ironmike

Just a hunch... check your vent lines to the throttle bodies for the presence of raw fuel. If found, look to your presure regulator (on the end of the fuel rail). There's an internal diaphragm that keeps the fuel & vacuum seperated... if that is compromised, the vent lines will flood. See page 5-62 of the manual for vent line(s) diagram. I found this out the hard way... :icon_doh:

It may not be that significant in our 'Birds, but I once had an GM engineer explain in numbing detail how a properly calibrated thermostat was critical to maintaing an optimal operating temp for an engine in its intended application (in this case it was a 24 hrs endurance - at WOT - testing protocol on a closed track). But his point was that ironically it was more important to daily street driving. The issue was that the amount of time the coolant spent in the radiator (where the heat transfer to ambient air occurs) was critical - too little time spent diminishes the efficiency of the cooling system, degrades the effectiveness of pre-programmed ECM maps, and introduces other heat related issues otherwise avoided. Food for thought... :icon_think:

Hey Big-V316... What's the status with your bike..? One of the unwritten norms around here is that if you ask for help & advice... well, you gotta let us know how it all turns out - our curiosity borders on the obsessive...

A little trivia for you... the XX and the GL1800 (GoldWing) take the same oil filter... and brake pads.

Please forgive me if this is couched in rather basic terms, but we have no way of assessing anyone's skill level when attempting to vicariously troubleshoot... Per pages 19-20 and 19-21 of the '99 manual... all you need is a continuity test light (12v)... Start your short search with the "kill switch". Remove the 2 phillips screws (underside of the housing) and open up the switch housing. Ground your test light - test it on the positive (+) battery terminal; if your bulb lights up, you're ready to proceed. Two wires go to/from the switch - black & white/black. With the key "ON", current should be coming in via the white/black wire. When the switch is "OFF" or "STOP" there should be no current in the black wire; switch to "ON or "RUN" and there should be current (both wires). Your grounded test light will confirm. If the current does not cross through the switch when "ON" or "RUN", you may assume a bad switch. To temporarily work-around it, bypass the switch with a jumper wire. Your ignition switch will function as normal and be the only way to shut down a running engine. If you have no current incoming via the white/black wire (key ON), check your fuses and start tracing the wire for a short. The complete wiring diagram is on page 20-1. We hope this is helpful. Disclaimer: This assumes a factory wiring harness without modification. Furthermore, manuals (even factory manuals) have been known to have mistakes, amendments, or oversights (i.e.; a wire color change in a mid-year model run)... the test protocols are nonetheless valid and based on logic. Take your time, do one thing at a time, and take notes as you go... it ain't brain surgery - it just seems so...

I'd look for an intermittent (floating) ground short, and I'd start with the "kill switch"... 'Sounds to me like a possible corrosion issue in that area.

Forsooth, 'twas well done, Tom... I toast thee with this fine Amontillado... :icon_clap:

A little trivia for ya... the pads for the GL1800 are identical to those used by the CBR1100XX.

... still snafu'ed as of 18:27 CST... :cry:

... with the three "buttons" missing - and it apparently has been like that for a while. So I suspect another "server issue" is at fault.

My wife does all the landscaping & maintenance, so I consulted my resident expert... this works very well for fire ants. Mix up some lawn fertilizer (of your choice) with an equal amount (roughly) of a cheap powdered laundry detergent (she likes Tide, but anything bio-degradable will work). Use a spreader and evenly distribute the mix on the lawn on a dry day, preferably a day or so before expected rain. After the next rain, put your Amdro (or preferred product) on/around the ant mounds. The fretilizer is good for the lawn anyway. The detergent won't hurt it, but it does take its toll on lawn pests (many of whom are in the ant's food chain). By the time you give the ants the Amdro, they're getting desperate for sustinence... It works much quicker, and lasts longer because ant scouts (from other queens) won't find an ample food source in your "treated" yard. If you fretilize 3-4 times a year, this works pretty well year round.

After hearing all about the potential (moisture) issues with the wiring loom connector (specifically the one near the regulator/rectifier) on the '99s, I thoroughly inspected the culprit but found nothing amiss. As a proactive gesture, I cut up some old inner tube rubber and wrapped the connector and the adjacent wiring loom (for several inches), and snugged everything with plastic wire-ties. It's a seemingly waterproof application (tested with misting bottle and low pressure garden hose) that should work in the anticipated riding environment. We'll see... 8)

Status of the problem..? We'd all like to know...

... it sure sounds like something is intermittently grounding out. When it dies on you, does the headlight stay lit? Is the fuel pump still running?Are any other systems out as well? I assume you've checked all the connectors in the wiring harness..? Has anything like this happened before..?

... Battery Connections - they will loosen up with time & vibration. I had similar symptoms, to include poor starting... and I traced it to loose 10mm bolts at both battery terminals. I had installed a new battery about six months prior, so I assumed everything was still nice and tight - WRONG... Now I use just a drop of BLUE lock-tite on the captured terminal nuts' threads - no more loose connections.

I got the triple (digital) gauge and mounted it similar to bar10dah's... with a coupla differences. To address the "watreproofing issue", I used the clear plastic packaging halves, trimmed to fit like a clamshell, and sealed the perimeter with electrical tape. I can still push buttons through the plastic. I used hook & loop (velcro) at the rear of the base and at the rear of the two upper corners to connect to the dash (top of the speedo facia) and two inner spots on the windscreen (DG dark smoke, so it's invisible from the front). 'Sorry, no pics... but it looks very similar to bar10dah's installation - just visually add about a 3/8" matte black border around the perimeter of the gauge. As for the temp probe... you know that small trap door/plate in the floor of the nose, the small plastic snap-in trapezoid..? I understand it houses a "parking light" or equivalent on European models. I center drilled a snug hole and fitted the probe (sans suction cup) straight down, protruding 5/8" into the airstream. I now have a reading on the air temp that enters the ram ducts, and that accesses the oil cooler and radiator. So far, so good... 8)

I like Royal Purple... 20w-50 in the summer (it gets real hot & sticky in Louisiana...) and 10w-40 the rest of the year. The bike seems to run just fine, no clutch issues and I never see any temp over 225-230*F under any conditions - of course I don't do parades either... BTW, regular 50/50 coolant mix. 8)

Well Done, Kev! Now that is clean and discreet. I'm hoping to find an inexpensive, small, accurate, waterproof, and legible gauge that'll provide more specific values. ..alas, the hunt continues...

Ron Ayers offeres no specs, no pics, and oh yeah... $8 shipping... I've seen some "name brands" on the net (marine supply sources) with pics, specs, & warranties for around the same, or less... I'm having lunch this week with a friend who builds airplanes; he's got some input to share. So, I think I'm gonna look around s'more... J Red - let us know how yours works out when you get it mounted, OK..?

I've just been told that Honda makes a 12v voltmeter (waterproof) for marine applications - in black even - part No. 37453-ZW5-000ZA for under $30 (US), (uncorroborated MSRP @ $28.00). I haven't found a pic or any specs yet, but I'm looking... Has anyone seen one..?

... Pics..? My '99 is analog and I like the conceptual continuity.

Has anyone found an appropriate (relatively small, waterproof) voltmeter for their 'Bird..? I like the idea of continuously monitoring the charging system and battery condition. I don't really care for what I've seen so far in the "bike aftermarket" - too much chopper-esque bling-bling... I'm planning on checking out some marine supply sources, but I thought I'd check the assorted tribal wisdom, as well.

+1... the only way to know for certain.

.. we were wondering how it was going... I'll bet you've cured it. Time will tell.

... advise how to tell which generation (2nd or 5th) a particular kit HID kit is..? John01XX and I are trying to make that determination, but the 5000 kit in question seems to lack that info... the HID controller is marked 10R-021778. Anyone with a 5000 kit have any info, or a similarly marked controller and accompanying documentation..?