broke down in Sturgis 9/28/11 6:12pm South Dakota time

[sherob]

Three of us rode to Sturgis this year from NC. 4200 miles in ten days and the only anal warts we ran into during the whole trip were on goldwings. My 08 was flawless! Great trip!

Oh, come on... are you sure... You meet the nicest people on Honda's.   

[yardboy]

Oh, come on... are you sure... You meet the nicest people on Honda's.   

Absolutely sure! Our group and several other riders were waiting for a truck and trailer to back out from some gas pumps in Newcastle, WY. The goldwings went around all of us, cut the truck and trailer off, and pulled up to the pumps. Thought there was going to be a brawl right there but calmer heads prevailed. I have found that ignorance and stupidity are not limited to one brand of motorcycle

[Shoe]

I am seriously considering a Goldwing as a second bike. I want to be first in line at the pump. Not for that reason of course.

[JS_racer]

what i did in iffy situations before my spring was replaced was leave the key to the right, this way it can come out and i can flick the switch with a spray can straw or something. never was too concerned about the key being able to come out cause its such a goofy design no one knows wtf it is.
just a thought if the switch sticks or gets iffy on a trip. most of my ride days are 450+ miles with several gas stops in the twisties. just don't have 100% faith in it.

[Supatramp]

what i did in iffy situations before my spring was replaced was leave the key to the right, this way it can come out and i can flick the switch with a spray can straw or something. never was too concerned about the key being able to come out cause its such a goofy design no one knows wtf it is.
just a thought if the switch sticks or gets iffy on a trip. most of my ride days are 450+ miles with several gas stops in the twisties. just don't have 100% faith in it.

I've been doing the same thing, but once it awhile I'll turn it off to the left. I'm still waiting to hear from the dealer. They have the replacement spring, but were waiting for the headlight knob upgrade. I'm bringing it to a dealer in RI, I don't have any faith in the NJ dealers. There's a beautiful shop five miles from me, but what a bunch of goons they hire.

[Supatramp]

I've been doing the same thing, but once it awhile I'll turn it off to the left. I'm still waiting to hear from the dealer. They have the replacement spring, but were waiting for the headlight knob upgrade. I'm bringing it to a dealer in RI, I don't have any faith in the NJ dealers. There's a beautiful shop five miles from me, but what a bunch of goons they hire.

Well, this caper has finally come to a great end. I brought Karli, up to Razee Motorcycle Center in North Kingston, RI. Forum member "BDF" had mentioned them to me when I first contacted him shortly after I limped back from out west.
I am still in awe, at Razee's handling of my ignition problem. This was the first time I'd ever placed a foot in the door, and they made me feel like I'd been a customer ever since I've been riding, which I believe is about how long they've been a dealer, somewhere in the late 60's. All of the Razee folks, that I met while I was there, had impressive backgrounds.
Pete, in warranty, took care of contacting Mama Kawa and getting the parts needed and an appointment at Razee. Pete, even straightened out, getting me the redesigned headlight knobs, which had been reported being done already.
I also got to meet Brain, BDF and enjoyed shooting the poop with him, while the repairs were being done.
You can bet, when I'm in the market for a new machine or in need of repairs, I'll be contacting Razee. They handle all the brands that are worth selling.

Here's Pete

[B.D.F.]

It was good to meet you also.

Glad to hear it worked out OK in the end. Too bad it is such a long way for you to travel though. I guess I am just spoiled by having them as a local dealer, especially after hearing some of the 'horror stories' posted here.

Brian

Well, this caper has finally come to a great end. I brought Karli, up to Razee Motorcycle Center in North Kingston, RI. Forum member "BDF" had mentioned them to me when I first contacted him shortly after I limped back from out west.
I am still in awe, at Razee's handling of my ignition problem. This was the first time I'd ever placed a foot in the door, and they made me feel like I'd been a customer ever since I've been riding, which I believe is about how long they've been a dealer, somewhere in the late 60's. All of the Razee folks, that I met while I was there, had impressive backgrounds.
Pete, in warranty, took care of contacting Mama Kawa and getting the parts needed and an appointment at Razee. Pete, even straightened out, getting me the redesigned headlight knobs, which had been reported being done already.
I also got to meet Brain, BDF and enjoyed shooting the poop with him, while the repairs were being done.
You can bet, when I'm in the market for a new machine or in need of repairs, I'll be contacting Razee. They handle all the brands that are worth selling.

Here's Pete

<snipped photos>

[Khrome]

That is awesome, it sure is good to know that there are still some dependable dealers with great customer service.  Kudos to BDF for pointing you their direction
Glad you got it all fixed up.

[VirginiaJim]

We really need a thread on dealerships to patronize...what do you guys think?

[Supatramp]

We really need a thread on dealerships to patronize...what do you guys think?

It would be worth, it's weight in gold. When I was stranded in Sturgis, I would have paid handsomely, for being pointed to a trustworthy dealer, in that area.
There's somewhat of that type thread on a Harley forum and some of the horror stories on it are amazing

[Supatramp]

It was good to meet you also.

Glad to hear it worked out OK in the end. Too bad it is such a long way for you to travel though. I guess I am just spoiled by having them as a local dealer, especially after hearing some of the 'horror stories' posted here.

Brian

It took me a little over four hours to get there, but I didn't come the traditional I95, which can be a nightmare. My concern was not having, the type "help", I've observed at local dealerships, working on my bike.
I satisfied that fear, meeting the folks at Razee.
Having mechanical problems, are bad enough. To have them 1800 miles from home was not a pleasant occurrence, so knowing it was in experienced hands, relieves me of that fear.
Thanks again, for hooking me up.

[maxtog]

We really need a thread on dealerships to patronize...what do you guys think?

I think it might be a really long and confusing thread unless it was summarized somehow in another locked thread...

[VirginiaJim]

It would not be in the normal C14 threads but in the Wiki for the C14 under General.  And you are right about getting overly wordy.  I don't think I would lock it but instead have the first post the summary and then the rest of it would be open to submissions.  Also, members with less than 25 posts would not be eligible to submit unless another long time member corroborates the submission.  I don't want dealers sneaking in here.  What do ya'll think?

[Conrad]

It would not be in the normal C14 threads but in the Wiki for the C14 under General.  And you are right about getting overly wordy.  I don't think I would lock it but instead have the first post the summary and then the rest of it would be open to submissions.  Also, members with less than 25 posts would not be eligible to submit unless another long time member corroborates the submission.  I don't want dealers sneaking in here.  What do ya'll think?

I think that it's a good idea.

[VirginiaJim]

It's done.  Let the nominations begin.

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=4936.0

[att2008vn]

The by-pass is a great temporary work- around and will work every single time for a stuck activation switch but is tough to do on the side of the road. It takes a little fairing removal, some wire splicing (ideally soldering) and then covering the soldered joints (again, ideally with shrink tubing). It is not really meant to be an emergency procedure. Then again, if you are stuck, I guess there is plenty of time to do whatever it takes to get going again. As you mentioned, you could just cut the wire and twist it together although there is not much wire length to work with there and it is about impossible to reach without taking at least the black fairing cover off.

Just to pass along a better understanding, this by- pass does not address the activation switch directly; those wires do not leave the ignition switch housing so they are not available to be cut, tapped into or anything else. The wire being cut is actually a CANBUS ground for the activation switch but it absolutely will do what is needed to get the activation switch and, especially, the entire bike up and running again.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder if the original poster can provide some info. about the bike that is stuck- what year, how many miles approximately, etc.

Brian

Hi Brian,

Could you help specify which wire color to be cut & twist to re-vive the ignition ??

at

[VirginiaJim]

You may want to look at this as well....

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=6976.0

And, I see you did..

[att2008vn]

Thanks Jim.

I m thinking of splicing the wire but dont know which wire to cut .  This morning i tried the green one but seems it s not the right one.

Hope somebody can point me to the right one

at

[VirginiaJim]

Well, for goodness sake, please hold off on cutting wires until you hear from someone who actually knows the wire in question....!

 

[B.D.F.]

I just saw this message.... Yep, the green one will do. If that does not activate the LCD screen then you have something else wrong with the bike.

Have you tried the 'dead fob battery' procedure?

Brian

Thanks Jim.

I m thinking of splicing the wire but dont know which wire to cut .  This morning i tried the green one but seems it s not the right one.

Hope somebody can point me to the right one

at