fine,

but I have recently had some intermittent electrical problems,

I lost all lights and clocks except my headlights a couple of weeks back as it kept blowing the signal fuse, that turned out to be badly chaffed wiring under the left seat panel.

Then after a weekend of playing around the derbyshire twisties without any problems whatsoever, I called to visit a friend on my way home, went to leave after dark to find I had no headlights and was experiencing odd behaviour from the clocks and indicators.

This was traced to the 20pin connector block on the left side of the headlight, but there's a chance I've missed a connection that isn't as good as it should be or I've disurbed something else.

I also have an intermittent misfire that is not directly connected to the weather (or the bike getting wet), but every time I try to investigate, as it usual with intermittent problems, it isn't there.

As a rule, since I bought this bike in November, it has ran well for 3 or 4 days at a time, then I've spent a week or so trying to fix a minor problem that has not been enough to take the bike off the road, but has been enough to warrant investigation, then its fine for 3 or 4 days again, anyone see a pattern here?

I'll get it fixed properly in the end, I just wish I had the backup bike I'm used to having so I could take it off the road a few days and make sure its all fully fixed before I rely on it again, but that isn't going to happen until I rebuild and re-register my 400

Doof

Get yourself a can of electrical contact cleaner and spend an hour spraying the inside of any connectors you can find. Especially those up near the fron of the bike around the headstock.