Instrumets and side stand trading insults

[alfa4door]

Hello fellows,

I am a new member and a recent owner of a 1986 Venture Royal. I normally ride enduro bikes but I love long distance riding and I keep a cruiser for that, and this one is the best I have had so far.

 

Usual stuff as soon as I got it,

all fluids and filters,

stator had just been done,

4 brush starter,

battery cables,

resistor in the battery low fluid warning light trigger

very soon fuse box

and a general tune up.

 

The bike runs and rides great, all is as it should EXCEPT......

 

The side stand switch saga again. Ever since I got the bike the side stand warning would be always on. The behavior of the engine with regards to the side stand and its interlock with the clutch switch is normal. Side stand down engine starts in neutral only, Side stand up the engine starts in neutral or in gear if the clutch is pulled. This never changes, the bike is not experiencing any ignition troubles and any time and under any conditions.

 

The issue is the instrument panel.

The side stand warning light is always on

If the side stand is UP when the key in turned to ignition the computer does its usual routine of checks and off we go,

BUT, it the side stand is DOWN when the key is turned to ignition the computer will not come on line and it will not revive even when the side stand is raised. To reanimate this computer one must go back to OFF, side stand UP, key to ignition.

 

So fine, I read all I could on this great forum and

 

Refloated the solders, No change

Cleaned and verified the proper operation of the side stand switch, no change

Cleaned and verified the proper operation of the clutch switch, no change

Cleaned all pertinent connectors (and many more), no change

Shorted the the leads to the side stand switch, no change, but now I did not have to worry about the position of the side stand when I started the bike and its effects on the computer coming on line or not.

 

AND today I went for a ride, when I went back to the bike after a swim at the lake, no instruments any more.

 

All though this the bike works a treat. Just no computer and related instruments

 

I understand it like this. The side stand switch open when the side stand is up, this triggers the blue relay to switch on and connect both the ignition and the instrument panel to ground thereby activating them

 

If the switch works, and the connectors connect and the relay trigger to allow ground to the ignition without a fail (yet), why would it not ground the instrument panel as well, This is a special relay that works kind of in reverse than most others, but how can it have failed if the ignition comes on.

 

There must be something I am not looking at, I wonder about Diodes in the instrument panel as I had read a very fine post here about a clutch.. side stand interlock problem and its relation to these 2 (?) diodes, but I do not understand the reference,

 

What diodes? Where are they located? Any clue as to what is going on?

 

Andrea,

1986 1200 Royale

Edited July 1, 2013 by alfa4door

[bkuhr]

Does the horn work when you have instrument failure?

If not, I would suspect power problem on brown wire from key switch. Possibly in the switch itself.

If horn does work, then start chasing down all the ground connections in the front sub faring.

[alfa4door]

the horn does work al the while. I will look at the grounds

thanks, andrea

[alfa4door]

I sould add that it appears to me the problem manifest itself mostly when the bike is really hot. This morning I waled into the garage and the computer came on line right away.

If it is so then it is not a connection but more likely an eletronic componenent, they fail more readly when hot. I am right?