It's been a long time
Hey guys I have been on hiatus from riding and instead of helping people solve problems I am here needing help... My bike was sitting for a year literally without a battery.... I put new battery in and one of the accessory wires had a red terminal so I out it on pos and it smoked so I pulled it off. Seems that the wrench that transferred my stuff from the 2012 to the 2105 used incorrect color terminals.....I taped up the smoked wire and 2 wires it burnt some of the insulation off. Bike was blinking KTRC crap and would not start. Went through fuses and found a bad 15A fuse by the battery and replaced it. Bike still won’t start. Checked PCV map, and reloaded it... Still no start. Checked every fuse and all are good.
Any ideas?
Tomorrow I am going to start with pulling PCV and seeing if that does anything. Any thoughts?
Murphy ’s Law: I finally have time and the right weather to enjoy the bike and some bullshit (self-inflicted no less) is causing grief... So fucking annoyed there was a red terminal on the wire.... I just hope nothing major took a shit from this. Only saving grace is I do have the 3 year warranty... But then I need to remove all my shit
copied from my post on zx1441

What accessory was the wire attached to you smoked? You need to look downstream on that circuit and determine what could have been smoked with a reverse voltage. Fuses are usually on the hot side so the components on the side you applied raw battery power to could have been damaged. Hopefully its a sensor you can replace ...

Bike sitting for a yr could be fuel issues also. Have you checked spark and fuel?

"still won't start'...does it crank?It MUST have virtually 12+ volts in the bat to fire.I think I started mine at somewhere around 11.9 or something(once or twice).But it barely fired only enough to cough.It can crank at a lower voltage...but it won't fire up.Check you lcd 'volts' mode.('battery' or whatever that display is).Been over two years since I rode mine.Sat over a year without new fuel.This year I charged the bat,cranked the bike,it fired right up.No problem with the 'old fuel' at all.Same with my H2.Same situation.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 11/29/2017 @ 12:49 PM *

I went online earlier this year and was looking up 'fuel condition" or something.There is a vid of a guy starting his bike that had sat with the fuel in it for 15 years.After draining the fuel,and filtering it through some cheezecloth,he poured it back in.Then he kickstarted it.It fired up as soon as the carbs got replenished.I suspect these 'bad fuel'(unless it's water in there)mentions are a myth.Mine smelled a bit odd when they fired,but other than that,they ran fine.
I DO use stabil in both over the winter though.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 11/29/2017 @ 12:55 PM *

...but you said you connected the accessory in reverse polarity...there's the source of the problem. Seems like that should only burn out the accessory if it does not have a built in reverse polarity backup. That is probably the case but I still think the trouble is OEM wires that were damaged by the heat. There's a short somewhere.

* Last updated by: Rook on 11/29/2017 @ 6:54 PM *

Fuses are usually on the hot side so the components on the side you applied raw battery power to could have been damaged.

Had a little time to think it over and (as you have probably already surmised), here's what I think happened.

The accessories ground wire was hooked up to battery +.

The accessory's hot wire was then hooked to ground --- battery neg pole or frame? Might be the issue.

So you completed the circuit backwards. Now what happens???

The full on battery power goes up the ground wire of the accessory. There is no fuse or resistor on the power that is supposed to be outgoing from the accessory. You got max amperage from the battery to something that draws 15 amps or perhaps much less.

Next, the 100% battery amperage runs through the accessory probably cooking it. The resistor at the incoming end
s l ow s all that power down preventing it from escaping the accessory which might have actually been a good thing in thais case---but I don't think so.

...because the fuse burned. There was more than 15 amps coming out so that resistor (if there is one) didn't resist it any lower than the rating of the fuse which is 15 amps.

So you had full battery amperage go in the wrong end and come out he wrong end....

Where did it go from there?

Back to battery neg terminal? This is same as holding + and - of jumper cables together. The battery will probably self destruct. Obviously not because you have power in at least some of your instrument displays.

Was the positive wire (you thought was negative) grounded to the frame? That would probably be a lot better than straight back to the battery.

and you changed the battery so that be irrelevant. provided it has 12 v or more after a charge (I just charged my Shorai for 12 hours and it was at 12.1v after installed) the bike should start.

Unless damage was done to other circuits from the reverse polarity overload.

High amperage requires a thick wire. Small wires will act just like a fuse when too much power goes through them. They will burn through and break the circuit. Since you had other wires get burned insulation, it's possible the current also went up the to where and to what effect, we do not yet know.

Sounds like you got you a winter project Seno. We'll be around. ...at least I'm good moral support but rudy up there knows his electricity a lot better. Nightmare will probably have some good advice too. don't give up.

Thanks for replies! I got it solved.... Wrench rust. Basically I have not wrenched a 14 in 2 years (I used to do everything on my 2007 and my 2012 -PCV, NOS, quick shifter, auto tune, etc). I retired in 6/2016 and have been working on the house and getting used to Florida and how bad these people drive. I was trying to start it without the tank being plugged in.... Yup, I am rusty and should have known better. I just finished putting it back together for the most part, just waiting for a plastic clip I ordered to come in and finish it up (fuel line clip/hose popped off when testing and I want to make 100% sure it is secure). I am grateful that it was the ground which was cross connected, it heated the wire but luckily none of the electronics were on... I am very grateful my foolishness did not cause a lot more grief and aggravation. Just a day of time and $7 for a new hose off fleabay. I should be ridding next week hopefully! Thank you all again for the replies, I appreciate it.

I'm glad that's all it was. Good idea to replace that fuel line. Did you feel the connector click two times when you pushed it on? and then you should tug on it back and forth a few times after it's locked to be sure it's all the way on and locked. It is supposed to have a little play but not pull off.

Thats great, glad it ended up just a story and not a winter project.

Yup, I am rusty and should have known better.

This is not as embarrassing as killswitching yourself. Now there's a good story every time you hear it.

"This is not as embarrassing as killswitching yourself"...lol.I can relate.

Out on a beautiful day on my 14.Rockin and rollin.havin a BLAST.SUDDENLY...it happened.The dreaded..'wtf?'
I coasted to a stop.This can't be happening.My rocketship just DIES?So all my props and kudos and comments about how AWESOME and RELIABLE she is are now DASHED.I'm not so damn sure now Kawasaki really IS the best out there.I'm getting pissed little by little.I try the starter.Nada.Again...nada.Fricken key's on.WTH?Haven't DONE anything to her lately.She was fine earlier.Geez.Now I'm stuck.Right here.I can't leave her.Someone will steal it.I damn sure can't push her to the next station,that's 30 miles away.Gas!It must be GAS....Now I'm even more pissed..it's a half tank.Oh shit! What am I gonna do NOW.I check everything.It all looks fine.Fuckin Kawasaki."best bike'...bs.To leave me here stranded.And I take such good care of her.How could she?I sit on the seat.Turn key off.Smoke a cigar.I just so happen to glance to the right,out over the valley.Just as I do...I notice something catches my eye.(Rolleyes)WTH?THAT switch ISN'T supposed to be sticking out like that.Now I'm REALLY pissed.I flip the switch.Key on.Hit starter.SHE LIVES!The rest of the way home I beat the shit outta myself for being so stupid.I had grabbed the switch housing while cornering.My palm hit that switch.I feel REALLY dumb.Never again!

had a similar near-death experience recently... lovely morning ride, empty roads with the speedo brushing the 200 km/h mark
stopped by the house to pick up the office key... my bike does not restart... checked the kill switch & others, all were fine, but the bike is flat dead
it ended up being a slight corrosion on the battery connectors, which did not get the protective film of grease, as mentioned in an other recent thread
i guess the relatively fast ride, on sometimes uneven roads, managed to slightly unseat one of the connectors, or perhaps even both...

I have a pullout tether kill for the DS which interrupts KS switch so, bike will start in neutral and die in gear if the switch is pulled. Rode it out to track and sitting in lane waiting to pay, getting ready, numbers on bike, tire pressure, tether kill clipped while I'm waiting. My turn, start bike up, dies, start bike up, dies again, WTF! Get down under bike thinking KS and start undoing it to bridge it. My friends roll up and ask what's up? Bike won't run! They lay fresh eyes on it, notice the pulled kill and, to their credit, did not laugh me out of the place. I am a very experienced mech and have taught auto shop so, I'm often relied upon for diagnostic work and wrenching help in our community of bike racers so, this was really embarassing....

Thanks guys. Rook the fuel line "tab" broke..... little fucking .02 cent piece of shit is not sold separately. Kawasaki wants like $93???? I got one off eBay for $7 delivered, I am just going to CAREFULLY remove the grey clip and add it to my hose assembly. So silly that all this bullshit came from a hired wrench cutting a wire that should not have been cut then putting a red colored terminal on it. So aggravating but it is almost fixed.

Hey Seno, I see you are in Lithia, Florida. On Dec. 10th Sunday starting at 11:00 AM there will be a private track rental (mostly cars, but a few bikes) and it's been over a year since I've been to the track--I'm going to be there. The event is at Bradenton Drag-strip and it is sold out for racers but they will let any number of spectators come for the $15 entrance fee. It should be a fun event. The track is about 45 miles from your town if you are interested.

* Last updated by: skewedTotheLeft on 12/5/2017 @ 10:29 AM *

I would love to go but working the Ft. Myers gun show that weekend (I have to give my wife 2 days a week without me so she can keep her sanity).... By the time I get out, pack up and get home it will be pretty late and I will be shot. I am surprised you know where Lithia is, I am in Fishhawk ranch and it’s juat beautiful over here. Very peaceful and serene... Totally different from life in NY and I don’t miss it one bit