Leaving Ignition On

Just a quickie:

I want to do some fiddling with Starcom, ipod and GPS on my Silverwing.
The Starcom works only with the ignition on.

My question:
Is it safe to have the ignition on for a few minutes without the engine running?
I won't have it on long enough to flatten the battery.

Don't see any reason why not Mike.

Obviously leaving it on overnight wouldn't be overly clever!!!!!

Thanks, Doug.
My thoughts are still in the days when, if the points were in the closed position, all sorts of damage could occur.

Doug,
If you have a home garage, where electric is easily available, then having a trickle charger for the bike is a good idea anyway. Picking one up shouldn't be too expensive, and you will never have concerns like this again.

Dan

Hi Mike,

You can always un-plug the main headlight plug. This will give you a little more time for fiddling around with the switch ON. You can even start the scooter with the front lights disconnected. No harm done. Just remember to re-plug when your done.

Thanks, gentlemen.
Better safe than sorry, methinks.

DennisB wrote:

You can always un-plug the main headlight plug.

It's probably a lot easier to just pull the headlight fuse. To unplug the low beam, you'll need to remove the windshield garnish.
I personally wouldn't leave the ignition on for any length of time. The ECU is expecting pulses from the pickup coil for the ignition trigger. Without any on/off pulses the ECU could be in constant coil firing mode, which might overheat some of the ignition components.

MikeO wrote:

My question:
Is it safe to have the ignition on for a few minutes without the engine running?
I won't have it on long enough to flatten the battery.

Each time you turn-off -> turn-on the fuel injection system will place gasoline in the cylinder. This is not a problem, just something to note if you do it multiple times you could flood the cylinder. If you need to start the Silverwing, try starting without turning-off first it may have enough gasoline to start before adding any more.

Thanks, Bill.
I've made a note of it.

Some fuel injection systems will not pulse until they get the crankshaft rotational signal. That is to prevent exactly what you describe, flooding from turning the ignition on and off repeatedly without cranking. Are you sure the Honda system does not have this fail-safe built in?

Well Mike,
There you go, a bunch of good sugestions and ideas for you to consider. Looks like I need to walk my dog now. Have fun.

A wealth of good advice....as usual.
Thank you all.
Enjoy the walk, Dennis - I'm sure the dog will anyway.

bigbird wrote:

Are you sure the Honda system does not have this fail-safe built in?

I had a hard time starting one time after a series turning the ignition off -> on a couple of times for something I was working on.

I believe you can hear the injectors when you first turn on the key.

dspevack wrote:

Doug,
If you have a home garage, where electric is easily available, then having a trickle charger for the bike is a good idea anyway. Picking one up shouldn't be too expensive, and you will never have concerns like this again.

Dan

Dan, I have and do!!