I ran into a problem this morning and need some help.
I ride my '99 stock (except the Yamaha petcock) bike every day to the train station. Rode home Wednesday night without any problems. Yesterday morning went to turn it on; heard a (not very loud) click and then all power goes out. No lights, horn or any other signs of life. Checked the fuses with a multimeter and got continuity. Tried again; no luck. Checked battery voltage, got reading over 12V. Left everything as is and went to work.
Came home at night and tried again (thinking some rest might have fixed the problem
) with no luck. Checked the battery voltage again; got 12V. Turned the ignition switch to On and the voltage went to zero. Meaning I have a short. Took the seat and fuel tank off and did a visual inspection for shorts; didn't see anything. Previous owner had the bike was on a farm so the wiring has dust caked everywhere.
Put the fuel tank back on (but left the seat off) and not expecting anything turn the key ON and all the lights came on. Tried starting but heard the click again and everything died. Again no signs of life. Took the tank off and looked for marginal or frayed wiring but couldn't find anything. Battery reading still goes to zero when the switch is turned on.
So, first question is: what made the click sound on the two occasions when I got the power, just before everything died?
Second, I guess I have to methodically test for voltage/shorts from point to point but need ideas on where to start checking.
The last time I did any work was back in November and the bike has been running quite well up until yesterday.
Any help will be great.
Sam