Motorcycle Electric Trap Detection
The reasons for the electrical failure are not clear if we do not control the presence, absence or impossibility of current flow. And as practice shows, most of the problems arise due to the oxidation of contacts.
Difficult level: easily
Equipment
– Pilot light (about 5 euros).
- Electric wire and two small alligator clips to make a shunt.
- An electronic control multimeter with a digital display, from 20 to 25 euros.
– Small wire brush, sandpaper or sandpaper, or a Scotch Brite disc.
– Refer to your owner's manual or Revue Moto Technique for the wiring diagram for your motorcycle.
Etiquette
Ignore where the fuse box is on your motorcycle or check for a blown fuse when part of the electrical circuit is no longer working. In addition, many motorcycles have a common fuse on the starter relay. If he lets go, nothing else will work on the bike. You know better where it is.
1- Take the modeling lamp
A modeling light is the simplest tool for detecting the passage of an electric current or its failure. A good commercial indicator has a ferrule at one end protected by a screw cap and a wire fitted with a small clip at the other end (photo 1a, below). It is easy to make a signal lamp on your own by reworking, for example, an old indicator or buying, as in our example (photo 1 b, opposite), a car dashboard lighting lamp. This lamp is designed to be connected to the cigarette lighter. You just need to remove this plug and replace it with two small alligator clips, one for "+" and one for "-". This lamp has another use: it lights up when you are fiddling around in half-light while connected to a motorcycle battery.
2- Bypass, turn on the indicator light
The word "shunt" is defined in a French dictionary, but it is an Anglicism derived from the verb "shunt" which means "to extract". Therefore, the shunt is a derivative of the electric current. To make a shunt, an electrical wire is fitted with small alligator clips at each of its ends (photo 2a, below). The bypass becomes a connection when used as a control device. In the case of a shunt, the indicator light can, in particular, be powered by an electric battery (photo 2b, opposite). Thus, it is possible to control the flow of current in an electrical circuit or in a disconnected consumer without using electricity from the battery. A self-powered indicator lets you know if current is flowing in a device or a wire, as well as whether they are well insulated.
3- Rousez and piquancy
It can sometimes be difficult to check for current if there is no removable connection next to the problem. The trick is simple: determine the color of the wire to be monitored from your motorcycle's electrical plan (owner's manual or technical review) and stick the needle through the sheath until it crosses the insulation and reaches the core of the copper wire. Then you can check the presence or absence of current with the indicator light.
4- Test with a multimeter
With the help of an electronic multimeter tester (photo 4a, below), a much more complete check can be carried out. This device performs several functions: measuring voltage in volts, current in amperes, resistance in ohms, diode health. For example, to check the voltage on the battery (photo 4b, opposite), the multimeter's setting button is placed on V (volts) DC. Its symbol is a horizontal line with three small dots aligned at the bottom. The AC symbol looks like a horizontal sine wave next to V. Connect the plus (red) of the multimeter to the plus of the battery, the minus (black) to the minus of the battery. A multimeter mounted on an ohmmeter (the Greek letter omega on the dial) allows you to measure the resistance of a control element, an electrical consumer, or a winding such as a high voltage coil or alternator. Its measurement, which is almost zero with a good conductor, shows a value of several ohms in the presence of winding resistance or contact oxidation.
5- Clean, scrape off with a brush
All motorcycles use the frame and the motor as a conductor of electricity, the “negative” terminal of the battery is connected to it, or is called “to ground”. So the electrons can go through ground to power lamps, horns, relays, boxes, etc., and through the control wire to transfer their energy between plus and minus. Most electrical problems are due to oxidation. In fact, metals are good conductors of electricity, but their oxides are very poor, practically insulating at 12 volts. With aging and moisture, oxidation acts on the contacts, and the current passes poorly or no longer passes. An oxidized compound is easy to detect by checking it with a test lamp. Then it is enough to clean, scrape, sand both the base of the lamp (photo 5a, below) and the contacts in the holder in which the lamp is located (photo 5b, below). The most striking and spectacular example is the oxidation of contacts on the battery terminals. Because the starter motor is a very large consumer of power at start-up and oxidation causing resistance to good current flow, the starter motor does not receive its dose and remains quiet. It is enough to clean the battery terminals (photo 5c, on the contrary).
