really weird electrical fault, please help!

[sublimerule]

okay, so with all the electrics switched off (except the oil light and neutral light when ignition is switched on) the bike strts and ticks over just fine... as soon as you touch anything electrical (lights, indicators, break (lights) the engine cuts out. i'm baffled. a freind thinks low battery or regulator faults but i've had plenty of them on other bikes but never experienced anything like this. please only educated ideas, guesswork probably wont help. thanks guys

[RedexRobB]

Defo sounds like a dead battery, which will stem from a knackered regulator/rectifier. I had same problem a a different bike a few years ago, be going along the road, use indictor to turn off and the engine would die and come back to life with the indicator!

If you have a multimeter you can check the voltage across the battery with the engine running, iirc there should be about 14V or so across it with engine sat at about 3K revs. Anything less than that and its likely to be the reg/rec.

[sublimerule]

okay thanks, do you think if it is the battery i could go and start it and leave it ticking over for a half hour to get some charge built up? (enough to ride with the lights on and having use of the indicators). i don't own a multi-meter nor many other tools, i do have enough to change a battery though.

[cargo]

If your battery is good enough to start the bike then I'd be surprised that it is at fault in relation to your other problems.

Can you ride it ? Does the battery go flat after a ride or during a ride ?

Seems to me the problem is in the lighting curcuit...........

Exactly waht happens when you turn the lights on ?

Does the bike restart OK after it cuts out when you switch the lights off again ?

Has there been any kind of bodge job done on the loom to over come a problem elsewhere

What work have you or someone else done on the bike recently

How did this problem first manifest itself

Any kind of after market electricial addition been made to the bike ?

Sadly I'm crap at wiring / electricial problems unless I can see the bike my self and get a proper feel for what happening

[sublimerule]

ride it yes, but it's impossible to take anywhere because as soon as you touch a brake the engine cuts, presumably because the break light comes on. same with indicators and lights. when you turn the lights on they come on when in the parking light position (small bulb) as soon as you switch to main bulb, dipped or full the engine cuts, no spluttering or choking just cuts, same with indicators and break lights. and yes when no electrics are being touched or switched on the bike starts okay after cutting. as for bodge job to the loom, i have no idea, i have only had the bike for a year but it was bought from a dealership with a new m.o.t. and problems have been minimal. however a while ago i started the bike, pulled away and the engine cut every time the clutch was fully released, i came to the conclusion that it was due to the safety mechanism on the side stand that prevents you from pulling away when it's left down, so i cut the wires where they enter the mechanism and joined the together outside of it securely and bound with electric tape, after this i never encountered the problem again. also recently due to the race exhaust that was fitted before i bought it there was a great deal of heat on the right hand oil feed pipe, this gradually made a small hole over about 8 months so i took the pipe out and replaced it with a steel braded one to prevent it happening again. and no after market electrical add on that i can see or know about