NHTSA Complaint #10234734 — 2007 YAMAHA FJR13

I WAS DRIVING THE MOTORCYCLE WHEN IT HAD A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, AND I HAD TO COAST TO A STOP IN THE MEDIAN. THERE WAS NO LIGHTS OF ANY KIND AND NO REACTION TO THE IGNITION SWITCH OR STARTER BUTTON. I WAS ABLE TO GET POWER BACK BY MOVING THE HANDLEBARS ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT. I WENT ANOTHER 3 BLOCKS AND IT DIED AGAIN. I DID THE HANDLEBAR MOTION AGAIN AND POWER CAME BACK. IT DIED IN ANOTHER 3 BLOCKS AND I WAS ABLE TO PUSH IT HOME. I REMOVED THE IGNITION SWITCH/KEY MECHANISM AND DISASSEMBLED IT, AND THE RED WIRE HAD PULLED CLEANLY OFF THE CIRCUIT BOARD. THE DAMAGE WAS SIMILAR TO THE POST AT HTTP://WWW.FJRFORUM.COM/FORUM/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=103354 EXCEPT IT WAS THE RED WIRE IN MY CASE INSTEAD OF THE BROWN. AS YOU CAN SEE BY SEARCHING THE FORUM, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF THESE FAILURES. THE PAGE AT HTTP://WWW.FJRFORUM.COM/FORUM/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=26098 LISTS SIMILAR OCCURRENCES EXPERIENCED BY FORUM MEMBERS. THERE WAS A VERY TIGHT "ZIP-TIE" NEAR THE SWITCH IN THE WIRING LOOM, AND IT IS MY OPINION THAT THIS EXERTED ENOUGH STRESS TO EVENTUALLY PULL THE WIRE OFF. I CORRECTED THE PROBLEM BY REMOVING THE ZIP TIE AND RE-SOLDERING THE WIRE TO THE CIRCUIT BOARD. AN UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER MIGHT BE VERY DANGEROUS IF SOMEONE IS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. IT WAS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS SINCE IT WAS AT NIGHT AND OTHER DRIVERS COULDN'T SEE ME BECAUSE I NO LONGER HAD LIGHTS. *TR