2007-02-20 2006 Ignition switch failure

On a Death Valley group ride last weekend, my 2006 'A' suddenly experienced a total loss of electrical power. The failure was instant and total. No early warning signs. Had I been passing a series of cars or... it would have been nasty. Just instant and total failure.

Two hours of troubleshooting alongside the road revealed that the 'hot' wire (red) had pulled out from, separated from, the ignition switch module assembly.

This red wire still had the solder joint / switch contact intact. I haven't torn the ignition switch apart yet, but I can imagine a phenolic board held this contact point captive. On the bottom side, the wire approaches from the loom and is soldered onto, or into, a landing pad that's mechanically secured to the phenolic circuit board. The topside of this pad is in fact a contact point for the ignition switch wiper.

Long of short, the whole assembly was *easily* pulled from the switch assembly, with minimal force. It was very apparent the failure was an open, not a short. Simply hot wiring the red to the brown got power back. The two remaining wires, an interlock, required the ignition switch be placed to the run position for the bike to fire.

The cause and what you should look for? The wire loom exiting the switch was ty-wrapped in two places. The wire was 'banjo' string tight. I postulate the harness was ty-wrapped to tight from the factory, causing the red B+ wire to be under constant tension. After so much time and vibration, tension won and the circuit opened.

I would suggest that 2006 owners take a quick peek at the loom exiting the switch bottom and ensure it's not really tight. Sorry I don't have good pix, but it's really easy to see, you don't have to remove any plastic for this inspection.

Here is the best pix I have..



Edited to correct typo.

What a royal PITA swapping out the failed ignition switch has been.

Sigh. Deep Breath.

1. Yamaha doesn't sell a 'kit' with the igntion key and matching bag keys.

2. Therefore, the dealer has to remove the old switch, take the new and old to a locksmith to have the tumblers swapped.

3. The locksmith, never having seen an FJR tumbler before, takes forever to *attempt* the job.

4. I am now on day freaking 3 without my bike, the lock is still at the locksmith, the dealer has been, uhh, less than good in keeping tabs on the entire job process. Example? On day 1 I call at 2pm and ask how it's going? Response - the lock is out and sitting on my desk. Hey, how about calling the locksmith? . I got the impression if I hadn't called, that lock would have sat on the desk until 6pm. On day two I call at 3pm, the response to 'how is the job going' is 'I haven't heard back from the locksmith'. Mind you it's one hour to my house, another 15 to hitch the trailer, another hour to the dealer. I ask 'hey, why didn't you call? Silence.

Sooo, tomorrow, at 3pm, I'm picking up my FJR, ready or not. If I have to install the triple tree myself in the parking lot and load it into the trailer, so be it. I am so fucking pissed I could spit nails. And this from a normally very mellow person. I hate bad service and incompetence.

Back to topic. If you have a switch problem I'd recommend you talk to your dealer about my bad experience and even consider just having two sets of keys; one for the ignition, the other for the bags.

Rant over, thanks for listening.

...and - everyone who has checked has found the wires to be tight. You may want to check too.