Hey guys I can't find a solution to my issue on any of the forums so I'm gonna try here.
So my 96 CB750 Nighthawk has this issue where I put it into gear and the bike dies. Now I noticed that my side stand light isn't even on when the side stand is down but my bike is sensing that it's down which is causing the bike to die when I kick it in gear. My battery is also dying for some reason.
Anyone have any ideas?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Gummed up sidestand switch. Get a can of WD-40 and a toothbrush to clean up the plunder. Or just remove it**
** legal bullshit, you're an adult, etc
*plunger
Already tried cleaning the fuck out of it
No luck
Check to see if it's working. Get a continuity meter, unplug the switch, and test to see if the switch is opening and closing as the sidestand is moved. Also make sure the switch mounting plate isn't bent out of alignment.
Replace or remove and bypass the switch
If only I could get the plug to unplug....
It's a fuckin bitch. But that could be causing the battery to drain as well correct?
No, I don't think they're related at all. What other mods are there on the bike? A Battery Tender or heated liner pigtail? Is it possible you are leaving the bike in park instead of off when you take the key out? (check the brake light) You might just have an old battery. I have to put a new one in my DR every 3 years, even with it on a Tender all the time.
I just put a new battery in. Also sometimes when I turn the key on the blinker is on for some reason. And when I'm riding and I hit the left blinker both come on like hazards. It's weird.
Get a meter with an ammeter function and hook it up in line with the battery to see if there is a load when the power is off. If so, start pulling fuses to see which circuit is affected. After that, it's point to point looking for shorts, faulty switches and faulty relays. You should have one of these in your Owner's Manual.
If the ammeter shows no load with the key removed, or if the battery is below 12.5V after charging (iirc) it might indicate your battery was damaged when it was flattened once. Try to jump start the bike too.
Good luck. Think about what was done to it last and what parts were touched. Work backwards from there.
So what you're saying is to do this test the battery should be fully charged?
Also I have it on the right setting correct?
I'm terrible with electrical
Yeah, divide and conquer. Make sure you have a good battery. Charge it overnight, then connect it to a load tester and voltage meter (Wal Mart or Autozone) to see if it's good.
Once you've determined you have a good battery then do the ammeter thingy to see if you have a parasitic drain when the power is off. If you do, start pulling fuses to see which circuit is the culprit. Then using the schematic start chasing wires in their circuit, looking for shorts, worn insulation, faulty switches, etc.
That would be my approach.
Battery was just bought about a month ago, and charging system works great
Update
So I figured it out and connected my multimeter
I'm getting absolutely nothing for amps...
A bike should have just a smidge of discharging when off
You don't "leave a bike in park", once the key is out ignition should be off and nothing but the immobilizer should be draining power
Op, if you have a 12v socket for the phone check it
Mine had rusted and kept draining my battery
Look out for ruined cables that might be shorting by touching the engine or frame
A lot of bikes have another position called "Park" just past the "OFF" position. It's can be associated with the steering lock. When put in Park, and the key removed the bike's tail light remains lit. This is a great way to kill a battery.
Also - I see the schematic shows a clutch switch. Since the sidestand light never comes on, could it be you are pulling in the clutch and that switch is killing the bike?
The side stand switch lit used to light up when it was down before his started to happen
Now since its been happening it doesn't light up at all
Lol no
A bike's steering lock is entirely mechanical you mong
Even scooters (who do have park) have an hand brake that you simply pull to lock the brakes
It's clearly shorting somewhere
Any idea why it's not showing any amps when I check for the parasitic draw?
Where are you measuring between?
So this is the sidestand switch diddly
It's supposed to be covered with plastic
Could this cause the issue?
Between the neg post and neg lead
That's just the pivot point
Try neg lead pos lead
That's where the wire connects into though
Unhook the battery and see if you get anything but "no connection"
Dude, I know how steering locks work. I'm just saying that the Park position on some ignition switches can also be engaged with the steering lock engaged.
Lose the attitude.
Yeah, it could be damaged. Try unplugging it and shorting two of the three leads at a time with a paperclip. See what the light shows as you do it. See schematic above to ID which wires at the connector. Bridging the Green with Yellow / Brown stripe wire simulates down, while bridging green with Green / white stripe wire simulates up.
There is a copy of this in the back of your owner's manual too.
*Yellow with black stripe wire
I'm trying to pull the little connector out of the actual side stand right now but no such luck...well at least it looks like it's able to come out
So I'm gonna cut these wires and splice them in the up first to see if the light comes on, then if that works I'm gonna see if the same thing will work with it up
I hope that works
Shit forgot picture
Sorry, late.
It might be too late for you, but chase those wires back up toward the center of the bike and look for a connector. The schematic shows a connector somewhere. I have 3 bikes: italian, japanese, and german. They all have sidestand switches and all can (and have been) bypassed by me, but they all work the same way.
Invariably you can remove the sidestand switch, short across wires in the connector to simulate sidestand up, and get on with your life. You just have to accept that you might, some day, somewhere, ride away with the sidestand down and wreck.
I wish you the best with your efforts. Sidestand switches are a universal problem because they are exposed to gunk, crap, and abuse. Most of us either get rid of them, or we clean them religiously.
Keep the rubber side down.
So I spliced that shit together and nothing happened