'04 Firebolt 1200 electrical problem

[WillRotten]

Well, I've had a good run. 2 years with her and hardly any problems. I was out of town for 7 weeks and hadn't ridden her in a few weeks before I left. A few weeks ago I started it up and she seemed fine. Not so today...

First it was a real hard start. I figured it was from setting. Then I noticed smoke coming from under the seat and shut it down. Upon removal of the seat I notice the positive terminal on the battery had melted some of the wire cover. I tried starting it up again and noticed the negative ground, where the negative from the battery bolts onto the frame was RED HOT!

So, here I am needing advice. Thanks for your help.

[Tbone]

Start with a dead short check on the power side, also the ground check of all the connections, all with the battery out of course. I found a pretty good 2008 Buell electrical diagnostic and troubleshooting document on the internet, not sure if there is one for 2004. The last time I seen this was when my wifes car starter shorted out and caused a little smoke, the starter had to be replaced. Not sure if the Buell has a separate starter solenoid, maybe built into the starter, would start investigating in those areas. As usual somebody smarter than me will post up and give you more detailed specifics.

[Cooter]

When resistance is high, heat builds up. It's exactly how an electric heater works.

If it's not too damaged now, you will find bad conductivity at the positive battery connection, and the ground frame connection. Take them all OFF. CLEAN them, and retighten. Then fully CHARGE the battery with a battery CHARGER (not a battery tender). Follow these instructions and you should be ok.

[WillRotten]

TBone, I have no idea how to check for shorts. It's just been sitting besides a few start up and warm up for nearly 3 months. I need to ride more than my favorite bike more often and plan to do so this winter. Love Florida living.

Thank you Cooter. That's what I was hoping. The positive was a bit loose. Haven't checked the frame ground yet. It's a pain in the ass to get that battery out and back in, but at least it's a cheap fix. I have it on a charger now. I did use a tender yesterday. I'll pull it all out tomorrow and tighten it all down.

[WillRotten]

Hey Cooter, should I pull that bolt and replace it? The one to the frame. It was red hot. Afraid if I tried to tighten it it would break. There's a chance I could get it out easier.

[Cooter]

If it got hot enough to discolor it, yes. And why not anyway? It's like .04 cents...

Don't worry about over torquing it as much as making it as clean as possible at the contact points. A star washer would help. With everything rusting so fast in Florida, I would coat it in a little grease, silicone, or paint it, but only after its installed. I think you'll be ok

[user_deleted]

two of the most common myths of motorcycling:
1-"My cable streteched and must be adjusted". wrong! motorcycle cables do NOT stretch. the inner cable over the life-span of the cable assembly does NOT stretch....the outer cable wound casing assembly "compresses" causing the feeling that the cable has "stretched".
2-a battery contains and holds "electricity". wrong! a battery does NOT contain "electricity". a battery simply contains the components and the chemicals to "produce" electricity.

simply put....your battery is shot. replace it. when a battery is asked to start whatever it is being used for, that is the moment in time when it is placed under the most strain. a battery headed towards death-row that is attempting to crank a motor but falls short will protest in rage by producing incredible heat in an extremely short period of time. i don't know how else to explain it. this is precisely your situation.

[WillRotten]

Thank you Lunatic. Will do. I have to pull it out anyway. When I bought the bike 2 years ago the guy said it was new. But I'm wondering how "new" it was. It's always had a hard start with a delay before cranking over.

[Silverrider]

Not to worry ,Even with a fresh Batt it is common, to have a slight ( delay before cranking over.) Big pistons,

[user_deleted]

Thank you Lunatic. Will do. I have to pull it out anyway. When I bought the bike 2 years ago the guy said it was new. But I'm wondering how "new" it was. It's always had a hard start with a delay before cranking over.

yes sir....always my pleasure. a momentary pause when cranking an XB is what i have labeled as "compression bump" many years ago on here. google it to see precisely what i am speaking of. it's normal. the tell-tale sign of either a battery headed to battery-heaven or terminal-to-cable issues is XB gauge cluster reset. THAT right there is your clue.