| Author | Message | ||
     Chadhargis |
Well, it finally happened. The Ulysses let me down. I was doing a track day, blowing down the straight banging off the rev limiter in 4th trying to shift into 5th and then......nothing. No engine, no dash lights, no gauges. Nada, zip, zero, nothing. I moved to the apron, and coasted to pit road. I pulled the seat and find a blown 30A fuse which is only described as "BATTERY". I thought I might have a chaffed wire that was shorting to ground, so I dissassembled the bike and checked all the wiring. The only thing I found rubbing was the idle control adjuster. All other wiring looked fine. Consulting the service manual, I see the 30A fuse protects the voltage regulator, stator, and starter solenoid. Replacing the 30A fuse did no good, it blew the instant I put it in. I peeled out of my leathers, loaded up the bike and took it to the dealer. I'm hoping it's something simple since I've got two track days at Barber in two weeks. So...I got half a track day in. Too bad too, because the bike was running like a champ. I was picking off 600s coming out of turns, and late braking into corners to pass people on the inside. One of the control riders commented, "You are riding that thing well". Everyone is always surprised to see how fast the big Buell handles the track.  | ||
| Tootal |
Chad, sorry to hear of the Uly's demise. I'm anxious to hear what the dealer has to say. I'm going to guess stator as that is the only component on that circuit that I've heard any failures. The claim was using Amsoil gear lube in the primary causes problems with the stator. Of course I read that right after I changed mine to Amsoil gear lube!! Hopefully the cause is inexpensive, you always hate dipping into the tire budget!! Good luck. | ||
| Chadhargis |
It's under warranty, so there won't be any money out of my pocket. I've run nothing but Formula+ in the tranny, but it sure acts like a shorted stator coil. It's a dead short for sure. | ||
| Hughlysses |
In my case (my 2000 Thunderbolt, not my Uly) the bad stator just resulted in a dead battery, and that seems to be the common result from what I've read. Maybe a fried voltage regulator? | ||
| Kieefer |
sorry to hear about the failure, hope it's an easy fix and they get you back on the track soon. Might have those bearings looked at while it's in there? I read somewhere that broken grounds have caused some failures in Buells but this doesn't sound like a broken ground problem, maybe worn insulation somewhere? Having just sold my 1150 I've been considering the Uly and weighing/following all the issues, heat, bearings, belts etc. Hope this is an isolated incident, overall this bike appears to be very reliable, and fun. I've never read so much enthusiasm over one bike before. best of luck. | ||
| Chadhargis |
My track wheels (from an XB12R) are what is on the bike now. They have maybe 500 miles on them, so I doubt their bearings are worn. I think this is an isolated case. I've not read accounts of anyone having an issue like this. Keep in mind, I ride my bike very hard. I maintain it very well, but I really do use it outside of its design limits. When you do that, failures are a fact of life. Believe me, at track days, there are lots of broken bikes. It's not just a Buell thing. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Any update? | ||
| Chadhargis |
Well...the title of this thread should be changed to, "Radio Shack let me down". It appears there is nothing wrong with my Ulysses. Instead, the Radio Shack relay that I used to wire up my heated grips shorted out and caused the fuses to blow. The tech wanted to ride the bike a few times to verify that is indeed the problem. I'll probably be picking it up tomorrow. YEAH!! | ||
| Davo |
Chad, Check the regulator wires where they make the turn directly under the regulator. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Davo...nothing was wrong with the bike. It was a el cheapo relay I bought from Radio Shack to power my heated grips. It shorted out and fried the fuse. Which is really strange considering it had it's own 10A fuse that did not blow. At any rate, it's fixed. I'm going to fetch her today. | ||
| Rubberdown |
Hey Chad, glad you got it sorted out! I love the looks you get at the track on a tall bike. He's me last weekend at Barber on the HP2. It's kinda of nice to be on something different amongst a sea of sport bikes.  | ||
| Chrisgrant |
The control side of the relay is likely the cause (short), not the load side, sense your 10A fuse didn't blow. Just my 2 cents. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Yep...it was the control side. Got the bike back and it runs great. But...the event scared me enough that I bought a used Gixxer 600 for a track bike. Can't bear the thought of crashing, or blowing something up and being bikeless. If I wad up the Gixxer, parts are easy to find on eBay and I can fix it for next to nothing. If I blow it up, I can buy a used engine from a crashed bike for less than it would cost to fix the motor. | ||
| Snowscum |
Can you even fit on a gix? | ||
| Froggy |
I took this pic of Chad when he went to go pick up the GSXR, literally.  | ||
| Florida_lime |
I thought he said he was impressed by the light weight.  Maybe he said he was going to press some light weights.  |
