Bike won't start - Display dead, no activity

[hsoli]

Yesterday I was preparing to do some routine cleaning and maintenance on my NC. As I was getting ready to move my bike out of the garage, all the usual pre-ride checks, I turned the key and hit the ignition. The bike turned over once before abruptly cutting out, and I lost all electrical activity. The display turned off, there was no clicking, no humming; nothing whatsoever. The bike seems completely dead.
I've checked the kick-stand switch, kill switch, and several of the fuses and I can't find any problems with any of them (though I haven't done a complete teardown of the electrical system yet). I even swapped the battery out of my brother's bike to check if it was a battery problem and it didn't change a thing. Has anybody here had a similar problem? What caused it? What should I look at first and what could be a possible solution to the problem?
I'd like to figure this out as soon as possible since my bike is my only form of transportation, but I'd like to get some advice before I go accidentally mess something up. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[670cc]

Did you check the main fuse? I think it’s a green thirty amp fuse, and I think it’s in the starter relay assembly to the right of the batttery, if you’re facing forward.

What model year is the NC?

 

[hsoli]

It's a 2013 model, manual transmission. The main fuse is intact, that was the first thing I checked.

 

[670cc]

The symptoms indicate a bad battery. You said you swapped the battery with another from a different bike. Consider the possibility that battery was hooked up in reverse, or there was some other mishap that caused the second battery experiment to fail. I’ve made mistakes myself and been led down the wrong path.

A bad frame ground connection from the negative battery post to the frame/engine could give you trouble and not be obvious. Another possibility is that your key switch might have failed.

If this were my problem, the first thing I’d do is get out a voltmeter and start checking the battery condition and going through the circuits. Troubleshooting without a meter is just guess work. They’re very inexpensive these days.

What is the battery voltage at rest, and with the key switch on?

 

[Mainsail]

The symptoms sound like the key is turned off (which it wasn't) so possibly the key switch? Try jiggling the key around, or jiggling the wires that come out of the switch. Hopefully it'll be something easy like that.

Have you recently done any work, or added any accessories? If so, see what you may have inadvertently disconnected, pinched, cut, etc..

 

[670cc]

Here's a possible. I noticed that if I apply a little pressure to the kill switch in the "run" position direction, it will actually kill the motor. The engagement zone for this switch seems a bit touchy to me. Toggling it a few times might help your situation.

The kill switch doesn’t make the display go blank.

 

[hsoli]

I tested the battery voltage. It is sitting at 12.91V both at rest and when the key is turned to 'on'. I tried jiggling the cables around but that didn't change anything either.
I haven't done any work on the bike recently that would have messed with the electronics, though we did get a big rainstorm here last week. The bike was covered throughout, but maybe some water found its way in?
I'll try a few more tests this evening when I get back from work. Thanks for your help so far, guys.

 

[dduelin]

The at rest voltage of 12.91 should drop a half volt or so to 12.5 when the key is on and the engine is not running. If it doesn't drop at all with the key ON then the battery cables aren't making a good connection at the battery or to negative ground or positive to the starter solenoid. The starter is on top of the transmission directly below the bottom of the frunk.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

You mentioned that You checked the main fuse. Did you replace it ? A friends bike lost all power recently. The fuse was one of the first things he checked. Looked ok. Then he proceeded to dismantle the bodywork to check all electrics. He could find nothing. After an hour or so he went back to the OK fuse and replaced it. Bike started.

 

[Olythom]

Another good reason to use a multimeter to test for voltage at multiple locations starting at the battery and working methodically through fuse, key switch, connectors to the display, etc. to see where the voltage goes away.

You could also use the ohmmeter side to ensure the fuse is truly zero resistance and that you have zero (or near zero) resistance from the 'battery negative' to ground connections, etc, etc

Too many possibilities to make a wild guess.
>T

 

[hsoli]

So I went back and checked the main fuse again and it was blown out. I replaced the fuse hoping that it was just a silly oversight and that that would fix it but unfortunately it didn't.
I measured the voltage on the battery again: it was at 12.9V standing and dropped to <1V when I turned the key (without pressing the ignition).
I ran my brother's battery in my bike again to see if that would solve the problem and it started right up! I'm guessing my battery just has a few bad cells. I think it's a fairly old battery.
I'm just glad it's a fairly simple/inexpensive fix.
Thanks for your advice everybody! I really appreciate it.

 

[showkey]

Thanks for completing the thread witha confirmed fix.

Sounds like another sudden death battery failure. But two issues overlapping bad battery witha blown main fuse.

The “sudden death” is not a NC thing........it’s just a common way batteries fail now days as opposed to “slow death” with warnings like low power, slow cranking etc.

 

[Mainsail]

Thanks for completing the thread witha confirmed fix.

Sounds like another sudden death battery failure. But two issues overlapping bad battery witha blown main fuse.

I don't know that I'd call that confirmed just yet. Fuses don't just blow for no reason.

Given the two symptoms you mention, bad battery and blown fuse, I would worry about a dead short to ground somewhere (fuse doing its job). Such a short could ruin the battery and could ruin the next battery. If it's intermittent; it would explain why the brother's battery works.

I hope it's not the case, but I would be all over that with a meter before I put a new battery in.

Remove the battery, connect the meter leads to the battery terminals, put the meter in the ohms position, make sure there's no reaction from the meter. Then shake the heck out of the harness and make sure the meter doesn't react. Turn the key to run, let the meter settle wherever it lands, then shake the key, and then the harness- again watching for the meter display to wig out.

 

[lootzyan]

... I turned the key and hit the ignition. The bike turned over once before abruptly cutting out, and I lost all electrical activity...

Mainsail, you are correct.
Something prevented starter motor to turn. (It's hard to speculate without examination - it could be a short circuit). This caused sharp jump of current which brought a battery to its knees. Main fuse has a time delayed action before it blows, long enough to protect circuit and prevent fire but not to protect a battery. Those batteries have relatively low capacity of stored energy and they just die under excessive load. You may try to recharge it.

 

[Mainsail]

Mainsail, you are correct.
Something prevented starter motor to turn. (It's hard to speculate without examination - it could be a short circuit). This caused sharp jump of current which brought a battery to its knees. Main fuse has a time delayed action before it blows, long enough to protect circuit and prevent fire but not to protect a battery. Those batteries have relatively low capacity of stored energy and they just die under excessive load. You may try to recharge it.

Yes, I forgot about the starter part. So the short could be with the starter path (including the relay)? This sounds like a problem I just fixed on my Jeep Grand Cherokee by replacing the starter assembly.

 

[showkey]

I don't know that I'd call that confirmed just yet. Fuses don't just blow for no reason.

Given the two symptoms you mention, bad battery and blown fuse, I would worry about a dead short to ground somewhere (fuse doing its job). Such a short could ruin the battery and could ruin the next battery. If it's intermittent; it would explain why the brother's battery works.

I hope it's not the case, but I would be all over that with a meter before I put a new battery in.

t.

Yes .....I was giving the OP the benefit of the doubt as he feels it’s fixed. The one possible link between a dead battery and a replacement battery install is a reverse polarity error. Speculation at this point. Only time will tell and future posts if the bike is actually fixed for the long haul.

Success of the forum information exchange is OP posting that they back on the road.

 

[JAmster]

Did you ever discover the solution to this problem. I am having the same symptoms - display dead when ignition key turned to on position and bike won't start. Checked the battery (12.1 volts) in place and also disconnected. The main fuse (30 A) is good. All the fuses in the fuse box are good. The starter relay clicks when 12 V are applied (and goes to zero resistance between the switch leads). I suspect that the ignition switch is bad, but can't find any information on line on testing it or replacing it. Saw your post and wondered if you have an easy solution to this problem.

 

[dduelin]

Did you ever discover the solution to this problem. I am having the same symptoms - display dead when ignition key turned to on position and bike won't start. Checked the battery (12.1 volts) in place and also disconnected. The main fuse (30 A) is good. All the fuses in the fuse box are good. The starter relay clicks when 12 V are applied (and goes to zero resistance between the switch leads). I suspect that the ignition switch is bad, but can't find any information on line on testing it or replacing it. Saw your post and wondered if you have an easy solution to this problem.

12.1 volts is “deader than a door nail”. If the battery is holding 12.1 volts then that’s about 90% discharged. Standing voltage of a fully charged healthy 12 volt battery is 12.8 to 13.1.

 

[NCX19]

if the battery is too low to spin the starter, it wont generate a back-emf, and will draw a sustained high current - and blow the fuse. Not the starters fault.

 

[NCX19]

Did you ever discover the solution to this problem. I am having the same symptoms - display dead when ignition key turned to on position and bike won't start. Checked the battery (12.1 volts) in place and also disconnected. The main fuse (30 A) is good. All the fuses in the fuse box are good. The starter relay clicks when 12 V are applied (and goes to zero resistance between the switch leads). I suspect that the ignition switch is bad, but can't find any information on line on testing it or replacing it. Saw your post and wondered if you have an easy solution to this problem.

never had this on a bike. however had it myself and helped others ......
lights, radio works on your car. You just drove it to the store, and 5 min later you come out and starter wont turn.
Yet radio is playing,
Very often this is filthy and or corroded battery terminals. Low current loads drop small voltage at dirty terminal. Heaver loads, eg starter draw larger load, and have a larger voltage drop at the terminal, leaving not enough voltage to the starter. Clean terminals - and like magic, its all good.
Same for loose terminals.

So thats the first thing Id check - if all the usuals like side stand and kill switch are good.

In the rarer percent of problems, starter relay, starter .... etc ...