Z650 ABS 2021 Stalled while riding

1614 Views 16 Replies 6 Participants Last post by bbarnier, 29 d ago

John2018

Discussion Starter · 8 mo ago (Edited)

I bought this bike brand new in June 2021 and I already had two problems.

The first time was about 3 months ago when I visited my brother about 20 miles away from my house and when coming back, for my embarrassment the bike would not start, we started it using jumper cables with his car. When I got home I let the bike on for like 2 hrs for the battery to recharge and the battery was recharged fine.

The second time, it was last Friday, I was riding from work to home when out of the blue the bike stalled. I was pissed.

I checked for a possible cause like checking temperature, gasoline, oil, battery charge, red switch off accidentally in the off position and all was fine, the starter cranks but the bike would not start, the gear indicator was blinking with a "dash". It was getting dark so I called a tow truck, they charged me $250.00 for 18 miles trip to my house.

Once I was at home, I checked the battery again with a digital multimeter and the battery was showing 12.8 volts, I checked the fuses and the 15 amp FI fuse was blown. So I realized that the bike had a major problem.

So, I ordered a new battery and replaced the FI fuse hoping that the battery is the culprit since I already did some research and some people have said that the battery is the one that causes these problems to the ECU.

When I get the new battery, I'll report back to you guys.
Have you guys had a similar problem with your bike and if so what did you do to correct the problem? Thanks.

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

oldenslow

· #2 · 8 mo ago

Something caused that fuse to blow. Doubtful it was the battery...

LionBrane

· #3 · 8 mo ago

The dash means you are in between gears. Bike will never start with dash. Rock bike forward a bit and kick it into gear or neutral.
I bought my bike new June 2021 and am just noticing my battery is not holding a charge as long. You shouldn’t be having them already. A battery maintainer will help though if you don’t ride regularly.

John2018

Discussion Starter · #4 · 8 mo ago

oldenslow said:
Something caused that fuse to blow. Doubtful it was the battery...

Definitely! Perhaps someone from Mars did not like my noisy bike and sent a powerful signal to short out a sensor in the ignition.

I replaced the battery with a brand new battery and the problem remains. So I took it to the Kawasaki dealer this last Saturday and they will tell me this week what is wrong with the bike.

For sure a 15 amp fuse would not blow out for a simple thing, this has to be a major problem with the bike, perhaps it is a lemon. Worse thing is that the bike failed just a few months after warranty, so I have to pay out or my pocket.

John2018

Discussion Starter · #5 · 8 mo ago

LionBrane said:
The dash means you are in between gears. Bike will never start with dash. Rock bike forward a bit and kick it into gear or neutral.

Thanks! We tried this already. The bike goes into neutral and engages in 1st gear also.

I bought my bike new June 2021 and am just noticing my battery is not holding a charge as long. You shouldn’t be having them already. A battery maintainer will help though if you don’t ride regularly.

The battery was discharged completely about 4 months ago and was charged and has been on 12.8 V since. The bike pumps about 14. 5 V to charging the battery.

The bike is tuned (Flashed ECU, After market full muffler installed), so it does not have the original factory settings so I hope the dealer doesn't use it as an excuse no to fix the bike.

oldenslow

· #6 · 8 mo ago

Could be simply a small patch of worn wire insulation rubbing on a frame part.

John2018

Discussion Starter · #7 · 8 mo ago

oldenslow said:
Could be simply a small patch of worn wire insulation rubbing on a frame part.

I checked for possible wires touching the chassis, but I didn't see anything, also I noticed that the paint of the frame it so thick that I did not measure any conductivity with the multi tester.

All wires, connectors, plugs, etc. look brand new. No signs of burning or tracks of a short circuit.

moreorles

· #8 · 8 mo ago

John2018 said:
Definitely! Perhaps someone from Mars did not like my noisy bike and sent a powerful signal to short out a sensor in the ignition.

I replaced the battery with a brand new battery and the problem remains. So I took it to the Kawasaki dealer this last Saturday and they will tell me this week what is wrong with the bike.

For sure a 15 amp fuse would not blow out for a simple thing, this has to be a major problem with the bike, perhaps it is a lemon. Worse thing is that the bike failed just a few months after warranty, so I have to pay out or my pocket.

I doubt the bike is a lemon, but I agree with others in that there is a problem causing the fuse to blow, which must be rectified. Have you added an accessories such as phone charger, heated grips etc?

John2018

Discussion Starter · #9 · 8 mo ago

moreorles said:
Have you added an accessories such as phone charger, heated grips etc?

No. Dealer have not called me back about any status. That's a bad sign

John2018

Discussion Starter · #10 · 8 mo ago

UPDATE 10/20/22:

I contacted the dealer yesterday Wednesday, they tried to communicate with me on Tuesday but something was wrong with my phone and I could no be contacted.

After investigating the problem they found out that the oxygen sensor was rubbing against the oil pan and those wires became bare and these wires were causing the big short circuit.

The dealer even thought that the ECU or the fuel pump were bad but they did not find any component that may have failed.

This was my fault, I should have removed this oxygen sensor altogether from the after market muffler since this oxygen sensor was deleted on the ECU when the bike was flashed.

The good news is that the bike is running great. The dealer recommended me to buy new tires and of course to replace the spark plugs since the bike is due for a tune-up.

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moreorles

· #11 · 8 mo ago

John2018 said:
UPDATE 10/20/22:

I contacted the dealer yesterday Wednesday, they tried to communicate with me on Tuesday but something was wrong with my phone and I could no be contacted.

After investigating the problem they found out that the oxygen sensor was rubbing against the oil pan and those wires became bare and these wires were causing the big short circuit.

The dealer even thought that the ECU or the fuel pump were bad but they did not find any component that may have failed.

This was my fault, I should have removed this oxygen sensor altogether from the after market muffler since this oxygen sensor was deleted on the ECU when the bike was flashed.

The good news is that the bike is running great. The dealer recommended me to buy new tires and of course to replace the spark plugs since the bike is due for a tune-up.

Appreciate your honesty John. Too many owners would still have blamed the bike!

Reactions: 1

oldenslow

· #12 · 8 mo ago

Thanks for the info on what was wrong. It would be helpful sometimes if folks would begin posts like yours, "After doing X, Y and Z major modifications, my bike is doing this."

Reactions: 1

John2018

Discussion Starter · #13 · 8 mo ago

moreorles said:
Appreciate your honesty John. Too many owners would still have blamed the bike!

In this case there was nothing wrong with the bike. The short circuit was inflicted kind of vandalism.

John2018

Discussion Starter · #14 · 8 mo ago (Edited)

oldenslow said:
Thanks for the info on what was wrong.

Now that we know the cause of the problem, there are a million of things that I could have done to avoid this problem but that does not exist. At the time of installing the after market muffler and flashing the ECU all was fine, that wire was not rubbing the oil pan.

It would be helpful sometimes if folks would begin posts like yours, "After doing X, Y and Z major modifications, my bike is doing this."

Your are right, but in this case I don't think that would have helped in any way, since I told the dealer every detail about what was done to the bike like Flashing the ECU, an after market muffler installed, that I have not replaced the original spark plugs, that the bike was started with jumper cables with a car on, etc. and even with all that info still took them hours to find out what was the actual problem.

Why the oxygen sensor wires where rubbing against the oil pan?

1-) The dealer answer: The oxygen sensor wire was too short and they had to pull it to give it more space between the muffler's hole and the oil pan so the wires would not touch the oil pan. (about 1/2" clearance).

2-) My answer: I should have removed that oxygen sensor when I installed the after market muffler. This would have avoid my $700 expense.

The reason I posted this problem is so there is in record a solution to similar problems like mine.

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Pyror

· #15 · 5 mo ago

Hmm sounds weird to me. Do they use different battery types around the world? I have a 2020 model( i bout it new). And in the winter i leave the bike outside coverd up from Okt to around Mai( +5 to -25 in this period) and after winter storage battey is 12,4v ( check the first winter) and the bike stars in maybe 0,5 sec longer the normal.
Same story for 2021 to 2022. Curios on how it is now this Mai when i take it out again.

I never use Battery tender/charger. Battery stays in the bike at all times.

oldenslow

· #16 · 1 mo ago

"You are right, but in this case I don't think that would have helped in any way, since I told the dealer every detail about what was done to the bike like Flashing the ECU, an after market muffler installed, that I have not replaced the original spark plugs, that the bike was started with jumper cables with a car on, etc. and even with all that info still took them hours to find out what was the actual problem."

So, you thought we could solve it with LESS information? Flattering, but give us a break. We like to help, but like Sgt. Joe Friday, we need the facts, ma'am. As it was, you could have left off the make and model, too, and we'd have had just as good a chance (none) of helping.

bbarnier

· #17 · 29 d ago

Thank you John for all your info on this problem. Just out of curiosity John, where did you get your ECU flashed and are you happy with it? How did it change anything? Also what exhaust system did you go with?

bbarnier

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