sorry we had to meet this way...

Hi All,

This is my first post and I'm sorry that it has to do with a problem rather than a general introduction.

My 2006 FE450 with approximately 74 hours and 2200kms seems to have developed an electrical issue. 2 days ago it just quit on me in the bush, and I diagnosed it to have no spark going to the spark plug. (I pulled the wire leading to the spark plug after I checked the spark plug) I checked all connections as best I could while roasting in the heat and did not find anything suspect. I disconnected the kill switch and then saw that I had a spark getting to the spark plug. Problem solved? No.

The bike fired up right away and I rode for about 15mins and then it died in the same manner. I went through the check for wires problems again but nothing showed a problem. I waited until things cooled down, and then it fired up right away, but I suspect the problem remains and I had a buddy run a rescue mission to get me out. The bike is now in the garage and awaits attention.

I have searched the forum and found a lot of info about stator problems, mostly to do with pre-2004 models. Does the above description sound like it is a stator problem: heating up until quitting, then cooling and allowing a temporary run? I am not electrical engineer, and if possible would like to narrow my diagnostics.

Some background which may help: I have never had a problem with my battery going flat until two rides prior to the breakdown, when it seemed to be discharging. Also, the bike has popped a couple of times, which it has never done before. I guess my next checks are the CDI and the coil?

Thanks for any assistance.

Pete

Thanks Berger.

I will change the plug to be on the safe side, and then go about checking the resistance values on stator. I think I saw those in "the Doc" or possibly the repair manual. Thanks for a quick reply. Will post again when I get further along. One more question: is it possible that something could have got wet to cause the failure? Since the bike started and ran for awhile a second and third time, probably not...but it was extremely wet a few days earlier, and then the bike was throroughly cleaned.

Pete

thanks for the help so far

Hi Gents,

Thanks for all the replies.
DaleEO you asked a question about where I disconnected the kill switch on the day of the failure: I followed the wires from the kill switch back to the frame, to the first connection and pulled that apart. Right after that, I had spark going to the sparkplug. But by this time, things could have cooled down enough that it was just good timing, and enough to get my hopes up.

I have not had time to check anything in detail on the bike yet, so I will have to leave you in suspense for a bit, due to a heavy work schedule (might be a week from now).

I will run through the diagnostics that you suggested, and post the results when I get them.

Cheers
Pete

dont know what i found

Update from when I last left off.

I got to spend some quality time trying to figure out the wiring on my bike and discovered that I have almost no knowledge of electrical stuff. I downloaded the repair manual and went through the electrical system.

My first stop was to check the kill switch. all that wiring looks perfect. Not rubbed through anywhere. Next I pulled the stator cover and checked continuity on all the posts. Yes there is continuity. But I don't know what to look for if there is a problem there and I am suspicious of one of the wired thingees that looks like it is coated in epoxy and has got very hot. I took a picture and I am trying to attach it for comment.
If the picture looks like a problem then I am hoping someone can let me know and I will either get the stator rewired, or purchase a new one.

I checked the ignition coil and got mixed results because it was so frickin hot in the shop that it was way past the 20degree celsius limit stated in the repair manual. This could be the problem I guess, because I could get a reading on the blue/white ignition wire to ground connection, but intermittent results on the ignition wire to blue/white wire ignition contact.

Then I put the bike back together and it fired right up, of course. What still remains is to test the stator when it is really hot if it quits again.
I pulled the starter relay and cleaned it thoroughly because the fuses and contact points were all really dirty.

That's it for now. I'm tired.

If I do manage to attach the pictures of the stator, have a look and tell me if this is a normal stator. No sign of water damage or corrosion whatsoever...

Oh yes one more thing that may or may not have anything to do with my problems. I had an HID light installed that is wired directly to the battery. I have only had to turn the light on a handful of times to get me off the trail in the near/total dark. The reason why it was wired to the battery is because the stator does not generate enough power to run the HID light. At least that is what I was told by the shop that installed the light. They said that my battery would slowly discharge when I used the light, but I have never had a flat battery until very recently and that was not due to running the light.

Once again, thanks for your time, comments and suggestions.

Cheers
Pete

the intermittent results for the coil check were: I got a reading for the blue/white wire connection to ignition wire only once, other than that I could not seem to make a connection. the blue/white wire connection to ground worked fine, but was outside the stated range. But it was way warmer than 30degrees, so that could be the reason why the reading was different.

I dont know what kind of HID was installed. I will check that to see what the power draw is.

I did not check the stator output, but will do so tonight.

thanks.

the saga continues

Ok, I checked the stator voltage (at the battery terminals) with the bike off: 12.1V: Checked the stator voltage at idle: 12.78 V, and it would increase to almost 13V if I revved it up. So with my limited knowledge I would say that the stator works, at least when the bike is cold? Does this sound right for my bike?

I took the bike for a rip after the test, and it cut out at 13 mins of trail riding. I pushed it awhile and it fired up after 45 mins of cool down, and I rode the snot out of it to get it back to my buddies place and leave it in the garage. It runs perfect when it runs.

This has got to be a temperature/time related issue does it not? I was hitting big bumps, turning, etc. throttling up and down, and when it cut out I was going straight with almost no bump when it died. I had started it and killed it with the switch at least 5 times prior to going for the extended ride.

The last thing I can think to check is to check the stator when it heats up and dies...

Honestly, I'm not a complainer, and I am getting bummed out with this problem and my lack of electrical skills. This might be the last update before I send the bike to a professional. There are a couple of Husaberg dealers in BC and I am going to call them tomorrow to see if they can help me out.

I pushed the bike for 1.7kms on a single track up and down trail according to the speedo, so at least I got some good exercise, and I fed a few hundred mosquitoes.

Satex, thanks for the offer of the CDI, I just might need it.

Pete

Hi All,

I'm back with some news about the electrical issue on my bike. I switched the ignition coil on my buddies 06 550 and I ran my bike in hot conditions and gave it a good workout for about 1.5 hours with no issues.

Knock on wood, that was the problem. As a final test I will put the "problematic" ignition coil in my buddy's bike and run it to see if develops the same problem that I was having.

I will report back with the results, but so far I am very happy to be riding again.

Thanks to everyone for chipping in and cheers to continued good riding!

Cheers
Pete