Motorcycle Repair: 1985 Suzuki 450L, volt ohm meter, fuse box

Question
I've had the bike for about a year and have had no problems. Recently, there was an incident where the bike shut off (everything, no lights, no horn, no power to anything).
I let it sit for about 10 minutes wile I called a buddy to pick me up, when I got off the phone I turned the key and had power again.
 I started the bike rode it about 2 miles and it shut off again. It did this about 7 times, running for short times then shutting down, Now I can't get it to start at all. The lights come on on the spedo. But when I push the ignition I get nothing.
  Any help? Thanks allot!
          -Josh

Answer
Hi Josh...

Ok... I would start by checking the battery and the connections to it. When your bike lost all electrical power, but then it came back, then got lost again, indicates that you have an intermittant electrical problem some where between the battery and the ignition key switch. The problem might also be between the key switch and the fuse box. Start at the battery and work your way towrds the key switch and then to the fuse box. Look for a bad connection, crusty wires, etc.. You should also check the operation of the key switch with a volt/ohm meter. It's possible that the ignition key switch is malfunctioning when you hit bumps in the road. But my first suspicion is the battery cables... possibly a loose ground to the battery. Hope this helps put you in the right direction and let me know if ya need further help Josh!!!

Jack