Big problem! Need help ASAP...

[hakjar]

Right now i'm NOT HAPPY about APRILIA and it's quality.

Yesterday i stalled the bike when riding away in a small upphill condition. Not familiarized yet with the clutch. Well anyway after this the EFI light shines solid sometimes when starting, and today when going fort a ride the speedometer seased to operate. It makes a (almost) full dial reading when i press the start button and after this no action.

Since I work with electronics and engines for a living I've dismanteled the bike almost completely today to reach all electric connections and checked them and the earth points. No fault. Checked the battery. No fault.

Checked all other stuff i could think of regarding the electrical system, fuses and so on and soforth.

This is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE when the bike has 7000 km on the gauge!

If anyone has a recomendation what to look for i'd be much obliged.

/
Håkan

[attila]

...unluckily for you today it's saturday and a holiday too (I think also there, celebrating the Labour Day)

so I can't call our "guru" of the Aprilia bikes to ask him an advice or suggestions on how to fix it...

Keep us updated if you find something more... but let me well understand, all the rest of the bike is working fine?

[hakjar]

Hi attila,
Yes everything else is working as usual (as far as i can tell), However i measure 28 V AC over the battery !
This tells me that the rectifier is bananas and needs replacement. Hopefully nothing else is fried in the electronics departement ....

Also i've checked the earth points to the left and right on the engine. No problem there.

I'm going in to work tomorrow to pick up a FLUKE scopemeter to be realy sure about all values on the bike. I'm a bit dissapointed in this since all other bikes i've owned has never burnt a rectifier. This could be a design problem considering all other post on a lot of forums about batteries dying prematurely and alternator not copeing with i.e. a electrical underwear.

Regards
Håkan

[hakjar]

Oh I forgot to add that the EFI reads code 1 after a check so atleast it responds in a good manner

/
Håkan

[hakjar]

I went to work and got hold of some expensive measuring equipment today.

Took it to my garage and the first thing i concluded was that my own instrument was broken .

This i wasn't aware of but I threw it in the garbage bin asap! Next I started the measurements on the bike and there is NO FAULT detectable!

So after going through the error checking in the workshop manual and eliminating one source after another the one left is most likely the culprit.

THE BATTERY I'm obliged to give my sincere apologies for ranting on Aprilia quality

I'll get out and by a new one asap tomorrow and hopefully all will be fine then....

Best regards
/Håkan

PS thank's for all suggestions and replies DS


__________________
Regards

Håkan

[attila]

Hi Håkan,

anyway let us know how things go on...
just for your knowledge many of us that are riding the Capy all year trough have still the original battery working...
mine, for instance, is more than two years old, more than 44.000 km, and still doing it's job...

[hakjar]

Hi everybody,

Unfortunately it's not the battery. I knew this after yesterday when I did test the battery for the third time. However i'd already bought the new battery so I thought i'd try it anyway.

This unfortunate mishapp with my instrument made me doubt myself and my own expirience. I rarely make any mistakes cause I can't afford to do any and this was one of those rare occasions regarding the instrument.

I usually don't tell people what i do for a living but i'll make an exeption here.

I work as a Navy submarine engineer and has been doing since 1987 and that makes me very qualified in assesing battery status, I've also made a one year "tour" as a maintenance engineer at a nuclear powerplant.

However don't get me wrong here please. I'm not making a statement here and i still want plenty of ideas and help in solving this little problem. I can't know everything and I always ask for a second opinion when working (thats how the Swedish Navy work )..

But i do suffer from a feisty temperament in some occations, one beeing in spending a lot of money for a motorcycle and then end up with this little glich. Sorry about my temper

So the speedometer is still dead! Does it have any internal fuse on the circuitboard? The EFI doesn't show any indication of sensory malfunction

Regards
Håkan

[bikelink]

As soon as possible attila will conctat our guru of Caponord...just one day...
And we can also ask at the engineer ex aprilia ....he writes in this forum

[carlodg]

Engineer = Alberto Alberti
Guru = Fiore
me = Carlodg = two years no one problem

bye bye

[attila]

Ciao Håkan,
just reading now... I was out for a business trip...

Iìll try t get a feed back for you...

[attila]

Ciao Håkan,
first of all it seems that your defect it's pretty uncommon...

let me recap some points and correct me if I'm wrong:

- the speedometer is not working
- when you start the bike it goes at almost full dial
- the rpm meter is working fine


some suggestions for you to better troubleshoot your error:

- is the kilometer recorder working? I mean, while you're running is it increasing the numbers? (check it especially in trip mode)
- is all the rest of the dashboard ok? digits, lamps, neutral gear lamp etc...?
- check the sensor and the cables integrity of the speedometer (rear wheel)


let us know...

[hakjar]

Hi,

I'm in the process of checking the speedometer system since yesterday. Sofar I can tell that the signals from the instrumentpanel to the sensor seems OK. The sensor itself is a little trickier since I hav'nt got a centerstand yet .
However by rolling the bike very slowly I have seen a sensor output but I will investigate more. Hav'nt checked the trip/milage counter yet (and now the fairings are dismantled), that was a good idea. And to further complicate things is the speedometer now completely dead with no output at all in any situation. But everything else seems OK as far as I can tell right now. I will dismantle the dashboard to see if there is an obvious damage inside it connected with the speedometer.

Events so far:
- Stalled the bike when riding away leading to error reading on the EFI. Turned off the power waited for a while and then started again. EFI OK.
- The day after the speedometer made erratic motions when starting the engine then not operating.
- Checked the battery, not 100% OK but should work.
- Checked all electric connections and earthpoints, No problem.
- Due to a faulty instrument I measured 28 V AC over the battery. Got qualified instruments from work and double checked. My instrument were damaged (AC circuitry faulty). The true readings were 30 mV AC over battery.
- Checked rectifier, regulator, alternator and got a new battery anyway.
- It wasn't the battery
- Yesterday I stripped the bike and checked dashboard output to sensor, cable to sensor and sensor output.
- EFI still reads EFI=1 when selfdiagnostic are performed.
- All other readings in dashboard works. Hav not checked milage/trip counter.

Will investigate more.

Regards
Håkan

[hakjar]

Hi,
Well I've dicided to turn it in for a warranty repair. I've concluded that either the dashbord or the EFI is damaged. The only reason I've checked myself first is to be sure it wasn't an easy fault like a loose connection.

thanks for all replies.

Regards
Håkan

[attila]

Hi,
Well I've dicided to turn it in for a warranty repair. I've concluded that either the dashbord or the EFI is damaged. The only reason I've checked myself first is to be sure it wasn't an easy fault like a loose connection.

thanks for all replies.

Regards
Håkan

good decision... yes, dashboard in my hopinion seems to be the faulty one...
I know that is not helping, but yours is a very rare fault...
as far as I know nobody here reported such type of demage...
let us know what they find...

[hakjar]

Hi to all of you lurking here

A little update on my problem. The MC retailer has changed the sensor, no use. Now finally the new dash has turned up. Don't know what you think but to me this is unacceptable long time. Further more the dealer doesn't have the instruments to check the EFI box and claims that Aprilia hav'nt sent them one inspite of continious calls. Well, if thats true then there's something wrong with Aprilia marketing/service and perhaps related to the financial problems but i've decided to order a Tune Boy and do all the maintenance myself in the future.

I'll be back next week to lety you know if the dash change solved the problem or if the EFI box has to go in