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I have a 2001 bandit 600, it ran fine till one day it died mid trip, started again but soon turned off again. Got it home jumped it ran for a few moments then died. The battery is new, and it cranked at this point so everything seemed to point to a charging problem. I replaced the alternator put the carbs and hooked up all the wires again and now it doesn't even power up the lights let alone crank.

Checked the starter switch with a multimeter it's good, check the battery again it's good, occasionally the lights will turn on but if I touch the breaks theyll turn off again and won't turn back on. It seemed that if you jiggle wires the lights would go in for a bit and if I was super lucky it'd crank for a split second. So I took the time to test every lead I could find for continuity and it all has power.

Also I've arched the starter solenoid to see if I could just get it started that way but all it does is crank. I checked for spark and I've got spark, I've got fuel, and I've got air. Had it start up yesterday for about 30 seconds after messing with it all day and had jumpers hooked up, hit the breaks and the whole thing turned off. Mind it started by the starter switch so it can start normally through the starter system. Tried starting with the kickstand up and all the normal oversights.

What could I possibly be missing?

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Sounds like you have a bad ground, broken wire somewhere or a main fuse. From what I can find there is a main 30 amp fuse near or under a plastic cover by the starter solenoid. According to what I read at Visor Down, the original post described nearly the same problem with their Bandit:

The wiring for the main power lead/30 A fuse goes through a plug that sits on top of the soleniod and on mine the pins got a bit corroded over the years so made intermittent contact. A gentle scrape with a knife blade cleaned 'em up and a very careful slight bend of the pins to make better contact has cured it.

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  • Would this explain using the brake light and having the bike die? The 30amp in the solenoid is an isolated circuit for the starter. Nov 22, 2016 at 21:16
  • Not to me, but that is what the person in the post linked described (corroded connector). I am leaning more toward a broken wire or loose ground , but It is possible Suzuki is getting chassis power from that point.
    – CharlieRB
    Nov 22, 2016 at 21:23

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