[mathewmerrin]

Hello guys, my CGT is acting funny lately. The whole ignition, speedometer, tell tale lights etc seems to go blank all of a sudden.

When I switch the ignition key back and forth the speedometer does light up, however if I press the engine kill switch on , thumb the starter, headlights etc it again dies on me.

The speedometer needle also acts weird, never happens when Im riding the bike.

I checked the fuse's, battery and I'm not able to pinpoint the exact cause.

Your help will be much appreciated as I use it daily to commute to work.

[gizzo]

No idea if this will help but if it were mine, I'd unmount the instrument pod, unscrew the back off it, unplug the wiring connector to the clocks and plug it back in again. Just in case it's a loose/dirty/whatever connector.
Might be a safer bet to ride the cb500 to work? 

[Guaire]

How’s the kill switch? It may be intermittently working?!

[mathewmerrin]

Thanks guys, I cleaned the battery terminals and the surrounding, wires near it.

I have noticed that the lights don't completely black out, in fact at night I noticed that the neutral light still glows very faintly.

Despite all my efforts the problem persists, pressing any switches make the speedometer to completely go blank, however the neutral light glows very faintly.

[Arizoni]

I haven't heard of a CGT having the problem but the C5's especially have a problem with the positive (+) wire that connects to the battery.

This has one large wire that goes to the starter solenoid to power the starter motor.
It also has one red smaller wire that connects to the large wire under a rubber cover.

More than a few have found this smaller wire which provides ALL of the electrical power to the ignition switch and subsequently to all of the things needed to make the bike run is either broken or disconnected right where below the wire connector lug.

I suggest peeling the rubber cover off of this connection and checking this small wire and its connection.
If nothing else, knowing it is in good shape and is not the cause of the problem will remove one more possible source from the puzzle.

[mattsz]

I haven't heard of a CGT having the problem but the C5's especially have a problem with the positive (+) wire that connects to the battery.

Not just the small positive wire, but the small negative wire, and also the actual metal connector at the battery for the negative wires (mine broke the OEM one and a "quality" NAPA replacement!) - all are prone to breakage.  The heat-shrink insulation can hold things together so it looks like nothing's wrong, and small amounts of current get through, but a big draw can shut everything down.  It happened to me - everything fine until I turned on the headlight, then nothing.

[mathewmerrin]

Hello guys, sorry for the late reply caught up with office work.

I checked and even cleaned all the wires you told around the battery. The issue has been resolved to an extent.

Now the lights, speedometer etc are working normally, even the Kill switch is fine, however the moment I press the self start everything just goes blank.

I switch the ignition key off and switch it back to ON and it lights up normally.

I have now resorted to not using the self start and kick start the bike. I again need your help in pinpointing the exact cause.

Between there is some round shaped metal like thing encased in rubber, to left of the battery which is rusted is it causing the issue.

[Arizoni]

If the round shaped metal like thing encased in rubber has a thick wire going to the + terminal on the battery and another thick wire going to the starter motor on the kick starter side it is the starter solenoid.  This is a electrical switch that is turned on by supplying electrical power thru a much thinner wire that is coming from the self start switch.  Many people call this starter solenoid a "starter relay" which is also a good name for it.

There are several things that can cause the problem you have.

Perhaps the easiest thing to check is the electric starter motor to see if it has an internal short in it.
To do this, disconnect the heavy wire coming from the starter solenoid (relay).  The connection is on the right hand end of the motor (on the kick starter lever side).

Make sure that the loosened and removed end of this wire is not touching the frame or the engine.  (Putting it inside a plastic bag will work).

Now, turn on the ignition switch and then poke the starter button.
You should hear a small "click" from the starter solenoid as it actuates but that is all that should happen.  You should still have full electrical power operating the headlights and speedometer.

If pushing the starter button causes a power loss, there is a electrical short in the wiring between the starter button switch and the starter solenoid.
You will need to find the place where the starter button wire is making electrical contact with the frame.
You do not need to check the wiring from the ignition switch to the starter button because if it were the source of the short it would be shorting all of the time whether the starter button was poked or it wasn't.

Lets say pushing the switch did little beyond making the starter solenoid click.

In that case, the starter motor is a possible source of the problem.

I would get some "jumper cables" like one would use to help start a car.
Connecting one of the heavy clamps to the + terminal on the battery, I would then touch the other end of that wire to the threaded terminal post on the starter motor where the thick solenoid wire had been connected. (Note:  Because the jumper cable has two wires, make sure the one connected to the battery terminal is the same one you use to touch the threaded terminal post.)

Some sparks will fly when contact is made but the starter motor should start running and cranking the engine.  If it does, the starter motor is not the problem.

If you get a REALLY BIG spark and the motor does not start running, immediately disconnect the battery cable from the threaded starter motor terminal. 
The starter motor has a short in it and it must be replaced.

[Arizoni]

Mathew:

You didn't mention how old your battery is. 
It's possible it is the source of the problem.

Batteries can develop an internal break in the connections between the cells.
Although the connection is broken it often can carry enough power to run things like your speedometer and parking lights but when it is forced to supply the large amount of power needed to run the starter motor the connection will break down and suddenly all of the power will be gone.
Turning everything off can allow the broken connection to once again provide enough power to run low power things until another demand for lots of power is made.

It might be a good idea to have your battery checked at a auto parts store, a battery store or motorcycle shop.  They have testing equipment that can demand a large amount of power to test to see if this broken connection condition exists.

[mathewmerrin]

Jim. Thanks man for being so informative and taking the time to explain everything in a detailed manner.

The solenoid on my GT was very badly rusted with the connectors also in bad shape from the battery acid, so I changed it with another from my friends GT. It works fine for now.

The RE service centre is pathetic here and they do not have the GT solenoid in stock, neither are they very keen to order one.

So can I use one from a classic 350 or 500.

The battery on my GT is 2 years old, stock Exide battery. It's a piece of junk very heavy, leaking acid all over.

I wanted to know whether I could fit a sealed battery, however 9amp is the the highest you can get here
if Amaron make. Is this advisable?

[Arizoni]

I don't know anything about Amaron batteries except they are sold in India.

A battery with a 9 Amp/Hour rating would be about 35% down on its sustained cranking power when compared with the 14 AH rating that comes on the UCE 500.

If you live in a warm/hot area and the temperature is above 50°F (10° C), the 9 AH battery should be OK for electric starts if it is always fully charged.  (Most batteries are seldom fully charged.)

If you kick start your GT, IMO, the 9 AH battery should be fine.