2007 YAMAHA FJR1300 Electrical System Problems

I WAS RIDING HOME FROM WORK IN THE DARK ON MY 2007 YAMAHA FJR1300 MOTORCYCLE ON A UNLIT, CURVY, RURAL ROAD WHEN BOTH MY HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY DIED. ALTHOUGH I WAS ABLE TO AVOID CRASHING, THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. I AM A 30 YEAR EXPERIENCED AUTO/MOTORCYCLE MECHANIC AND CERTIFIED AS AN AIRCRAFT MECHANIC, SO I TROUBLESHOT AND FOUND THE HEADLIGHT FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY AN OVERHEATED/BURNED GROUNDING CONNECTOR LOCATED IN THE WIRING HARNESS ABOVE THE LEFT HEADLIGHT SHELL (BURNT CONNECTOR AND/OR PHOTO AVAILABLE ON REQUEST). BECAUSE THE CONNECTOR WAS NO LONGER USEABLE, I CUT THE CONNECTOR OFF AND SOLDERED ALL THE WIRES TOGETHER TO RESTORE THE GROUND PATH FOR THE HEADLIGHTS. AS OF TODAY, WITH 52,000 MILES ON THE MOTORCYCLE, THERE HAVE BEEN NO ADDITIONAL FAILURES OF THE HEADLIGHTS. I HASTEN TO ADD THAT THIS FAILURE IS UNRELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN # 11V-338, WHICH ADDRESSES A FAILURE OF A GROUNDING CONNECTOR UNDER THE FUEL TANK ON THE MOTORCYCLE. AS A VERY ACTIVE MEMBER IN THE ONLINE YAMAHA FJR1300 OWNERS COMMUNITY AT WWW.FJRFORUM.COM, I AM VERY IN TUNE WITH ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THIS MOTORCYCLE AND WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ASSIST IN AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT. *KB

Mileage: 32,328

ELECTRICAL FAILURE DUE TO AN INADEQUATE GROUND WIRE SYSTEM. *TR

Mileage: 12,000

2007 FJR1300AE GROUNDING HARNESS FIRED AT CONNECTOR S4. A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON THESE MOTORCYCLES. ONCE THIS HAPPENS THE BIKE GOES DEAD AND IS UNRIDEABLE AS THE ENTIRE GROUNDING SYSTEM IS SHOT. VERY DANGEROUS TO HAVE HAPPEN AT SPEED. I HAD TO INSTALL AN AFTERMARKET GROUNDING HARNESS TO ALLEVIATE THE AMOUNT OF VOLTAGE RUNNING THROUGH THE ORIGINAL SYSTEM. I ALSO NEEDED TO CLEAN UP THE EXISTING GROUND SPIDERS AND REWIRE A FEW CONNECTIONS. *TR

THE ENGINE QUIT, AND EVERYTHING WENT DEAD EXCEPT FOR THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, WHERE EVERY LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE FUEL LEVEL LCD STARTED FLASHING. TURNING THE IGNITION OFF AND TAKING THE KEY OUT DID NOTHING. EVERYTHING STAYED LIT UP. THEN A FEW MINUTES LATER, EVERYTHING TURNED OFF, AND I WAS ABLE TO RE-INSERT THE KEY, AND START HER RIGHT UP. THIS HAPPENED IN TRAFFIC DURING A NORMAL COMMUTE, ON TWO OCCASIONS WITHIN 24 HOURS. IT WAS EASILY REPRODUCIBLE BY INSERTING THE KEY TURNING THE BIKE ON, AND REPEATING A FEW TIMES UNTIL IT RE-OCCURRED. AT THE SHOP, THEY DISCOVERED THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS HAD BEEN IMPROPERLY GROUNDED, CAUSING A SHORT THAT RESULTED IN SYSTEM-WIDE DISABLING OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. *TR

Mileage: 34,000

2007 YAMAHA FJR-1300. ENGINE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY DIE AND WOULD NOT RE-START. ALONG WITH THIS, ALL LIGHTING I.E. HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS WOULD GO OUT. UPON INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE, I FOUND FAULTY ELECTRICAL GROUNDING "SPIDERS". I AM IN THE PROCESS OF INSTALLING AN AFTERMARKET GROUNDING LOOM AS A FIX TO THIS PROBLEM THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DEADLY ISSUE AS THE BIKE DIES AND ALL THE LIGHTS ARE OUT. *TR

Mileage: 27,000

I HAVE A 2007 YAMAHA FJR 1300 MOTORCYCLE THAT HAS GROUND SPIDER FAILURE. I FIRST EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM IN JUNE WHILE ON A RIDE FROM SAN DIEGO TO OREGON. THE CIRCUIT WITH MY RUNNING LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS WENT OUT. THE FUSE BURNED AND IT WOULD NOT ACCEPT A NEW FUSE WITHOUT BURNING IT OUT. IT STARTED WORKING CORRECTLY AGAIN ON ITS OWN AND WE FINISHED OUR TRIP. I RODE A FEW TIMES AFTER THAT THEN PARKED IT DURING THE SUMMER HEAT TO DO MAINTENANCE. THE BIKE WAS DOWN FOR A FEW MONTHS WHILE I WAS BUSY AT WORK AND I JUST FINISHED MAINTENANCE THIS WEEK AFTER TWO MONTHS. ON MY TEST RIDE I NOTICED THE RUNNING LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS WERE OFF. I CHECKED THE FUSE FOR THAT CIRCUIT AND IT WAS BLOWN. I THEN DECIDED TO CHECK THE GROUND SPIDERS SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTED FAILURES ON THE FJRFORUM.COM DISCUSSION BOARD. I FOUND A BURNED GROUND SPIDER AND WIRES. *TR

Mileage: 54,000

2007 YAMAHA MOTOR CYCLE MODEL # FJR1300A. ENGINE CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AND WILL NOT RESTART. FAULTY GROUND WIRING HARNESS SPYDER CONNECTIONS. *TR

Mileage: 18,933

THE VEHICLE, A 2007 YAMAHA FJR1300 MOTORCYCLE, INSTANTLY LOST ALL POWER, THE ENGINE QUIT AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WENT DEAD, LEAVING ME WITH NO WAY TO SIGNAL MY NEED TO MOVE OFF OF THE ROADWAY IMMEDIATELY. WITHIN THE FIVE MINUTES PRIOR TO THIS, THE ENGINE SPUTTERED TWICE, MOMENTARILY. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A CORRODED ELECTRICAL CONNECTION UNDER THE FRONT LEFT OF THE FUEL TANK AND WAS REPLACED. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED WITH HELP FROM POSTS ON FJRFORUM.COM CONTAINING NUMEROUS REPORTS OF SIMILAR OCCURRENCES. *TR

Mileage: 38,600

INTERMITTENT STALLING AND ERRATIC,RANDOM ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS LEADING UP TO A NO RUN CONDITION. WITH INFORMATION LEARNED FROM OTHER MOTORCYCLE OWNERS OF THIS SAME MAKE AND MODEL MOTORCYCLE WHO HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM,DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED BURNED WIRING HARNESS GROUND SPIDER CONNECTION. BURNED SECTION CUT OFF AND DISCARDED. *TR

Mileage: 12,500

VEHICLE WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. PULLED INTO PARKING LOT AND VEHICLE STALLED AS IT WAS BEING PARKED. WOULD NOT RESTART. SEVERAL INDICATOR LIGHTS WERE LIT ON THE DASHBOARD SIMULTANEOUSLY. SUSPECTED A DEAD SHORT IN ELECTRIC SYSTEM. SEVEN KNOWN GROUND BLOCKS IN THE WIRING HARNESS WERE EXAMINED AND DETECTED SHORT CIRCUIT AND OVERHEATED TERMINALS IN S4 GROUND BLOCK. ATTEMPTED TO JUMPER THE BLOCK TO A FRAME GROUND POINT AND THAT RESULTED IN A SUCCESSFUL RESTART OF THE ENGINE, HOWEVER THE JUMPER WAS ONLY TEMPORARY COULD NOT BE PERMANENTLY ATTACHED, AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. HAD GROUND BLOCK FAILED A FEW MINUTES EARLIER THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE CRASHED. *TR

Mileage: 38,000

STARTING IN MID 2009, THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2007 YAMAHA FJR1300A MOTORCYCLE WOULD OCCASIONALLY FLICKER OFF AND ON. ON DECEMBER 21ST, 2009 THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE RIDING HOME FROM WORK IN THE DARK! PROBLEM WAS FOUND TO BE A GROUNDING CONNECTION ABOVE THE LEFT HEADLIGHT THAT HAD CORRODED AND OVERHEATED THE CONNECTOR AND SPIDER INSERT. THE FAULTY CONNECTOR WAS REMOVED AND THE WIRES WERE SOLDERED TOGETHER TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

Mileage: 32,328