Had to take the trike to PDQ yesterday morning, drop it off for its service (and new carbs) on Monday morning.
So, nice day, I decided to rip it up the M1 a bit and have a bimble round the St. Albans area. Came back down the M1 after, took the junction for the M25 and straight into a tailback, stopped on the J21 slip road. Now, to my dismay, I’d been aware the my tank switch (switch between main and extra fuel tank) had gone missing in action and was fumbling about to see where it had gone. Like the previous one, this had disintegrated and fallen down between the frame and the remains were hanging in mid air. I turned round to move on in the traffic and… the engine stopped. And wouldn’t start again. Luckily, a couple of truckers saw my plight and pushed the trike off to the hard shoulder.
I got off and started stripping off the seats and airbox cover, checking fuses and such, thinking the tank switch had shorted against the frame. Called the AA, they were going to be an hour and a half, and meanwhile a highways patrol vehicle turned up, one chap was an elder ex-biker and he helped me going through all the fuses again. No luck. I phoned Larry Webb at PDQ to say I’d be late, explained the situation and he made a couple of suggestions. There was no starter motor or fuel pump happening, looked like an alarm thing.
I’d been round all the fuses half a dozen times, was poking about at the wiring and connectors, and then started thinking that maybe the starter switchgear had packed up for some reason. I looked across at the switchgear and contemplated it… hold on a minute… there’s something not right… oh sh!t… it can’t be… feck. Run switch was in the “Off” position. 3 minutes later the AA agent turned up as I was putting the covers back on. “It’s alright, you can go away again, I’m a twat”.
How I knocked the switch, I do not know. Duh! And duh! again.
Ha ha! ;)Don’t worry - this situation can happen to both ends of the biking spectrum:
Rookie: Doesn’t even know about the kill switch and has it pointed out to him by the recovery guy when his bike mysteriously won’t start.
The knowledgeable veteran (like yourself): Considers the most technical, complicated, arcane reasons for why the bike mysteriously won’t start - before getting to the bleeding obvious! ;)
I did the same by accident whilst on a test ride when I was a novice. Flagged down a passing motorcyclist to ask for advice and he couldn’t figure it out either. Eventually someone from the dealer came and sorted it and let me take it out again for another hour because of the issue. Felt very foolish!
If it makes you feel better, my bike wouldn’t start a few weeks after I got it - all lights were on, I can move bike back & forth so definitely in Neutral but engine wouldn’t turn over.
Recheck switches, phone dealer, agree flat battery from alarm, have got battery in stock or I can get battery charger.
So I go back to the bike to take battery out & decide to give it one last shot. Ho hum, keys in, alarm off, kill switch to run, got my warning lights showing…mmmm…something not quite right. Where’s the Neutral light? Bike is in Neutral, surely, but no light shows.
no worries mate, week before i sold my fighter i was making the loom look nice in the electric box i made…went to start it…nothing, checked in neutral (light not working ), nothing, clutch in (sometimes works) nothing, check sidestand switch, nothing…then i looked over…and oh yes theres the prob! hadnt connected the battery back up :doze:
The kill switch is a common fault, old and new bikers suffer from it. Our techs go out to alsorts of silly faults so you’re not the first and you won’t be the last.
Was running on fumes on my way to work so was doubting I’d make it to a petrol station on my way back.
Anyway, after work I jump on the bike, key in, dashboard lights up but bike won’t start. Being daft I don’t think about the fact that the starter engine isn’t even trying to start the damn bike and just go “Ah crap, I guess I did run out of fuel”. I knew the petrol station wasn’t that far away, so I just start pushing my bike there.
So there I am, in about 25 degrees heat, in full leathers, pushing my bike while sweating like a pig when all of a sudden I notice the killswitch is on… d’oh! So I jump on the bike and ride off to the petrol station feeling like a proper knob. :Whistling:
