The problem I had is revealed at the end. I bought the harness off of ebay from a salvage place. The connector was purchased from www.cycleterminal.com/honda-1...
You ARE a mechanic, and a lot of people that call themselves mechanics shouldn't. Patience, a bit of trial and error, but even the 'EXPERTS' miss a lot, make mistakes and continue to learn from experiences. I just got a 2003 Shadow VT750CD ACE that POPS when decelerating...seems to be on the higher end of the RPM (downshifting or letting off throttle)...Doesn't happen every time but scared the heck out of me when it first did...didn't do it on my test ride. Thanks for sharing the story.
Thanks!!! Personally, a mechanic to me is someone who has the training, unless your talking backyard mechanic. Then that's a possibility, I enjoy learning and figuring things out
Man, you get a big thumbs up from me..I watched from start to finish, and nothing wrong with your style. nothing but respect man for the way you didnt give up even after set back after setback until you tracked the cause down..now you are a mechanic of your own bike..I have a 2001 Vt110 that I bought online, Its waiting for me to fly in , in sept, Its has no spark so I am told, so I am searching the net for possible answers, before I ride right around the outside of australia.. So much appreciated brother for your video and calm way of explaining things..good luck
I'm battling issues with my shadow. I just wanted to say thank you. I hope it's not that issue you had but I will be checking for spark. Mine won't idle. Great still with throttle but slow cruising through town it wants to die. Thank you for sharing my friend
have identical problems with my VT1100,,,weak spark or only front spark,,,did everything you did, repkace this and that, one day good next bad,,still at it, but will go check it again,,,great video
If it's electrical, it's a pain in the ass to find. Could be just a broken wire inside it's casing still... good luck and let me know what it is if found
The answers to our problems in life are usually sitting right in front of us, the distress/anger/distractions make it very hard to see it through though.
Wow conquered your bikes demon's,....even your mechanic couldn't do that.****** Yeah,....your not finding that in any Motorcycle repair manual. Great Video.
Thanks dude and I appreciate you. I’m feeling your pain right now as I have replaced all the same parts and rebuilt and replace the boots on the carbs, changed plugs wires coils fuel pump and relay tore apart the harness etc and I was going to get a new computer because I have exhausted every avenue and several friends. Yeah new coils battery and the pulse generator I can’t wait to get out there tomorrow and check the connector for the brain and see if it works for me too. I was about to dig a hole and put the shadow to rest. I am a persistent person like yourself Great job. Never give up and don’t listen to anyone who says you are country or long winded Those people would never get the problem figured out Bravo brother!
Thx. I bought it from auction about a year and a half ago. It’s a 2003 spirit with the rare purple flames paint job. Only 4k miles. I get frustrated but I will never give up on it. It’s almost impossible to get an appointment for service as there’s no dealer within ten miles of me and they’re too busy with the workload they have to even give me an appointment. I have several other bikes to ride ( or repair) in the meantime however my 2013 CBR 500 needs a new clutch, a crazy fast 02 VFR800 that’s got no rear brake, a 2005 Sportster that runs great but rides like a rock and is not meant to do anything but go in a straight line, ( that’s what I’m replacing with the shadow) and I just won an auction for a 99 Superhawk that I will pick up this weekend. I got the shadow for summertime and short trips into town as I hate being so cold on any cruiser with my hands and arms out front of me but it will run like a sewing machine unlike the HD. Yeah I was about to get a new brain for it when I saw your video and you must’ve seen all the other videos of similar problems out there and nobody else has gone as far through the ignition system and fuel delivery as you and I have I wonder if Honda has been hiding a potential recall issue and not issuing any service bulletins on similar problems with the harness. How many others are suffering this same thing and are frustrated beyond belief. How much was the new harness and where did you purchase the connector from? I am thinking of getting one and avoiding the cost and trouble of replacing the whole thing even though I am pretty good at removing the whole carb setup and the air box now that I’ve done it so many times. God what a pain! Thanks
@garrick3380 I have to say I am a bit jealous of the amount of bikes you have lol. The harness I bought used off of ebay from a online salvage store. The place I bought the connector from is this place www.cycleterminal.com/honda-16-pin-icm.html
Connectors are often the-culprit . It does-pay to check-them with a meter (both-sides ) and give them a wiggle . You can use some ingenious-methods for cleaning them back to 'Bright' as-well , makes a big difference . Dave nz
Hat's off to you man that's some persistence. Plus you were tired of that bike shop for soaking ya and taking your doe💸💸 and not fixing your problem. And the takeaway and pisses me off is they didn't do what you asked em to do. Great vid and explanation of your trial's and tribulations. Bet there was a little blue talk happening trying to figure out what the F🤬 was going on. Now I don't own you type of ride but it's always good to know and keep in the tool box. Never know who ride's what and the problem comes up. Great job and thanks for the share. 👏👏👏👍✌️🙃
Thank you for the taking the time to write that out, I could say lots about that particular mechanic and shop but that's in the past. Always learning, especially with the older bikes.
Sounds to me the bike shop did as the customer asked.. Look how long it took him to figure it out..if it stayed at the bike shop chasing out that problem..this customer wouldn't be able to afford to pick up the bike after all that time of chasing this problem..
Nice video. Heads up search for 3 pin connector from your stator to regulator its a bad connector very common for ruining your voltage system easy fix if caught early just bypass and wire up the 3 yellow wires individually.👍
it's never good to just be trowing parts at an unknown cause of a malfunction, knowing the diagnostic basic like how to test a fuel pump can save you so much time and frustration, not to mention money, it's not always easy finding out what is wrong but it makes the process so much easier when you can now for sure what isn't the problem...........
the 2 most important rules of repair for a diy'er, always start with the simplest possibility first and never replace a part until you are sure the old one is bad and i guess there's a third rule, there's no such thing as a mistake as long as you get an answer..... @@motoalley
you should be working for NASA bro. thank you for making this video. I've had my shadow for 10 years and rewired most of it except the computer terminal....I've always heard as for coils, they either work or they don't.
Lol thanks for that, the amount of mental stress and frustration that went behind finding this issue taught me a bunch. I did find other issues through my searching that I fixed that I guess could be a blessing
No problem, hopefully you figure out the issue. From what I've learned it could be anything, or everything. Test and eliminate possible causes is really the only real solution
I just had an issue where every once in a while my key wouldn't work. Turned out it was the Ignition switch. They wanted like a $100 for it. So I took a jumper wire and tested off the back of the Ignition switch to see if it was that. It was so I went and bought a $4 5 AM toggle switch and put it in place of . Bike works great. I still put my key in before I flip the switch on so people think you need a key to start it.
@@motoalley When I crimped the bullet connectors on I made it so I could remove the switch and connect the bike straight so in case the switch ever fails it will at least get me home.
Hats off for your explanation of your trouble shooting Did I "Miss" what year and model you have ? BTW, Have you noticed any improvement from the new wiring harness ? In my aviation DAZE I had test equipment and it was interesting to note the break down in older harnesses. More noticeable at higher altitude
Thank you!! I'm not sure if I mentioned the year and model but it's a 97 shadow vt1100. Only noticeable difference is that its not cutting out on the one cylinder, I didn't replace the entire harness, just the section with the connector
I pulled the plugs, cleaned them and upon replacing the fuse box I put it in gear and it just died. So removing the unnecessary wires, "no turn signals" it cleaned right up.
How often do you need to unplug that, never, ok then bypass plug by soldering the suspect wire to it's mate after the plug, or all of them in that connector. The three yellow coming out if stator to rectifier are eventually going to melt the plug so do those too
Im experiencing this exact issue on my 1977 yahama 3 cylinder.. coil test good, replaced Condenser and point. No go. Im replacing entire points system with elecrtonic system..
I'm subscribed! What a detailed description.ty I'm working on a vt600 and front cylinder isn't hitting.but also that carb isn't getting fuel so it's a couple things
@@motoalley yes ,no spark.i got the bike to run on one cylinder.the front cylinders exhaust was cold .i tested the wires connected to each side of the coil.i have power to the coil.but testing the spark plug i don't get spark .I replaced the coils.and plugs ..I loosen the screw on bottom of carb to see if fuel is in carb.the rear carb has fuel the front does not .I'm going to mess with it today.and thanks so much for the quick response
Dude I picked up a bike like this and went through the carbs and new fuel pump and everything and determined the front cylinder was doing the same thing and someone told me my carbs needed to come off ! When I get back home I’m gonna try this !
@@odasity2970 not yet , funny thing the front cylinder is rich in the rear cylinder is lean . Im gonna pull off the ca be and go through them again and see if that makes a difference. I do need to get a new battery also .
Could be obvious ,but when buying a old - ish bike you need to do some checking with the models and how hard it is to find parts ,especially electrical bits . I had a Shadow 750 and bought it because it was in good order and was cheap for a daily runabout for myself ,but it was a real money pit .Did all the usual checks and thought it was the carbs ,bought a rebuild kit and all seemed well .On a run it run great till around 55 - 60 mph and wouldn"t go anymore . I am a retired mechanic but decided to have the bike looked at by the small local bike shop ,anyway the old guy there insisted it was a electrical fault . He had the bike 3 weeks and declared the work a success ? around $300 dollars later [U.S. money] as I am in rural northern England and the bike wasn"t too bad ,but I could feel a very slight missfire in the back of my mind ,like you can seem to feel if you have had a vehicle any length of time and it"s not quite right . The mechanic was reluctant to tell me what was specifically wrong and said it was a mixture of things - minor parts and setting - up ?. But I just did not have any more patience ,so sold the bike at a loss and swore to never buy another Honda . Bought a Yamaha Wildstar 1600 and it has been reliable ,with no oil leaks and always starts first time ,even if left for long periods with a low battery . Have more than one bike now ,including a Harley ,so am fairly good for reliable transport - and no Honda"s ???. Nice to hear someone else"s whoa"s ,Good luck !.
That's part of the reason why I got rid of my 84 vt750, didn't really ride it after I bought my current bike and parts were getting extremely hard to get.
Probably needed a valve adjustment. My father inlaws 03 ace 750 was doing the same. Did a valve adjustment and now runs like a champ. It only has 11k miles. Was really surprised it needed needed the valves adjusted that soon. His last bike was an 05 aero 750 and it went 60k miles with nothing but oil changes.
I have an 01 shadow sabre 1100. Owned it for 11 years now 38k miles I got it at 25k Other than the usual tires, brake pads, battery, bulbs etc. I've replaced the headtube bearings and my locking ignition switch stopped working (which I bypassed with a $4 toggle). she's been a very good girl.
Don't write off all Hondas, just do some research. Most models are really bulletproof, and go high mileage. I've had all kinds, and Honda is usually the most reliable, in my experience. But, there's problems with some models. Ride safe!
@@geraldburmeister9637 that's interesting. I'm having the same issue where I can get up to 60mph and it starts fumbling like the ignition is cutting or it's running out of gas. Doesn't matter what gear it's in either. At the same time though I can hit over 50 in 2nd gear right before the rev limiter kicks in. Wondering if I should check my valves now.
I'm not sure if my 1996 model VT 1100 has the same computer? I'm having similar issues, no spark at all. I'm exhausted trying to diagnose this. I've tried pretty much everything, and now have narrowed it down to the same area as you did.
Mine is turning over but not idling long at all as if it doesnt have gas. I pulled off the fuel pump and it works. Put it back on and bypass the relay but didnt do the trick.
After it dies, if it does, open up the drain plugs on the carbs to see if they're getting fuel, if they are, I'd do a fuel pump test, see if it's pumping as it should. If that checks out, chances are it's in the carbs
it started about 20 years ago that shops won't work on bikes older than 10 years because of these kind of issues. a shop can charge you $1,000 and not fix the problem, or make another problem. bike repair is a dying trade.
I've noticed that. They'll work on what they want and charge what they feel fit on whether or not they want to do the job. Taking it upon myself to do my own repairs on it(unless it's super complex)
Goodday.Wow.You 've had a lot of issues with Your shadow.I have an '86 shadow 1100 that i've had to change the fuel pump last year.bike bogged down & died on the road.I changed the starter relay & connector going to the relay.went to start the bike.the bike turned over but wouldnt start.then the bike wouldnt turn over at all.The fuel pump usually turns on with the key on but now nothing.Any helpful tips would be appreciated?have a good day.
Check the fuses? Might be possible that a fuse went bad? Do you still have lights when you turn the key on? Take a look at the wiring diagram and see which wires the fuel pump and the key have in common. Electrical is a issue that I hate chasing.
@@derrickhillier1173 with the key on, is there power going to the fuel pump? If there is, that tells me the pump is bad.. if not, trace it back? You can bench test the pump to see if it works as well
Ciao amico ho una Honda wadow 1100 VT 1989 ho un problema a volte si spegne mentre vado ,l'altro giorno sono tornato a casa spingendo la moto si e spenta e non partiva più,la mattina dopo e ripartita,ma non mi fido può essere il connettore della centralina?tu hai cambiato anche il pickup i due sensori per il consenso della scintilla? Cosa può essere l'altro giorno andava a 1 cilindro quello davanti era freddo,grazie
@@motoalley I just picked up a 96 VT1100C Shadow. I wish it was the ACE, but I can't complain at all for $400. I'll be checking this when I get off today since I've been getting flooding, wet plugs, backfiring, etc.
R U serious? I'm going to pick up a Shadow tomorrow and this video gives me serious pause for second thought. I don't want to go through this kind of h377 I've never had this kind of h377 with my Honda inline air cooled twins. I've had other kind of h377s, from my bikes being 35 years old, but not this kind. Maybe this Shadow model doesn't deserve the reputation it has for reliability... after all. Honda needs to watch this video and step up and make a trip to your house to fix all those problems.
Why the h377 does this bike have a fuel pump? One more thing to go way bad and leave you stranded. My inline twins are gravity fed and it works just fine. I'm even wondering why a non-fuel injected bike has a computer at all. Yet another thing to break. They didn't switch to fuel injection on the Shadow until the 2012 model. Anyway, I feel your pain. Went through the same thing you did on your bike with a 1981 Datsun Zcar. I had warped the exhaust manifold, which created an unknown problem of hot exhaust blasting on the stalk of the electronic distributor... and unbeknownst to me, the electronics inside with the crank angle sensor would heat up and stop working. The car would run for 30 minutes, then die leaving you stranded with no spark. You'd be scratching your head with the hood open, and then 15 minutes later the spark would magically come back. You'd drive another 15 miles, and boom, same thing happen again. Depending on course of the temperature outside. It was maddening to figure out over years... years... years. When I finally did, I made a blast shield to direct the exhaust away from the stalk, and stuffed some fiberglass into the gap of the exhaust manifold where it had warped. and broken off a bolt.
@@motoalley Well, I'm picking up a 2008 Shadow Spirit tomorrow for 1900, mint. I hope I'm not buying someone elses problems. It's 150 miles away, and I got the trailer and truck in the front yard, that I have to add a tag mount and some trailer lights today before I leave tomorrow. I am very warry about buying the Shadow, because of the water cooling, and the Vtwin. I can't see how you can ever change the top end on this bike without taking the entire engine out. Just taking the carb out looks to be a chore, but it's a chore on my inline twins too so... Also I was worried about replacing the rear brakes with the shaft drive, but it looks like the shaft drive is easy to unbolt. My other two bikes are a 1985 Honda CMX250 Rebel and a 1982 CM450, so the 2008 Shadow Spirit will be my third.
@choppergirl getting into bigger bikes like the liquid cooled, shaft drive shadows can be intimidating, I started out on a 84 cm250, big difference. I'd recommend doing a complete service, change all the fluids before you ever ride it, it will give you a peace of mind knowing all the fluids are fresh. You can't go wrong with a well taken care of shadow. It'll be affordable and well worth it
@Jake Watson thanks for the criticism, looking back on the video now, I'd definitely would of planned it better, jotted notes down and explain my experience better.
all that for a broken wire waste time jezz replace the computer before you check the wires hmmm seems lil bit like cart before the horse always check wires and pin in connections before replacing computers or any electric components Day ! shit
Yeah, it's very hard to find competent people these days. It's almost always best to do what you did: fix stuff yourself. Thanks for sharing your video. I also have a Shadow that I recently bought--a 2007 VT1100. It's a real creampuff--only 4,000 miles on it, and in near-mint condition. I'm currently chasing down a bad grounding issue in the turn signal indicator circuit. Hopefully I'll get it figured out without having to tear into the entire wiring harness.