Dead M50

[Jonger]

I rde all day yesterday.. everything was fine. Came outside to ride it to work this morning and its 100% dead. Its like the battery was disconnected. Theres no way to drain the battery without the key, what could this be? Could it be the recall?

[MagnumForce]

It might be. Did you open the left panel in front of the gas tank to check for tightly bunched and possible frayed wires? Get that bike to the dealer ASAP. This should be a possible recall, definitely a warranty job.

[Fishpart]

Did you leave the parking light on? That's a common mistake for most M50 riders.

[jpwM50]

I agree, and the 2006 models didn't have the recall.

[Firedog]

Originally Posted by Fishpart

Did you leave the parking light on? That's a common mistake for most M50 riders.

+1 - as you'll find in a couple of other threads, it's very easy, if you lock your forks, to put the key in "Park" instead of lock. The misleading thing is, the key will come out in that position!

[Jonger]

I didnt even know there was a parking like. The bike was completely black when I looked out my window at it about 10 minutes after riding.

I'm at work now, but when I get home I'll do all the checks. In the meanwhile I'm calling my dealer the minute they open and will explain it. The bike is under warrenty regardless. I just hope they pay to get it there. Do most dealerships pick up warrently bikes that are dead?

[Jonger]

I'm going to bring home a volt meter to check for that, because I did lock the fork and it was late. I was pretty tired from a 50 mile night ride, so its possible I left it on. The only odd thing is that there isnt even a single flicker of power. Wouldnt it have the slightess bit of response to a turn of the key, like a flicker maybe?


The fork was locked though, I checked it as always. Is it possible to pull the key out with it locked and in park? Can that small battery handle being jumped by a car battery? Shows how much of a noob I am.

Originally Posted by Firedog

+1 - as you'll find in a couple of other threads, it's very easy, if you lock your forks, to put the key in "Park" instead of lock. The misleading thing is, the key will come out in that position!

[Jonger]

http://motorcycles.about.com/library...ecalls077b.htm

Says its 2006 also... is that correct?

Originally Posted by jpwM50

I agree, and the 2006 models didn't have the recall.

[tequilasamurai]

Mine's a 2006 and had the recall work done.

[MagnumForce]

Yup, I do remember some 2006 bikes being affected. The M50 recall thread is stickied in the M50 hideaway for easy reference. Download the recall letter and check your VIN to see if it matches. Even if it doesn't, I would still advise checking your wires to ensure they aren't tightly bunched or frayed.

Regarding the parking lights, check to see if your ignition was turned all the way counterclockwise. If it was, you ignition was in the 'park' position. That means your tail light remained lit (other circuits may/may not be active) and may have drained your battery.

[blackie1491]

You can jump your bike with the car, just do not have the car running as there is more than enough juice in the car battery.

No power, causes;
1) wiring harness
2) drained battery
3)main fuse blown

[Jonger]

I'm really leaning towarded the Parking light situation. I have read a few people stating that the harness can cause the bike to die while driving or when started next time. I just don't think my bike has been used enough to have it fray the wires, could be wrong though. I had a really hard time getting the key to turn back into the plain off position. It must have been way far over and that was the cause.

First thing I'm going to do is check the battery and its voltage. If that doesnt work the next thing is going to be the wiring harness.

I'm taking it in for the recall no matter what.

[Firedog]

[quote=Jonger]I had a really hard time getting the key to turn back into the plain off position. It must have been way far over and that was the cause.QUOTE]
Just to throw in a bit more confusion for you..
I have noticed sometimes, turning my key from lock to off is difficult, but if I move the handlebars just slightly, I can move the key more easily. So, that could be the issue you're talking about there..

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by Jonger

I had a really hard time getting the key to turn back into the plain off position.

If it's really tight unlocking the handlebars, move the handlebars just a little bit and the key should free right up.

[Jonger]

It was the parking light. That will never happen again. I never even realized there was a seperate position on the ignition.

[MagnumForce]

Well, at least you found the culprit. Almost had that happen to me a few weeks after I got the M, but a neighbor was nice enough to warn me when he saw my tail light lit up.