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'05 R1200RT Random Shutoff/Restart & Fail to Start


St0nkingByte

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St0nkingByte

Hi guys,

 

I've been riding my 2005 R1200RT as my daily commuter for almost 12 years now. Until three years ago it was practically my only vehicle (well my wife owned two cars) that I went practically everywhere on. More recently it’s become mostly a commuter with a few longer trips but not as many as I would like.

 

The bike has 92K miles on it now and over the last few months I've started to have a problem where sometimes when I turn the ignition to the on position the bike just doesn’t come on. Meaning it doesn’t boot up. More recently, I had a few fun incidents where it would just shut off in traffic, like I had turned the key to off. Usually it would come back to life and I could just hit the starter and go but twice it was completely dead and I had to pull over and a wait a few minutes before it would come on again.

 

I investigated a bunch of stuff, pulled all my plastics, checked my wiring, shorted out the kickstand switch, wiggled the ignition switch while it was on, etc. etc. and couldn’t find a problem. Finally, I realized it was a little hard to start and hey my battery is six years old so I replaced it. Since then its largely been more reliable but still it sometimes won’t come on when I turn the key to on and yesterday it ‘rebooted’ in traffic again on my way home from work.

 

If I could find a pattern that would recreate this problem I’d be happy to take it to the dealer and pay to get it fixed but I’m reluctant to go when it so seemingly random and I can’t recreate the problem reliably.

 

Has anyone seen this type of issue, is there a fix you could suggest or something I else I can check?

 

Thanks in advance for any hints!

 

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Hi guys,

 

I've been riding my 2005 R1200RT as my daily commuter for almost 12 years now. Until three years ago it was practically my only vehicle (well my wife owned two cars) that I went practically everywhere on. More recently it’s become mostly a commuter with a few longer trips but not as many as I would like.

 

The bike has 92K miles on it now and over the last few months I've started to have a problem where sometimes when I turn the ignition to the on position the bike just doesn’t come on. Meaning it doesn’t boot up. More recently, I had a few fun incidents where it would just shut off in traffic, like I had turned the key to off. Usually it would come back to life and I could just hit the starter and go but twice it was completely dead and I had to pull over and a wait a few minutes before it would come on again.

 

I investigated a bunch of stuff, pulled all my plastics, checked my wiring, shorted out the kickstand switch, wiggled the ignition switch while it was on, etc. etc. and couldn’t find a problem. Finally, I realized it was a little hard to start and hey my battery is six years old so I replaced it. Since then its largely been more reliable but still it sometimes won’t come on when I turn the key to on and yesterday it ‘rebooted’ in traffic again on my way home from work.

 

If I could find a pattern that would recreate this problem I’d be happy to take it to the dealer and pay to get it fixed but I’m reluctant to go when it so seemingly random and I can’t recreate the problem reliably.

 

Has anyone seen this type of issue, is there a fix you could suggest or something I else I can check?

 

Thanks in advance for any hints!

 

Afternoon St0nkingByte

 

Until we know EVERYTHING that quits we are just in the guessing mode.

 

My first guess would be an ignition switch acting up. It could also be a battery cable connection but your new battery install should have eliminated that.

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St0nkingByte

Thanks for the reply.

 

To be clear I can turn the key to the on position and nothing happens but let it sit, without touching the bike at all, and maybe within a minute or less it will boot up.

 

I have turned the key to the on position and while it is on given the key a really hard shake to see if it would cause it to cut out and turn off the bike but that hasn't happened.

 

I will recheck my battery cable connections but as you mentioned with the recent change I'm fairly certain it is well secured.

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Check that the ground cable is tight at battery end and that it is well secured at the grounding point.Same for positive side.

 

Realize you have done head shake test,but there have been known issues with wiring failues/shorting at the head tube area causing random shut offs,this requires really close inspection,undoing wire loom in that area.

 

Ignition switches have been known to fail.

 

JR356

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Thanks for the reply.

 

To be clear I can turn the key to the on position and nothing happens but let it sit, without touching the bike at all, and maybe within a minute or less it will boot up.

 

I have turned the key to the on position and while it is on given the key a really hard shake to see if it would cause it to cut out and turn off the bike but that hasn't happened.

 

I will recheck my battery cable connections but as you mentioned with the recent change I'm fairly certain it is well secured.

 

Morning St0nkingByte

 

Shaking the ignition key probably won't show/tell you much as the ignition switch is a well below the actual key cylinder.

 

Your problem sounds a lot like a failing ignition switch except for the "let it sit, without touching the bike at all, and maybe within a minute or less it will boot up". I suppose it c-o-u-l-d could but I haven't ever seen a failing ignition switch do that.

 

That is going to be a tough nut to crack unless you either luck into finding a loose cable or loose wire or rig up some test/verification lights to monitor certain key 12v power inputs.

 

So start by checking ALL the cable & wire connections that you can access.

 

In my many years I have seen a couple of batteries act like that (let it sit, without touching the bike at all, and maybe within a minute or less it will come alive)--but as a rule that doesn't cause a vehicle quit while moving.

 

If I were working on that problem & couldn't find a smoking gun loose connection, or a quit condition by vigorously shaking wire harnesses & cables then I would rig up 12v panel light mounted to the handlebars or dash in plain sight. There would be long wires with alligator clips coming form that 12v panel light.

 

 

Probably start by hooking those alligator clips to the battery (+) & (-) posts then verify that the light is lit when the problem is present. From there move the panel light (+) alligator clip (with small pin adapter) to the 12v output side of the ignition switch then see if it stays lit when problem is present.

 

Then from there to the computer power inputs etc. If nothing found on the 12v power side then probably go after the low (ground) side of computers.

 

It might take a while to find it but if persistent something should point a finger.

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St0nkingByte

Good advice, thanks all. I'll keep digging around and see what I can come up with. When I figure it out I'll make sure I report back with the results.

 

After being off this forum for so long I was kind of hoping to come back with this question and have you guys say something like 'Oh yeah your flux capacitor is bad they all do that after 90K' or something along those lines. ;)

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  • 9 months later...
St0nkingByte

And I'm back answering my own thread again.

 

It turned out the first answer was the right answer. It was the ignition switch. I've replaced it and the bike is 100% reliably starting again. Yay!

 

Thanks for the advice.

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Yep, I've had mine go out also. It was very frustrating. Hey, wait 'til your throttle bodies go out. Damhik.

Edited by longjohn
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