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CEL, Temp Light, Fan On, Low Idle

Doc True

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CEL, Temp Light, Fan On, Low Idle (Solved)

Woke up to a broke bike this morning. I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this for me.

When I turned the key on, the fan came on immediately. It was 40F this morning. When I hit the starter, the engine had to turn over for almost 10 seconds before it fired up and it took 3 attempts for it to happen. When it did, it idled at about 500 rpm and the CEL and temp light were on. When I gave any throttle input, the engine died. I ended up having to take the cage into work. I plan to try again when I get home. It should be ~60F by then so that can tell me whether or not it's temperature related. I only have ~30,000 miles on it.

One other thing that is probably unrelated. The ABS light started flashing a few days ago. I've ridden it everyday since then with no engine issues. Likely separate problems

Any thoughts?
 
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Sounds like you bike thinks it's really hot so I'd think temp sensor, I had to replace mine but I had the opposite problem, my fan wasn't coming on when it should have, but I never got an over heating light like you have, my temporary salutation (to get home) was to disconnect the temp sensor

When you disconnect the temp sensor with the engine running the fan comes on immediately, now I'm not positive but it seems like the sensor completes a loop, when the water temp gets high enough it creates enough pressure to break the loop to and turn the fan on, I would guess even more pressure would open another (maybe) to turn on the dummy light (over heating light.

But I'm just guessing
 
First check:

Battery voltage and connections.......simple and easy, a lot of weird or strange things happen when the battery is low or dying.

Second: retrieve the code, kick stand down, turn the key on, count the CEL flashes (long and short flashes)

Shop manual confirms if the ECT sensor ( engine coolant temp sensor) has an issue:
Hard to start cold
Cooling fan on

Code 7-1 or 7-2 will flash.
 
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Everyone that guessed coolant temp sensor gets the prize. Turns out, someone cut the wires to the sensor for me. Once this is repaired, we can diagnose the other issues
 
wow,,,who the heck did you upset over there??? Someone in your housing area dont like motorcycles?

I have no idea. The only time I ever interact with other residents is when they're walking they're dogs and the only purpose I have to do that is to pet the dogs
 
Reviving this thread because the same exact thing happened to me. I was getting ready to bike into work two days ago, and the bike took a long time to start, and then idled low and finally the engine stopped. I tried a couple more times before the battery finally gave up. Jumped on the subway.

So I charged the battery on my trickle charger and tried again yesterday. With a fully charged battery, it did start, although the engine sounded weak. I started to ride somewhere before I noticed that it was making an electrical sound (fan noise) and that the engine light and temperature lights were on. So I cut that ride short and headed home.

Today I looked over the bike and noticed a cut wire on the right front side. Exactly like the OP reported. So I want to thank him for describing the problem and the solution accurately. I couldn't find any other mention of this particular problem on the web.

But really, what are the odds that people are going around cutting this exact wire in different cities? I think it's more likely that some environmental factor is involved. It's a weak exposed wire so if something happens to press too hard against it, it could snap. Anyway, in case anyone else needs the reference, I'll attach a photo of the wire in question just before I did my quick splice job which did make the problem go away.

IMG_0018.JPG
 
Damaged wiring cause…………….Person vs environmental vs mechanical issue ?

My vote is rodents……they love vehicle wiring.

NOTE be sure to do a complete inspection……it may not be the only site where eat lunch. Dinner is stored in the air box and breakfast is at the battery.


Why Do Rodents Chew Car Wires? Rodents may be drawn to car wire insulation made of soy, peanut oil, rice husks, and various plant-based materials. The insulation can produce a faint vanilla aroma when it is warm, which may make car wires appealing and appetizing for rodents to chew.


94099390-A3A7-42FF-AE92-C36AD843D917.png

3C56DF01-45AB-4D86-8CDB-1E68792B76E7.png

478E5EEF-010A-4764-BA77-1CC576A6DC26.png
 
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Damaged wiring cause…………….Person vs environmental vs mechanical issue ?

My vote is rodents……they love vehicle wiring.

NOTE be sure to do a complete inspection……it may not be the only site where eat lunch. Dinner is stored in the air box and breakfast is at the battery.


Why Do Rodents Chew Car Wires? Rodents may be drawn to car wire insulation made of soy, peanut oil, rice husks, and various plant-based materials. The insulation can produce a faint vanilla aroma when it is warm, which may make car wires appealing and appetizing for rodents to chew.


View attachment 46246

View attachment 46245

View attachment 46244

YEP! Around here, it's pack rats that do the dirty deed - a clear sign of pending trouble is rat feces scattered around on the parking area under the vehicle. DAMHIK
 
Haha, I will admit that squirrels often use my parked bike as a dinner table for eating maple seeds. But unlike the photos above, in my case, the wires were cut cleanly, with none of the insulation having been removed. It really did look as though someone had snipped them with clippers. Maybe a squirrel thought that wire was a maple seed, or maybe...

3hnj4d.jpg
 
Haha, I will admit that squirrels often use my parked bike as a dinner table for eating maple seeds. But unlike the photos above, in my case, the wires were cut cleanly, with none of the insulation having been removed. It really did look as though someone had snipped them with clippers. Maybe a squirrel thought that wire was a maple seed, or maybe...

View attachment 46268
Mine were cut cleanly as well and no insulation was removed. My rear ABS wire was also severed cleanly
 
I guess then I am with davidc83 in post #7:
Then you guys clearly have neighbors that don’t like you or motorcycle or both.
This is bad enough…………Hope they don’t take their issues to the next level like paint and tires.

Either of you guys leave early or come home late on the bike ?
 
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Probably completely unrelated (to my neighbours, aliens, or squirrels), but yesterday when I was about to go out on the bike, I noticed that the clutch lever pivot bolt was almost completely unscrewed. It had a small amount of rust on it, so I assume that friction had caused it to work itself loose over time, and I just hadn't noticed until it was very far out of its proper position. Anyway I put some grease on it and screwed it back in snugly.

Then today I realized that the pivot bolt is supposed to have a cap nut on the end. Luckily I had the exact thing in my spare parts drawer. I probably should put some loctite on it, and maybe some neighbour, alien, and squirrel repellant.
 
My 2 cents would be kids being stupid. Found a pair of wire cutters and decided to try them out and the bike is an easy target. Unless you remember pissing off a neighbor.
 
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