Author Topic: G5 UCE acting up..  (Read 24291 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

ROVERMAN

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,177
  • Karma: 0
Reply #30 on: April 19, 2011, 01:30:35 pm
Sorry SB i missed your reply,too busy trying to fix Land Rovers/Jag's! Yeah you hit that bugger of a nail right on it's head! ::) ::) ::)
Robert & REnfield.


nigelogston@gmail.com

  • Bulleteer
  • ***
  • Posts: 243
  • Karma: 0
Reply #31 on: April 19, 2011, 06:10:37 pm
Following all this with interest.  I have remarked earlier (and SB seems to verify my perception) that the machanicals of the RE are far more hardy than the electicals ----I still think vibration of an unbalnced single a may play havoc with small wires and connections,----and that the on board diagnostics are only really useful with intact wiring. As has also pointed out, when stranded these aren't road side fixes , especially for the electronically naive.  All of which leads me to the conclusion that RE needs to rethink their wiring harness, upgrade wire calibres. put in qualty control steps to check routing for "pinch points" possibly add protective sleeves to protect wiring at susceptable areas   , better beefed up  connectors, factory soldered splices ,  possibly even plan in redundancy in wirng paths IF they want to gain the reuputation for reliability and longevity that Siddhartha Lal says they aspire too.  Make the Bullet "Bulllet Proof"  and it will sell like hotcakes. It has so much going for it besides the cool factor, and so much effort has been make to assemble the right bits and pieces (which by all accounts they have done) , these would be VERY CHEAP AND COST EFFECTIVE FACTORY MEASURES to protect their investment.  The devil is in the details.  How do we feed back this valuable "field testing" information to the manufacturer?  And if electricls are plagueing the bikes here on good roads in a dry climate, what the heck is happening in India with bad roads and monsoons?   Nigel


GreenMachine

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,155
  • Karma: 0
Reply #32 on: April 19, 2011, 06:28:54 pm
can't argue your points on the electrics...In the backwater of India, their is always someone available to piecemeal it back and get u on your way...That doesn't mean it will be a better fix than what u are alluring too....Vibtration and pounding isn't a good mix for any eletrical or electronic devices and their associated  infrastructure...I accept the karma of the situation and wait my turn into the unknown prevailing winds...
Oh Magoo you done it again


Ducati Scotty

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 7,038
  • Karma: 0
  • 2010 Teal C5
Reply #33 on: April 19, 2011, 06:37:04 pm
In the meantime, inspect your own harness for pinch points and re-route as needed.  On the C5 there's one at the rear of the tanks where it crosses a gold bracket.  Also, get some di-electric grease for the connectors to help prevent corrosion.  The RE is a great bike but requires a little polish and TLC after it leaves the factory to finish it.

Scott


clubman

  • Grease Monkey
  • ****
  • Posts: 300
  • Karma: 0
Reply #34 on: April 19, 2011, 08:38:32 pm
Following all this with interest.  I have remarked earlier (and SB seems to verify my perception) that the machanicals of the RE are far more hardy than the electicals ----I still think vibration of an unbalnced single a may play havoc with small wires and connections,----and that the on board diagnostics are only really useful with intact wiring. As has also pointed out, when stranded these aren't road side fixes , especially for the electronically naive.  All of which leads me to the conclusion that RE needs to rethink their wiring harness, upgrade wire calibres. put in qualty control steps to check routing for "pinch points" possibly add protective sleeves to protect wiring at susceptable areas   , better beefed up  connectors, factory soldered splices ,  possibly even plan in redundancy in wirng paths IF they want to gain the reuputation for reliability and longevity that Siddhartha Lal says they aspire too.  Make the Bullet "Bulllet Proof"  and it will sell like hotcakes. It has so much going for it besides the cool factor, and so much effort has been make to assemble the right bits and pieces (which by all accounts they have done) , these would be VERY CHEAP AND COST EFFECTIVE FACTORY MEASURES to protect their investment.  The devil is in the details.  How do we feed back this valuable "field testing" information to the manufacturer?  And if electricls are plagueing the bikes here on good roads in a dry climate, what the heck is happening in India with bad roads and monsoons?   Nigel

Brilliant post, Nigel, you said it all. Let's hope this board is monitored by those that can change things and I would think that it is. In two years of following this board I am hard pushed to think of a single mechanical failure other than the recent post of WillW which is as yet not concluded. On the other hand there have been numerous non starts until the headlamp wires were jiggled, the sidestand switch cleaned, (better still disabled), the starter relay hit with a hammer and on and on they go. Minor in the grand scheme of things, incredibly irritating when you just want to be going somewhere. Nylon threads on the battery clamps plus everything else you list: very cheap and cost effective to fix - spot on!


singhg5

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,785
  • Karma: 0
Reply #35 on: April 20, 2011, 12:02:49 am
Brilliant post, Nigel, you said it all. Let's hope this board is monitored by those that can change things and I would think that it is. In two years of following this board I am hard pushed to think of a single mechanical failure other than the recent post of WillW which is as yet not concluded. On the other hand there have been numerous non starts until the headlamp wires were jiggled, the sidestand switch cleaned, (better still disabled), the starter relay hit with a hammer and on and on they go. Minor in the grand scheme of things, incredibly irritating when you just want to be going somewhere. Nylon threads on the battery clamps plus everything else you list: very cheap and cost effective to fix - spot on!

For the most part, the export bikes (US, UK etc) have done quite well. There were a few mechanical issues that occurred early on. These include - 1) a few cases of frame-related instability of C5s in US and also in India;  2)  sprag breakdowns in UK and more so in India.  In both these situations, RE India responded to eliminate the root cause of the problems. They took care of frame issues of C5 and introduced new sturdier sprags in the latter bikes.

The more recent electrical wiring problems have started to come up with the passage of time. If RE India is made aware of these issues and given some simple ideas to fix them, they can implement these suggestions to make bikes more reliable. The US and UK importers of these bikes can easily convey these issues to RE India for proper solutions.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2011, 12:08:00 am by singhg5 »
1970's Jawa /  Yezdi
2006 Honda Nighthawk
2009 Royal Enfield Black G5


clubman

  • Grease Monkey
  • ****
  • Posts: 300
  • Karma: 0
Reply #36 on: April 20, 2011, 08:56:06 am
You are absolutely right, Singh, and having had two sprag clutches replaced myself I should have known better!  :) Somehow, my definition of mechanical failure had narrowed to valve train, bore and bottom end. But, as you say, RE responded to that with an upgrade and let's hope it's sorted. I've only done a couple of thousand miles with the new part so I'm not willing to say yet but fingers crossed.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2011, 08:58:33 am by clubman »


nigelogston@gmail.com

  • Bulleteer
  • ***
  • Posts: 243
  • Karma: 0
Reply #37 on: April 20, 2011, 11:33:57 am
Gentlemen:   I ask this without reference to a bike to look at, so bear with me if the question seems stupid.    The smaller  wires that are commonly breaking, (neutral light indicator, side stand safety shut off switch are two that come to mind)   Are these single strand core or multistrand braided wires, copper or aluminium, and where in general with respect to their points of fixation do they break  -near one end or the the other, in the middle  where they turn sharp angles to emerge from under a casing or navigate a corner, etc,  or at a point of friction with some "hard" part -frame or other metal part.? 
  I know there have also been battery ground cable failures -are these at the point of fixation of the braided rope cable to the terminal lug?   And is the main wiring harness a flat automotive type wiring setup with conductive elements running side by side in a flexible flat ribbon, or is it a round profile running the length of the bike?  If found, cloth wrapped or plastic molded?   The answers to these questions may point the way to some very simple solutions.     Another thought I keep coming to is that wires (especially single strand) , or any structure for that mater, tend to break (under repeated cycles of movement) at the points of junction between fixed and mobile segments, or also at points where the calibre changes.  Tapered sleeves of rubber molding to support the wires where they take off from a point of fixation may help disperse the flexing forces caused by vibration and spread it out over a longer segment of the wire leading to reduced likelihood of failure.  The standard kinds of wiring and attachment used in stationary appliances clearly wont stand up to road bumps and especially not to the constant vibration of a single cylinder motorcycle. over time.  Nigel


GreenMachine

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,155
  • Karma: 0
Reply #38 on: April 20, 2011, 03:22:47 pm
nigel: good point..i haven't notice but then again I haven't experienced what some of u guys have had to put up with..I did notice when I took off my taillight that the wiring although working looked bodged up and I'm going to assume that most of the wiring is done in a similiar manner,,,u would think they used a multistrand copper wire that would hold up to the 1 cylinder pounding that the enfield produces...Obviously a single strand solid  wire would be a recipe for disaster...Alot of the problems may not even be the wire itself but as u have suggested the human element of puttting it together and the extra care of tidying, leaving enough in place to stretch properly. clearance issues, heat shrinking ends and connections...proper solder joints/cable connections, etc......sure a size up on gauge would be nice too. now u have afraid to look inside back behind my torch....i hear that's a rat nest....
Oh Magoo you done it again


olhogrider

  • Classic 350 Desert Sand
  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,882
  • Karma: 1
  • Blue Ridge Mountains of NC
Reply #39 on: April 20, 2011, 05:19:18 pm
I took mine in yesterday for some warranty issues. The main one was the battery cable/solenoid assembly. It was replaced by a completely different piece. I think this is the "upgrade". It sure is beefier looking. Someone is listening.

Dan


GreenMachine

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,155
  • Karma: 0
Reply #40 on: April 20, 2011, 11:23:38 pm
sounds like u have a dealer who has his head screwed on and see this as a new opportunity to get into something different...
Oh Magoo you done it again


motorat

  • Grease Monkey
  • ****
  • Posts: 485
  • Karma: 0
Reply #41 on: April 21, 2011, 12:20:39 am
i'm still looking at the RE. the points nigel brings up are valid. i have a KLR650 that is neither a very refined machine or one that is not subjected to vibrations. i have had no electrical (or any other) issues with the bike in 3 years and 22000 miles. is the supplier for the RE wiring delievering a sub-standard product to india for the sake of saving a few dollars. or are these problems just magnified because the rest of the bike performes so well.
Joe
08 dl650abs
 c5 military


singhg5

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,785
  • Karma: 0
Reply #42 on: April 21, 2011, 12:28:48 am
I took mine in yesterday for some warranty issues. The main one was the battery cable/solenoid assembly. It was replaced by a completely different piece. I think this is the "upgrade". It sure is beefier looking. Someone is listening.

Dan:

What does it look like - need a picture. Can you post it so I can see what it looks like ?  And also if you know anything about how is it different internally or voltage ?
1970's Jawa /  Yezdi
2006 Honda Nighthawk
2009 Royal Enfield Black G5


olhogrider

  • Classic 350 Desert Sand
  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,882
  • Karma: 1
  • Blue Ridge Mountains of NC
Reply #43 on: April 21, 2011, 02:32:29 am
It is a separate relay with cables bolted to it. Standard bullet connector the part I soldered. It is pretty well hidden. Hope these help.


Ducati Scotty

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 7,038
  • Karma: 0
  • 2010 Teal C5
Reply #44 on: April 21, 2011, 03:32:46 pm
I took mine in yesterday for some warranty issues. The main one was the battery cable/solenoid assembly. It was replaced by a completely different piece. I think this is the "upgrade". It sure is beefier looking. Someone is listening.

Dan

Dan, any idea what part number or warranty number?  Just looking to get some reference for my mechanic since I've either got a solenoid or battery issue and we're leaning toward solenoid right now.

Thanks,

Scott