Another victim of broken wire behind ignition

[David (N. Alabama)]

Bike died on the way to Florida. It just electrically shut down. I was sure the main fuse blew, and had an idea why. Wish I had heeded the other reports on the forum and tore the bike down prior to heading out.

I couldn't have broken down at a better time and place. I was heading into Andalusia, AL when everything went black. I coasted into a restaurant parking lot and there was an open spot near a covered porch. Pouring rain out so I got off the bike and under the porch to take in my situation.

I decided that I didn't want to start taking the bike apart in the rain, so I called my ROK roadside assistance. I have a $250 benefit so thought maybe I could get the bike towed to Fort Walton Beach and deal with getting it fixed at the Hotel or by a local dealer. Roadside assistance said the tow company wanted an additional $150 to tow to Fort Walton Beach 75 miles away. I was about to accept that when a couple who were sitting nearby introduced themselves. They are the owners of the local Honda dealership. Rudy offered to open up his shop and have the bike towed there. I told him I had to be at work on Monday and would need to rent a car. He shook his head about the availability of a car rental place, and then to my surprise offered to loan me a bike to continue my trip. I was shocked! Then he probably thought about it a little and realizing that my bike was loaded and it was raining, so he decided to loan me a car from his used car dealership. WOW!

So, I continued on to Florida with a loaner car. I had to wait until the following Tuesday before the Honda dealership opened and the tech could look at it. As suspected, a worn wire that shorted and blew the main fuse. I contacted Kawasaki to see if they will pay their usual warranty rate to at least reimburse me for a portion of the cost since the bike is under warranty and there is not a Kawasaki dealership near Andalusia. They told me to send in the receipts and description of the repair and they will take it under consideration.

Life is an adventure, and sometimes you meet great people during that adventure. I am sure there are great people everywhere, but the folks in the south are top notch and I am so glad I live in the south.

PLEASE PLEASE pull the tank trim and inspect your wiring. Better yet, wrap some additonal tape around the wires before you break down in the middle of nowhere. I now wish I had

Here is a pic of the wires in question after the Honda shop repaired them. There was even a spot on the tank where the paint was worn away.



I wrapped part of an old innertube around the wires with small zip ties. Don't want that to happen again.

[TheAudiDoc]

David, where are these wires we need to inspect?

[HMB Don]

David

I pulled my tank today and checked the wires. The only wires are at the front to Ign sw. and the rear of the tank are the wires that go to the electric pump? Also where did they break or were they cut by the chrome strip/tank?

Getting ready to leave for Logan from Sunny California. So since the tanks off I'm flushing the cooling system.

Don Medina
President
NorCal Voyagers Club
AVA boardmember
2012 Voyager 1700

[David (N. Alabama)]

I couldn't talk with the tech who performed the service, and my first opportunity to pull the tank will be next weekend to look and see where the repair was made.

On the other forums guys are finding chafed wires when pulling the tank trim and pulling the tank back a little.

Unfortunately, I am not the first one who broke down because of these wires. I'm glad you all didn't find any chafing. Wish I had checked mine when I was first alerted of this problem.

When I pull my tank I will take some photos.

[HMB Don]

Yesterday while I had the tank off I looked and my wires, they looked like new. But I still put some loom over the wires, I took a picture and will post after I relearn how to post pictures. I've had a rattle under the tank, found it I think, the Fuel Pump plug hitting the rear valve cover. I've rerouted the wires in front of the Fuel Line. Will road test tomorrow, when Trisha, Don Jr. (Voyager 1200) and I ride up to San Francisco to watch the Moto GP races at the D store, then ride over to the Ferry Building along the SF Bay.

Just two more weeks until rally depart day.

NorCal will be selling Voyager 1700 brake pads at the Rally with no shipping charge. Same with Voyager 1200 brake pads, and Stainless Steel Brake Lines in Black and Clear.

Don Medina
President
NorCal Voyagers Club
AVA boardmember

[David (N. Alabama)]

I'm glad Don and Duane didn't find an issue. For those of you who are on the fence about checking your wires, here are some posts from other Vulcan forums.

Just got done taking tank off checking ignition wires and putting on the thunder intake gasket. Everyone should check the wires under the tank. Mine were rubbing and just was a matter of time before they rubbed through.

It is a 1700 issue, I checked my wires a couple of months agoon my 1700 classic and I could see a rub mark, fixed it then so I don't have an issue later

As others have said before. The wirs can be inspected by just removing the tank trim. If the wire lays close to the frame, even if it is not rubbed I recommend protecting it. Remove ignition trim ring, remove seat, remove two bolts that hold tank, move tank up and to the right and support it. Protect wire with electrical tape, rubber hose, or split wire loom. I did not have to completly remove the tank. If your bike is under warranty I would ask your dealer if they will check it out.

happened to me last summer middle of nowhere VT. under warranty, but cost me most of the day, 50 tip for awesome service and 50 for gas to a Good Sam who had a trailer

Great topic, thanks for sharing this. Popped off trim and 2 bolts on tank and found exactly where brown wire (along with 2-3 others) rub. Brown wire had small sign of rubbing and saw inside of tank where it was shiny and the rest dusty.

Used electrical tape and layered area down from end of protective coating - plug. Inspected main harness and all is good and protected.

Highly recommend EVERY Vulcan owner performing this simple 15 min fix. Wires are located upper left front near ignition switch, but you need to take off trim, gently work off ignition trim (round piece that goes around lock). I used back of my Kawasaki key "rubber edge" to gently pry it up slowly. Pop seat and unbolt 2 bolts where seat connects into bracket up front by bottom of tank. I had a full tank of gas, so weight of fuel won't be an issue as you don't need to tank completely off just enough to remove it from front rubber mounts and let it rest on the mounts while you go to work with electrical tape.

When putting tank back on round rubber mounts up front, pay attention to rubber line that is on right front side. Don't want to get that caught up with bracket that fits into rubber mounts. Once lined up on rubber mounts (use flashlight to inspect both sides) gently apply pressure to top of tank and push down. I used a soft buffing cloth across the tank so I didn't scratch or get finger prints all over tank. also would be a good time while trim is off to put fresh coat of wax on before putting trim back on.

This is to inform all 1700 owners of a growing problem with frayed wire insulation under the gas tank. Please read original post #2293 "Houston we have a problem" talked about this. I was sure this was probably an isolated case and would not affect me. A few weeks ago it affected me at 430AM when at 55mph all went dead. Luckily I was able to get into a Walmart parking lot. Long story short could not repair in parking lot. Towed to dealer 50+ miles, rent car, miss day of work (highlight of the day). Next day dealer charges me $101 to diagnois but can not find the problem. I even gave them a print out from this forum of what to look for. At this point I had no confidence in my VV or my dealer. After downloading a manual and a little research I removed the tank with less than 1 gal of gas and found the brown wire that goes from the ignition tower to a harness plug frayed. It was so obvious I could see it as soon as the tank was lifted off. A few inches of tape will save you a lot of grief.
I now have 100% confidence in my VV. Dealer zero confidence.

PS I was able to do this with just the tools in the bikes tool kit. I did add to the kit a small screwdriver to help with the wire connections and fuel line connection. I now carry the tape and spare 30 amp fuses along with cheater reading glasses and a flashlight.
Sorry I could not get the pics on here, but when the tank is off there are 4 wires coming from the ingnition switch. These are in a hard plastic tube but unfortunatly it was about 1" to short.

Same thing happened to me in 2010, found the problem myself and taped the wires.
Took some pictures and sent a nice letter to Kawasaki, no response.
Took the bike to my dealer and showed them, ordered a new lock set under warranty. They pre-taped the wires and zip-tied them so it can not touch the tank. No more problem.

I pulled my tank off today, the wires were chaffing on the tank but not worn through. I put a vacumn line around them with a few zip ties, should be good now.

Pulled my gauge bezel yesterday on the Classic and sure enough the wires wer rubbing. Slid the tank back and slipped on a piece of split wire loom protector. Was using a freinds garage and told him of some of the info on this forum. He does not have a bike, but thought it was great. Second that. Thanks everone.

[David (N. Alabama)]

more.

EVERY 1700 OWNER NEEDS TO TAKE THEIR FUEL TANK OFF AND UNDER GOOD LIGHTING, CHECK THE WIRES THAT GO INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE IGNITION TOWER FOR WEAR, FRAYING OR BURNING OFF OF THE INSULATION WHICH CAUSES A DEAD SHORT, CAUSING THE MAIN 30 AMP FUSE TO BLOW, COMPLETELY SHUTTING DOWN ALL SYSTEMS ON YOUR BIKE... THIS HAPPENED TO ME ON A TRIP TO CANADA, 2000 MILES FROM HOME AND RUINED A GREAT TRIP. I AM AWARE OF AT LEAST TWO OTHER 1700 OWNERS THAT HAVE NOTICED WEAR ON THESE WIRES JUST BELOW WHERE THEY COME OUT OF THE IGNITION TOWER... ONE INSTANCE COULD BE BAD LUCK... TWO PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM IS THE START OF A TREND... AND NOW THREE PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM THAT I KNOW OF.... THAT'S A WARRANTY/RECALL ISSUE IN MY BOOK. I'LL SAY IT AGAIN... EVERY 1700 OWNER ALL MODEL YEARS NEED TO CHECK THIS... IT COULD SAVE YOU A TON OF TROUBLE FAR FROM HOME!!... LET US KNOW WHAT YOU FIND!!

My bike had 23000 miles on it when this occurred...

We need to know if others are finding this problem, and if so, we need to start a push for a recall/fix by Kawasaki...

Hey folks, I had a water temp sensor go bad on my 2011 Voyager with close to 42,000 miles on it. After reading this thread, I called them at the shop yesterday and told them to look at mind while the tank was off. I just picked the bike up and they thanked me for the heads up. They said mine was not far from a big problem. They did fix it under warranty and said they have a call into Kawasaki to inform them there is a severe problem going on and perhaps a recall should be put out. So, this is real and wide spread. Get yours looked at. Oh, as for the water temp sensor gone bad; last Friday I noticed the fan was on all the time. When first starting the bike (cold) and while going down the road (temp gauge was on the first mark), then the red light came on and a code 14. So if you get a code 14 or your fan comes on when it usually wouldn't; check the coolant level in the overflow tank (mine was good), then a sensor may be the problem. Just an FYI.

[keith]

just bought a new 2014 voyager in jan.2015.thought I had better pull tank and wrap ignition wires from switch to harness plug so they do not short out as others have had problems with. surprisingly all my wires were already wrapped in black plastic,and then wrapped in black electrical tape..i am sure the dealership did not do this,so perhaps Kawasaki is finally listening and doing this on their own...my bike was manufactured in november2013 according to the i.d. sticker on the bike.anyone else with a 2014 find the same thing??? :

[jhellman]

Thanks for the tip. I have an 09 and they were already well taped. Must have been by the dealer at some time.

[Godlover]

It is great to meet nice people! Will Kawasaki make the repair under warranty? Just wondering!

Bike died on the way to Florida. It just electrically shut down. I was sure the main fuse blew, and had an idea why. Wish I had heeded the other reports on the forum and tore the bike down prior to heading out.

I couldn't have broken down at a better time and place. I was heading into Andalusia, AL when everything went black. I coasted into a restaurant parking lot and there was an open spot near a covered porch. Pouring rain out so I got off the bike and under the porch to take in my situation.

I decided that I didn't want to start taking the bike apart in the rain, so I called my ROK roadside assistance. I have a $250 benefit so thought maybe I could get the bike towed to Fort Walton Beach and deal with getting it fixed at the Hotel or by a local dealer. Roadside assistance said the tow company wanted an additional $150 to tow to Fort Walton Beach 75 miles away. I was about to accept that when a couple who were sitting nearby introduced themselves. They are the owners of the local Honda dealership. Rudy offered to open up his shop and have the bike towed there. I told him I had to be at work on Monday and would need to rent a car. He shook his head about the availability of a car rental place, and then to my surprise offered to loan me a bike to continue my trip. I was shocked! Then he probably thought about it a little and realizing that my bike was loaded and it was raining, so he decided to loan me a car from his used car dealership. WOW!

So, I continued on to Florida with a loaner car. I had to wait until the following Tuesday before the Honda dealership opened and the tech could look at it. As suspected, a worn wire that shorted and blew the main fuse. I contacted Kawasaki to see if they will pay their usual warranty rate to at least reimburse me for a portion of the cost since the bike is under warranty and there is not a Kawasaki dealership near Andalusia. They told me to send in the receipts and description of the repair and they will take it under consideration.

Life is an adventure, and sometimes you meet great people during that adventure. I am sure there are great people everywhere, but the folks in the south are top notch and I am so glad I live in the south.

PLEASE PLEASE pull the tank trim and inspect your wiring. Better yet, wrap some additonal tape around the wires before you break down in the middle of nowhere. I now wish I had

Here is a pic of the wires in question after the Honda shop repaired them. There was even a spot on the tank where the paint was worn away.



I wrapped part of an old innertube around the wires with small zip ties. Don't want that to happen again.

[David (N. Alabama)]

It is great to meet nice people! Will Kawasaki make the repair under warranty? Just wondering!

I wouldn't wait until it happens to get it fixed under warranty. Do some preventative maintenance on it and save yourself the hassle.