HELP!! Breva 1200 sport problem.

[Ion66]

UPDATE: It's alive! Cleaned off the dielectric grease, and wire wheeled the terminals and connectors. Put the battery on a 2A smart charger for a bit, and presto: It started! I thought for sure I'd messed something up in the wiring/switchgear and shorted out $$$ parts. Odd that it would run fine for a few days, and pick the evening I swap the bars, to turn into an expensive brick! The battery was on my plug-in Battery Tender, so maybe that kept it charged just enough to start? Dunno, but it's showing 12.3-12.4, so it's new battery time. Shows 13.8 when running, so that's good at least! Thanks again to people who posted help! 30 years of carbeurated Japanese bikes, and no manuals for the Breva, and I admit I'm a little lost!

Just recently got the bike. Couldn't live with the crazy handlebar, so I bought one for a Yamaha GSR-900, which looked like a good fit. Rode the bike over to get the parts, no problem. Came home and fitted the new bar. Had to drill new holes for the mounting pegs, no biggie. The fit was a bit snug, in terms of the wires, but not super tight. I did notice that the clutch cutout switch had pulled off. Put that back in place. Key on. Lights on, dial sweep, all good. Hit the starter and at first, it went clunk, but lights stayed on, tried again, and lights-dash went off. Checked all the fuses (that I know of) and they were fine. It cycles, and gives error code: APSB 0016. A few times, full power has come back, but it still will not start, and the dash goes off. WTF?? I'm really confused. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!! I've had my bike a few days and I seem to have killed it by changing a handlebar! I wanted Italian charm, but not this much!!! My big worry is that there's now a short someplace in the system. Arg.

Thanks!!!

[Ion66]

Right now, the bike is totally dead when I turn the key. I'm totally at a loss here!

(And now I have power again. I don't have a manual for the bike, so I'm at a loss on re-setting stuff with the system if that's the case here.)

[Scorpione]

looks like could be a  battery-related as per similar problem here:

http://www.guzzitech.com/forums/threads/breva-1100-wont-start.6426/

[tpeever]

Did you check for corrosion on the battery terminals? I had a very similar issue last year and it was corroded battery terminals. Apparently pretty common on CARC bikes. Here is a link to how to clean them from Moto International:

https://www.motointernational.com/blog/news-and-events/post/moto-guzzi-battery-cable-cleaning

Once I cleaned them up, I sprayed them with a battery terminal protective spray. So far, so good

[Ion66]

I found that thread on a google search of the codes. It's just weird that it only chose to do it when I changed the bar. Going to try charging it up again and sew what's what, but I had 12.4 volts, and I know the bike is putting out 13.8 when it's running. It's been working perfectly till just now! I did clean and dialectric grease the terminals when I got the bike. Going to try putting it on the charger and see what happens, but I'm suspecting something else going on. :(

[pete roper]

The code you are seeing is the dash reboot code. What has happened is that the system has lost all power momentarily when the large current draw from the starter cuts in.

It will almost certainly be either dirty/loose/corroded cable ends at the battery terminal or a loose earth strap where it mounts under the starter motor cover. Clean and check and the problem will probably disappear.

If you get the dash back but it still won't start it will probably of blown the starter circuit fuse due to the current over-draw caused by the cruddy connections. Chuck a new fuse in just in case.

Pete

[lucian]

Someone say dielectric grease? Apparently not the best choice as it is an insulator, go with Vaseline.

[fotoguzzi]

Someone say dielectric grease? Apparently not the best choice as it is an insulator, go with Vaseline.

WHAT HE SAID..

[travelingbyguzzi]

I have found my 1200 Sport to be very sensitive at the battery terminals. This Spring after a 2500 mile ride from WA to KS with NO problems, I got a no start situation. 1st thing I did was loosen the ground connection, wiggle the terminal around and retighten.
Started right up and no problems since. I never even lost my clock settings.
Check your connections.

[tpeever]

I found that thread on a google search of the codes. It's just weird that it only chose to do it when I changed the bar. Going to try charging it up again and sew what's what, but I had 12.4 volts, and I know the bike is putting out 13.8 when it's running. It's been working perfectly till just now! I did clean and dialectric grease the terminals when I got the bike. Going to try putting it on the charger and see what happens, but I'm suspecting something else going on. :(

I think it is just random happenstance relative to the bars. 12.4 volts is a bit low so check your battery as well. You should have close to 13 volts on a good battery

[tpeever]

Someone say dielectric grease? Apparently not the best choice as it is an insulator, go with Vaseline.

Forget dielectric grease or Vaseline. Get yourself some of this spray-on battery terminal protector stuff. The brand I have (CRC??) goes on kind of a thin red color and seems to work very well.

[Ion66]

Picking up a battery today. $200 CDN. I'm assuming that's $150 for the battery, and $50 is the universe laughing at me for buying an Italian bike!    What's with the dash shutting down though? I've not owned anything with EFI, but I've never seen anything like that behaviour before. I'm not even sure what I did, or didn't do to get the panel to come back to life. Is there a procedure for re-setting everything, or is it just a matter of waiting, or plugging and un-plugging everything? That whole thing freaked me right out!

[pete roper]

You may not of needed a new battery and if you haven't checked the terminals of the battery, the cable ends and the earth point the problems may well persist. I hope you bought the correct battery? You can get ones of similar dimensions which have appreciably less CCA's. They don't last well.

You will have to re-set the clock and if you are still running the stock map the when you lost power it will of cleared the fueling trims so the bike will run a bit differently until it re-trims.

Pete

[CalVin2007]

Ion66...Your battery may have failed in a way that's not so common. Occasionally an internal connection fails (like a cracked lead strap) and the power will go from full voltage to "0" instantly and at random. Acts fine but then nothing a minute later. Harleys have had more of this type problem in the past,possibly due to the frequency and amplitude of vibration where the battery is mounted,but I've had it happen to auto batteries as well as other cycles. Just a possibility.....

  Terry

[tpeever]

UPDATE: It's alive! Cleaned off the dielectric grease, and wire wheeled the terminals and connectors. Put the battery on a 2A smart charger for a bit, and presto: It started! I thought for sure I'd messed something up in the wiring/switchgear and shorted out $$$ parts. Odd that it would run fine for a few days, and pick the evening I swap the bars, to turn into an expensive brick! The battery was on my plug-in Battery Tender, so maybe that kept it charged just enough to start? Dunno, but it's showing 12.3-12.4, so it's new battery time. Shows 13.8 when running, so that's good at least! Thanks again to people who posted help! 30 years of carbeurated Japanese bikes, and no manuals for the Breva, and I admit I'm a little lost!

Glad to hear that you got it figured out. Keep an eye on those terminals. They seems to corrode up pretty fast when unprotected. Mine seem to be fine after a year or so with the protective spray on them. Make sure your ground connection is good as Pete recommends. How old was your battery? The Yuasa that came with my 1200 Sport lasted about 5 years. I have generally had good luck with Interstate batteries in my bikes and cars.

[Ion66]

Glad to hear that you got it figured out. Keep an eye on those terminals. They seems to corrode up pretty fast when unprotected. Mine seem to be fine after a year or so with the protective spray on them. Make sure your ground connection is good as Pete recommends. How old was your battery? The Yuasa that came with my 1200 Sport lasted about 5 years. I have generally had good luck with Interstate batteries in my bikes and cars.

I just got the bike the other week, and it's an 08. I'd asked the guy I bought it from how old the battery was, but didn't get a clear answer beyond "I just charged it up". I'm assuming it's 7-8 years old. It was on my list of "Things I'll probably have to replace soon.". It was showing around 12.3 volts, but I think my battery tender was keeping it topped up enough to start and run a few errands before the woes began. I replaced it with another Yuasa that matched the catalog # and the one I took out of it. I was really shocked at how it behaved when I hit the starter button. I've had bikes crank slowly, or give a click. This was a clunk, and everything shut down like a blown fuse. The randomish dial sweep and error code was quite strange to me too. Thankfully it's been behaving with the old batter on a charger. Had it around the block a few times this morning and it seems normal. I'm hoping I don't encounter too many quirks. It's already flashing the maintenance red light with the engine is shut off. Apparently, my local (as in really far away) dealer told the previous owner that they all do that. The shop did have around 4 other bikes doing the same thing on the floor. I'm assuming it's the oil pressure sender. Hoping that when I get ahold of a manual, I'll figure out where that is located on the bike.

[pete roper]

The small, red, triangle that flashes constantly on the dash is a simple immobiliser warning. It means very little and is only there because there are obviously some markets that like this sort of drac.

Long story short, if it's flashing when the ignition is off? That's fine. If it comes on and remains illuminated while riding with a 'Service' warning? Then and only then, do you have a *Problem*.

Pete

[Ion66]

The small, red, triangle that flashes constantly on the dash is a simple immobiliser warning. It means very little and is only there because there are obviously some markets that like this sort of drac.

Long story short, if it's flashing when the ignition is off? That's fine. If it comes on and remains illuminated while riding with a 'Service' warning? Then and only then, do you have a *Problem*.

Pete

Thanks for the info! Yes, it's off when the engine is running. There is an "Immobilizer LED" setting in the dash menu. Is there a way to turn it off there? I'm paranoid that I'll mess something up if I open the menu and start pushing buttons without knowing what I'm doing!

[Ion66]

It's working fine now, with the new battery, from what I can tell. The new one is showing over 13 volts at the terminals. The odd things though are that the new battery, which I charged overnight on a 2 amp smart charger is reading 12.4 on the dash, much like the old battery. I checked the old one on the bench, and it's reading 12.8, which is more than expected. One reason I replaced it, other than not knowing how old it is, is that the strip on top, where the acid is filled, was lifting up. Things that make you say "hmmmm". Still, I didn't expect it to be at a good voltage after sitting for a day. Hopefully I don't have an intermittent electrical glitch going on!

[analog kid]

Dave, did you buy the black one in Markham or the black one in Oshawa? I'm in Courtice. I have a riding buddy in Blackstock who sold his 1200 Sport (red). Unfortunately I was not in a financial position to buy at the time and had to let it go....
 
We two must be the largest collection of Guzzis between Hwy 404 and Kingston!

If you're looking for manuals I have PDF copies which I could email you. Most I probably got from Greg Benders site:

http://www.thisoldtractor.com/topics.html

A lot of valuable info on that site. I have other stuff; wiring diagram, tech bulletins and such. PM me your email if interested.

[Ion66]

Dave, did you buy the black one in Markham or the black one in Oshawa? I'm in Courtice. I have a riding buddy in Blackstock who sold his 1200 Sport (red). Unfortunately I was not in a financial position to buy at the time and had to let it go....
 
We two must be the largest collection of Guzzis between Hwy 404 and Kingston!

If you're looking for manuals I have PDF copies which I could email you. Most I probably got from Greg Benders site:

http://www.thisoldtractor.com/topics.html

A lot of valuable info on that site. I have other stuff; wiring diagram, tech bulletins and such. PM me your email if interested.

I bought mine (black) from a guy in Pefferlaw who had several BMW's. It had been on Kijji for a month or so. I have to go back up and pick up some stuff from him, hopefully including the manual, that he found later. What I'd love to get ahold of is a service manual. Is such a thing around? I don't even know how to get the tank off or check the air filter. My first EFI bike and a ton of hoses, with no fuel valve. Can't even find a way to get the headlight out of the pod! Good to know there's a few Guzzis out there. I've seen an 1100 around the area, but that's it. I'm in Port Perry, so we get a ton of bikes through town, and at Timmie's!