Breaker/Main Fuse

[General_Chaos]

Hi guys.

New to this forum / new to this site. At 36 years old (and having left new york after 32 years of dealing with abysmally terrible drivers) I finally bought a motorcycle... something I've wanted for quite some time. #winning.

I ended up buying a 1993 Katana which I can tell already by the way it idles...needs the carbs cleaned. Previous owner was fairly up front about that along with the usual tune up.

However... I was idling it recently...shut it off... next day... go to start it an not even electrical comes on when the key is turned. Bike is in neutral, clutch pulled in...all the usual stuff (which I've only learned recently) is done. I know there is a mythical "main breaker switch" somewhere which evidently is usually the culprit for a "totally dead electrical system" though I have fuggin' idea where it is.

Any help with locating said breaker switch would be most appreciated as I suspect thats what happened. I know there is also a tip sensor that could possibly be responsible for that though not sure if that would kill electrical also!

That said, many thanks for the help in advance...and... greetings to any other Katana owners from Pittsburgh!

[92xjunker]

The breaker is just in front of the battery box on the right side. Push the red dot to reset. With that said, I think the clutch switch at the hand control is most likely the issue. Jump the wires the verify.

[General_Chaos]

Thanks much!

I got to the bottom of it. Low battery voltage. 5.6 volts...is not 12 volts lol. You would think (having been told that) I'd have actually used the multi meter before trying to start resetting breakers, etc.

Thanks very much for the quick reply. Also, with the exception of the Viking brand which works like a charm... Harbor Freight battery chargers are friggin terrible.

The big project with that bike is going to be the much spoken of carb cleaning... coming soon. Trying to decide if I feel mechanically inclined enough to do so. I've done work on outboards (modern EFI and cars) but not a bike...

Thanks again for the quick reply and I know the clutch there is a way to bypass but given the bike is so perfectly stock from 1993 I kind of want to leave it that way lol.

[92xjunker]

A carb is a carb..... not hard at all, just time consuming. Rule of thumb here "when you think they are clean enough, do it again"

[General_Chaos]

I know even with EFI / HPDI outboards the ethonol is really an issue. There are a bazillion off the shelf fuel treatment products for them but evidently like only two work. Would I be correct in making the analysis that ethonol is the primary cause of like 90 percent of the bike engine problems on this forum (carb related)?

If so, rather than playing "fuel treatment mad scientist"... can you recommend one that has been proven to at least somewhat make a difference?

Thanks again!

[92xjunker]

GB fuel system cleaner is rated the best then REDLINE fuel system cleaner. I use REDLINE synthetic fuel system cleaner in my bike and the Benz. As for ethanol stabilizer, Stabil marine is great.

[General_Chaos]

Ill give the RedLine a try. I know there is the "possibility" that the fuel cleaner stuff can fix a low idle problem. Obviously the pilot jets are the cause as the rest of the RPM range...if you can blip the throttle up past like 4000 is just fine and nice and responsive.

Given that I know the cubed root of jack squat about bikes (actually riding them), Id rather err on the side of caution and get the carbs done properly. Other than that and what I've discovered to be a battery that just wont hold a charge... said bike is in great shape. If thats all I have to do to get it running properly I'm calling this buy a win.

Thanks again for all your help. Very glad to have joined Katriders. I've been told a 750 is a "bit much" for a first bike but... in the words of Jeremy Clarkson from top gear... "speed and power solve many things"... therefore the more of it...the better lol.

[Kreylyn]

If you are going to swap batteries, I'd suggest considering a Lithium replacement. Yes, higher initial investment, but seriously major improvement.

http://www.bikebandit.com/blog/post/lithium-motorcycle-batteries

I pulled one of my Kats out yesterday after sitting 6 mo... it started right up. No tender. Never got more than 30 days on an acid batt before.

Krey

[92xjunker]

+1. Word of advice, get a charger for it that does not have desulfurization. My charger didn't say it had it but, It blew up a new expensive battery. I now have a shoria lithium battery and the shoria lithium charger.

[General_Chaos]

Sitrep

Evidently AGM batteries do not charge like other batteries. Despite actually / specifically buying a charger that "charges AGM batteries"... evidently once the voltage gets below 10.5... its a whole different story. Rather than buy a new battery (the one I have less than a year old)...its time to try the "hook up a charger in parallel with a fully charged 12V" and see what happens. Evidently nearly all battery chargers need to "see" a better than 10v readout to actually charge a battery... which thereby makes most battery chargers about as useful as screen doors on a submarine transporting green golf balls...

The good news is that the electrical system on said bike is just fine thankfully.

Im wondering if the benefits of the AGM batteries are worth it compare to conventional flooded cell batteries. The lithium batteries look awesome but are a bit pricey admittedly. Ill buy one of those when said bike idles properly lol.

I have to say, I can already tell this site is going to be a really valuable resource. Great stuff.