After 17,000 miles, I finally had an issue with my 97 bird. On the way home from work last night, I was using a turn signal to change lanes. When the signal light came on, the gauges started bouncing all over the place. I turned the signal off. The bike ran for about another 3 minutes then the engine just shut off. When the starter button was pressed, nothing happened. After it cooled down for an hour, it tried to crank over maybe twice, then nothing.

I used to have a 98 Ducati ST2 that had the exact same issue (x3). It was the reg/rec. When it got hot, it would expand and touch the frame, which would short it to ground and cause the engine to cut off immediately.

To make things worse, I used the Honda Riders Club to set up a tow. They told me two hours and "assured" me that the tow driver would be capable of towing a bike. 3.5 hours later some numbnuts shows up who has only had to tow Harleys (go figure). He only had two straps and was planning on using two small red shop towels to protect my fairing from the straps. I had to go home and grab two more tie downs and teach him how to properly secure a full fairing bike.

It is getting towed to a local shop this morning. I am afraid of what this is going to cost me...

It could be as simple as a dead battery.

But you're correct in that the R/R can stop "regulating", and send 18V onto the positive wiring bus. This has less of an effect than you'd think....all it really does is send light bulbs to an earlier grave, and boil the battery electrolyte.

I am not aware of any problem with Honda R/Rs expanding and grounding out to the frame. Sounds like a typical Italian engineering problem....but I'll bet that it looks good doing so.

Let us know what the diagnosis is/was.

Sounds like a dead battery to me. Possibly caused by a bad R/R or maybe just old. This isn't...the original battery...is it...???

I have had the bike for only the past 16 months. I have no idea how old the battery is. I kept a charger on it intermittently last Winter. It starts strong every time and I try to ride it all year long. It is sitting at the Honda shop right now. It will be over a week before they even look at it. Good thing I have my 03 Goldwing to fall back on. Going w/o a bike during the Summer would suck :cycle: