I thought KIPASS Stranded Me Last Night.. (New Title)

[B.D.F.]

Hey Chris, whadda' ya' doin' with dat bike? Off to the dealer? Beat it to death with a fob? Pray to the KiPass gods that it starts?

Really, let us know how this goes.

Brian

[PH14]

I'm having trouble sleeping at night without knowing the outcome. 

[Conrad]

I'm having trouble sleeping at night without knowing the outcome. 

Take two fobs and call me in the morning.

[clogan]

Well, crap!

I just read thru 7 pages of posting on this thread, and still don't know what happened. Was it the guy on the grassy knoll?

[VirginiaJim]

Possibly...

[PH14]

Take two fobs and call me in the morning.

 

[B.D.F.]

How'd ya' make out Chris? ?? Did you have that drink? Still drinking....?

 

Brian

Welp...I had the tow truck here ready to bring the bike down to my dealer. I had both FOB's in hand, to put inside the glove box. I figured, for and giggles, I'd try it one more time...WHADDYA KNOW...SHE STARTED RIGHT UP!!! 

So I decided to separate the two FOB's and test them out. One did work and the other did not work. But odd thing is, both of them didn't work last night, but now one does?  So right now the bike is running and I am going to head down to my dealer tomorrow with the FOB that doesn't work and see what happens. To say that I am annoyed...and somewhat embarrassed is an understatement! 

Of course, with my luck, I'll try to start it tomorrow and it won't start!!! 

AGAIN, thank you all for helping me out. Time for a drink!

-Chris

[elp_jc]

Hey gang, read all this thread and no freaking answer on what happened? Geez. Does that sound like the spring issue fixed on newer bikes (with a stronger one)? Just curious.

And I take the opportunity to post this related Youtube video I found to see if there's any benefit on doing that. And/or to make people aware if can be done. Apparently some folks tried to replicate that with no success (see comment section). Comments welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdaFCRSicGM

[maxtog]

Hey gang, read all this thread and no freaking answer on what happened? Geez.

  Don't you hate a cliff hangar?   Almost as bad as these TV series know where the "season" is over and you have to wait an entire YEAR before it airs again.

And I take the opportunity to post this related Youtube video I found to see if there's any benefit on doing that. And/or to make people aware if can be done. Apparently some folks tried to replicate that with no success (see comment section). Comments welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdaFCRSicGM

We had threads elsewhere on that- mostly hardware stores that fail to clone the key.  As long as you have two "keys" (which you get with the bike) you should be fine.  Of course, if you lose one, then you will want to seek out having another spare.

[VirginiaJim]

Hey gang, read all this thread and no freaking answer on what happened? Geez. Does that sound like the spring issue fixed on newer bikes (with a stronger one)? Just curious.

And I take the opportunity to post this related Youtube video I found to see if there's any benefit on doing that. And/or to make people aware if can be done. Apparently some folks tried to replicate that with no success (see comment section). Comments welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdaFCRSicGM

Supposedly the newer bikes have stronger springs but we've heard of it happening on the newer bikes as well.

As far as getting a key programmed with the rfid, I don't see why it wouldn't work but then you can get a credit card key from Kwackers and get it programmed for that as well.  It won't help you if the spring is the culprit, though.  And as much as you hear about the spring issue here, it really hasn't happened that much at all.  Happened to me twice early on in my bike ownership and hasn't happened again (knock on wood).  Hasn't stopped me riding the bike.  Hasn't stopped me owning the bike.  Hasn't stopped me having fun on the bike.

http://youtu.be/VaWl2lA7968

[B.D.F.]

The KiPass activation switch issue has been reduced on later C-14's due to a stiffer (Easy Boys) spring but it has not been eliminated.

The way Kawasaki could eliminate this problem is to mechanically couple the activation switch with the ignition switch. That way if the activation switch stuck down, so too would the ignition switch and main key. This would do two things: make the user aware that something was wrong with the ignition assembly and much more importantly, give the user the opportunity to mechanically overcome the stuck switch by pulling it up directly. Even if pliers were needed, and that is not likely, the switch could be freed easily and it would be easy to verify that it did, indeed, pop back up (Boys!). It is really the entire concept of 'fail safe' designs, and a spring return simply is not fail safe in even the loosest use of the term.

Not to turn salesman on you but I do sell a commercial product that will absolutely eliminate the possibility of this situation ever stranding or interfering with the starting of a C-14 ever again.

Brian

Hey gang, read all this thread and no freaking answer on what happened? Geez. Does that sound like the spring issue fixed on newer bikes (with a stronger one)? Just curious.

And I take the opportunity to post this related Youtube video I found to see if there's any benefit on doing that. And/or to make people aware if can be done. Apparently some folks tried to replicate that with no success (see comment section). Comments welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdaFCRSicGM

[elp_jc]

Thank you very much for your input. After reading some more, I'm not worried about this at all. Bike will be parked and covered inside my garage except when in one of my few trips a year. Second, even if that happened, I know disconnecting and reconnecting the gray connector resets the switch, so I wouldn't be stranded; just have to make sure I carry the tools to do that. And third, it seems to happen when crap accumulates in the mechanism, since one owner resolved the issue with compressed air once in there. With a stronger spring, cleaning that area regularly, and with bike garaged most of the time and never being used in the rain on purpose, the chances of that happening on my bike are slim to none.

And finally, I'm aware of your bypass switch for that Brian, along with the low-fuel-range/no-warning harness, and might get one or both if necessary. I'd buy the low-fuel-range in a heartbeat if it didn't eliminate the warning, so have to own the bike for a few hundred miles and decide which is more important. And the bypass one I have a couple of years to decide since it doesn't happen when new (will monitor this forum for cases in newer bikes). Thank you again folks. I'm VERY happy the only potential issues with this bike are really stupid stuff, and easily fixed. Now it's time to make some phone calls to make this happen folks . Have a great weekend.

[just gone]

I'm not sure how I missed this thread earlier, but I just read through the whole thing. It seems we have communication errors more than
we have KIPASS errors. Really the whole thing is clear as mud. Especially at this late date when all of Burbs photos are gone.

I'm now going to do the FOB trick that was mentioned above. 

Welp...the battery and the ignition trick did not work.

And I still see no response at all to my suggestion a long time ago to try it passively.  I will quote, again, what I said:

"2) Or a totally defective active Fob- which you can quickly eliminate that by attempting to use it passively by placing it correctly on the ignition area (SEE USER MANUAL), waiting 10 seconds, and pressing the knob to see if it wakes up."

Yeah I suggested that in my first post as well, okay my second post, but it was my first real post and the first post with any suggestions.

'I was first!' 'No, I was first!'

Youse guys crack me up. 

They crack me up too!  Especially when Burbs did respond, but didn't use the words they were expecting to see. 

I'm not sure what happened here either, but I'm pretty sure it was more than one thing. It seems that a grounding/connection problem
started the whole thing off (and it happened to Burbs again later on) and then either a stuck KIPASS activation switch or perhaps even a kill switch in the wrong position went on to further complicate things.
Reliving the frustration of those trying to help was amusing. 

[Freddy]

............and some folks think KIPASS is a worry.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?82299-General-Observation-DESS-error-reports-seem-to-be-growing-recently!

[BMahar]

  So what happened to Chris ?  Did he follow Brian's advise, start drinking and never stopped ?? Did he sell his Concours and get a new Indian or
  Anyone know the outcome of this lengthy subject ??
  Inquiring minds, and even mine, like to know.
  Brent

[TonyR]

So yesterday, I went out for a ride.. came back home atry to startfter a while to pickup my wife as we were going out to my daughter's for dinner.
I parked in the driveway, went in the house to get her and she's was wearing a dress... So I said "we're not going on the bike?" "Nah... it's too sticky, lets take the car".
I go back out and try to start the bike to put it in the garage and it wouldn't turn on. I couldn't even turn the key. I went in the house to get my second fob, and nothing... same problem. So I'm thinking something blew the main fuse or something.
I pushed it into the garage and went about my business.

Today I came home after work and headed to the garage to see what was going on. Ignition key turned on and the bike started right up???

Go figure??? 

Tony

[maxtog]

Go figure??? 

It's obvious- your C14 is totally jealous!

[Conrad]

So yesterday, I went out for a ride.. came back home atry to startfter a while to pickup my wife as we were going out to my daughter's for dinner.
I parked in the driveway, went in the house to get her and she's was wearing a dress... So I said "we're not going on the bike?" "Nah... it's too sticky, lets take the car".
I go back out and try to start the bike to put it in the garage and it wouldn't turn on. I couldn't even turn the key. I went in the house to get my second fob, and nothing... same problem. So I'm thinking something blew the main fuse or something.
I pushed it into the garage and went about my business.

Today I came home after work and headed to the garage to see what was going on. Ignition key turned on and the bike started right up???

Go figure??? 

Tony

When was the last time that you had the battery out? Pull that sucker out and clean ALL of the connections. Put some type of contact cleaner on and put it back together.

[TonyR]

I forget last time the battery was out... You are probably right.

[stevewfl]

the mad pow-ah of KiPass rules