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[Michael]

Well the rear wiring loom was rotten in a few places, really corroded. Replaced that with new cables and spade connectors. Don't seem to be having the 'trip' problem now, but time will tell. Still leaking current from brake light circuit to warning lights in the nacelle... but couldn't find the earth to frame anywhere?! Tank off - nothing obvious, seat off - nothing obvious. Any ideas where to look? m

[PeteF]

usual route to find main earth is to follow the -ve back from the battery

[grunda 12]

how old is the bike michael ,ive just repaired an electrical fault on an efi fuses were being blown by using the brakes ,although the front brake switch was broken which wasn,t the problem ,it turned out to be the wiring from the rear lamp to the block connector near the rear mudguard rubbing on the steel mudguard edge near the plastic lower portion ,the bike was a 58 plate with 13000 miles on the clock although i was hampered by the sidecar stopping me getting to see the problem .try one thing at a time with electrics its a process of elimination atb paul.

[Michael]

Hi Paul. That sounds familiar! Mine is 58 plate with 16000 miles on the clock. The rear wiring harness failed in exactly that way around 6 months ago and today I found the wiring IN the tail lamp was rotten too. The tail light assembly is a bit bent and bashed with carrying luggage, so is probably leaking water. That part of the issue has been repaired today by me making a new loom... but I still can't find the main earth to frame. I moved the rear wiring harness to come through the mudguard at a different point, and reinforced the loom at that point too. Wonder why is doesn't come through a drilled hole like it does at the lamp end??

[jaffa90]

Main earth,as PeteF says,follow the earth lead from the battery and it should be secured to the frame,surprisingly mine was connected to a painted part of the frame with a rusty bolt.

[pilot]

Hi Michael,
Check your sidestand switch (probably main culprit). Also check the mounting of the crash shutoff switch(mounted beside the ecu). It must be horizontal to the bike (the rubber mount on it perishes). I have also seen the fuel pump relay going faulty, check its connections and replace if corroded. The EFI sprag is vunerable if the oil level is allowed to fall to min level (sprag gets oil starved). Keep oil topped up.
Good luck,
John.

[Michael]

Jaffa, the main negative leads runs to the starter motor, a second much thinner lead disappears into the main harness under the fuel tank. Would the main earth normally be under the tank? I took the tank off but no electrical connections were obvious. The harness then heads either to reg/rectifier or into the nacelle (depending which branch is followed). That's why I couldn't locate the main frame earth. John, side stand switch has long gone - fails all the time, so it's in the bin. Rollover sensor was removed, cleaned up and remounted so perhaps was a problem, but better now. Where would the fuel pump relay be - that sounds like a possibility. As for the sprag - it's dead now, but I reckon my long trip in the summer ran oil a little low once, and that's when my electric start issues first started. Perhaps oil level is the real sprag culprit. Thanks for all the tips guys - only one thing to find and clean... main earth But... starting woes seem to be behind me... partly. m

[jaffa90]

Your bike is fairly modern like mine,535cc enfield lightning 2003 model with a NEGATIVE earth,surely yours can`t be a POSITIVE earth?

[jaffa90]

Just checked in google,yours is negative black lead to earth/frame and positive to the starter motor relay.I hope your not taking the michael.

[Michael]

No Michael taking - honest just someone who isn't exactly sure what to look for. On the plus side (no pun intended!) the ignition tripping issue seem to have cleared since the new wiring harness and cleaning every electrical connection I could find. And my homebrew is ready The rear wiring harness has always been a weak point in my bike, maybe in general for these EFIs given other comments?