had this happen???

[razz]

rode the rockster to work last friday, parked it up and did eleven hour day. That nite went to start her up to go home and nothing, no dash lights no nothing. Bugger. Eight years and 101 thousand km and the battery finaly called it a day.
got a new gel battery today, put it in ,hooked it up and hey presto. We have all the lights we are supposed to. turn the key of and the dash lights are still on. Take the key out and the dash lights go out then come on again. The head light flickers on and off. the indicators flicker on and off. The brake light does the same thing.
Disconnect the battery, check the wires, no apperant damage. Hook the battery up again and the same thing happens again. Turn the key on then off and wait. Five minutes later the head light comes on then off. High beam comes on then off. Indicators flicker on and off.
WTF

Anybody got any ideas?

[riceburner]

Sounds like a series of shorts in the loom. Check the cable ties around the headstock have been snipped - if not.... <sucks in through teeth>

[sweatmark]

Battery > key switch (ON position only) > Fuse 2 > instrument Lighting (4 bulbs).

Dash lights when key switch is OFF? Either funky wiring, faulty switch, or motorcycle demon possession.

[razz]

Cable ties around headstock still in place (sucking in through teeth real quick now). There is some real funky wiring in there alright, along with a very naughty demon.
Hooked every thing back up the way it came off. Left it for five minutes, no lights flickerd, no dash lights came on, put the key in, started the bike, fired up like a bought one, ran beautifully, turned it off, took the key out and waited.
Roughly four hours.
All is as it should be, motorcycle doing what motorcycle does when it is not being used.
The demon is bored by all this, headlight flickers for less than a second, does it about four times in five minutes. Aaaaghhh WTF is going on, stand next the bike, grab the handle bars, heated grips on high, heated grips switch switched off.
Unhooked everything,disconnected the battery...............$#%@&*~ demon!!!
Taking said bike and demon to the dealer, let them exorcise said demon, thats their job. $$$.

[riceburner]

Cable ties around headstock still in place (sucking in through teeth real quick now). There is some real funky wiring in there alright, along with a very naughty demon.
Hooked every thing back up the way it came off. Left it for five minutes, no lights flickerd, no dash lights came on, put the key in, started the bike, fired up like a bought one, ran beautifully, turned it off, took the key out and waited.
Roughly four hours.
All is as it should be, motorcycle doing what motorcycle does when it is not being used.
The demon is bored by all this, headlight flickers for less than a second, does it about four times in five minutes. Aaaaghhh WTF is going on, stand next the bike, grab the handle bars, heated grips on high, heated grips switch switched off.
Unhooked everything,disconnected the battery...............$#%@&*~ demon!!!
Taking said bike and demon to the dealer, let them exorcise said demon, thats their job. $$$.

If you still had the cable-ties around the headstock then I would imagine that the wires are all shorting in those 2 sub-looms. Do a search on this forum for 'cable-ties' or 'headstock' and you'll find a LOT of commentary about this issue.

Basically, because the wires were tied to the frame, the movement of the steering causes the wires to bend rather too tightly, too often, and the internal metal strands can't take it.

[razz]

Cut the cable ties from around the headstock, had a good look and the wiring seems to be ok. The outer sheaths aren't worn through and nothing seems perished. Hooked it all back up, took it to the dealer to rectify.
Said dealer said "leave it with us and the head tech will look at it". I needed to get home which is fourty km from said dealer. Said dealer said "no problem, take the R1200GS, have you ridden one of the new models"?
I can feel a new R1200R is not to far away. Those dirty rotten scoundrels, they know how to suck you in. I've had the GS for two days and will have it for another two days. WOW what an engine. I think I will just put the rockster next to the R100RS and throw another dust cover over it and concentrate on telling the wife how a happy motorcyclist is a happy husband.

Wish me luck........