Motorcycle Repair: Kaw KLR 650 Electrical, klr 650, trickle charger

Question
Hi Mark:
I appreciate this forum; hopefully you can help me.

I have a garage kept 1999 KLR 650 with +/-8,000 miles.  I have taken the utmost care of it with regular maintenance.  Over the last 2 years, I have not ridden the bike much at all (marriage, children, wife thing...).  I have a trickle charger (Battery Tender) on it at all times, and I crank it and let it run just about every month.  I have changed the oil without riding it ! My repair history is ZERO.  I added after market items such as a Big Gun exhaust, jets for the carb, skid plate, etc... that is all.  It always ran great.

This past weekend, I pulled it out of the garage to crank it up.  I turned the choke on, turned the main power switch to "run", turned the key on at which point all lights appeared to function normally (headlight, console lights, etc).  As soon as I pressed the starter button, the whole bike went dead; no lights, no power whatsoever.  Poof !  The starter did engage for a split second...

Naturally, I took the bike apart and checked all fuses (three that I know of) -  all intact.  I checked the battery  connections - good. I fumbled with the key in the ignition thinking that I may have a bad key switch - no go, except that the "park" lights (rear brake light) worked so I know that I have some power but only to the rear tail light.

I read my service manual and addendum - electrical troubleshooting in the manuals is quite lacking for a non-day to day repair guy like me. I looked at the electrical schematic for indications of other failure points, could not recognize any obvious ones.  Can you possibly give me a hand with this problem ?  If the real problem is not clear to you, would you please give me a list of items to look at and perhaps procedures to follow ?  I want to tackle this problem myself if possible.  Thank you in advance.

Answer
Hi Ron,

You'll have to go through the electrical system circuits and look for the source of the problem.

Water shorting may cause such unusual problems as you've experienced and may leave no evidence of it's presence due to evaporation. Dielectric grease may help prevent corrosion and water shorting. Apply the grease to all connectors and contacts.  

Physically inspect all conductors, connectors, and switches for evidence of defects, corrosion, moisture, and other obvious problems. Wiring connectors and switches must be tightly connected and clean. Battery cable connections must be tight and clean.

Use a test meter (VOM-multimeter) to check the system. Visit this link for more assistance:  

http://www.klr650.marknet.us/techarticles.html

Trace voltage and voltage drops with a test meter. It's frustrating work at times even for the experienced techs.

Keep me advised on your progress. Include your email address with reply. I'll return tech information files to assist you.

Respectfully,
Mark Shively