He said he might have a starter relay and maybe even an air filter to fit Max. I was hesitant to get too excited, but the news was good. It turns out that the relay wasn't from a SYM, but it looked real close and we thought we'd try it anyway.
As I drove back home from picking up the parts from Lloyd, I kept thinking that this might not work. All the possibilities crossed my mind. The problem could have a number of causes even though we thought we had it narrowed down pretty well.
I went ahead and put in the new air filter first almost like I was teasing myself. Then I took off the seat and took the old relay out to get a closer comparison. The new part was just barely bigger, otherwise almost identical.
I installed the new part, hooked the battery cables back up and took a deep breath. The moment of truth. I carefully turned the key, grabbed a brake and pressed the starter switch.
A sweeter sound there never was as Max cranked and immediately started. The definition of "Fat and Happy" is the euphoria around the knowledge that you have done something right and good.
And all with a little help from good friends like certain readers of this little blog and people like Lloyd. Many many thanks to all!
Unfortunately I missed Ride to Work day today. But Here's a dumbass question for you all. What method of transportation do you think I will take to work tomorrow?
And by the way, I took a little ride late this afternoon to celebrate. It was hot. I broke out the mesh jacket even though I like the denim one better. I even got a few waves and nods from other riders.
It was a really good ride!
Outstanding news!
ReplyDeleteDom
Jimbo/cpa3485:
ReplyDeletegood news. feels good to know that something you fixed, actually works
I hope this solves the problem for good
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
Nice finish to the frustration in your earlier post!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're back on the road! Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteMy sincere thanks to all of you folks for helping to diagnose the issue. Many moons ago I used to work on my vehicles a lot, but not much recently until Max came along. I am sort of enjoying it again (sort of) except when it gets frustrating or dealing with something I know little about.
ReplyDeleteI knew it was the air filter all along,
Jimbo
Dear Jimbo,
ReplyDeleteI fired up "Fireballs" on a hot summer day, and got three miles away when the bike stopped dead. It restarted five minutes later and I went back the the garage. Prying up the gas tank revealed the relay box (the K75 had about six of them)and sure enough, the one to the ignition was loose. Problem solved. Yet a month later, I notice inactivity on the radiator fan and yet another relay was the culprit. This time, the contacts were rotted.
I was pissed, until the mechanic pointed out the relays were 16 years old. I have since been advised that a lot of relays available at electronics stores or auto parts places can be made to work, if temporarily, on the road.
It might pay to get a spare, unless your bike has a lot of different ones.
Fondest regards,
Jack/reep
Twisted Roads
Jack,
ReplyDeleteAlways good to hear from you.
I admit that Max is not up to the sophisticated level of electronic mania that a BMW might be, however, what was maddening about the situation was the inconsistency of the problem that made it a bit difficult to diagnose, at least for an idiot like me.
Richard, Dom and Bobskoot helped out a lot, being the expert gearheads they obviously are. But in a way, you helped out a lot also by making me always have my MagLite handy when needed. It is an indispensable tool of modern man, don't you think?
Jimbo