At the time of writing, I own a 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp motorcycle. I struggled to find up-to-date information about how to reset the fault codes (check engine light) on this bike.

I tried using a 6-pin adapter cable to OBD2, and using an app, but although the app would tell me which fault codes were present, it wouldn’t clear them.

The method that worked was as follows:

  • Ensure the bike has the key turned to OFF, and the engine switch set to RUN (that’s the switch on the right-hand handlebar)
  • Take off the seat, and locate a red connector - it’s usually tucked into a gap between the battery and the ECU. There’ll be nothing attached to it - just a protective cap on the end.
  • Remove the protective cap, and don’t lose it.
  • Looking at the connector, you should see six female pin sockets. If you have some other number, then perhaps you are looking at the wrong plug, or have a different model of bike?
  • Orient the plug so that the clip is facing down when you’re looking at the pins. Now you want to identify the lower-left and lower-right pins. (I’m colour-blind so don’t ask me what colour the wires are)
  • Get a thin hook-up wire, and insert it into the two pins identified earlier.
  • Turn the key to on.
  • Wait a couple of seconds for the dash to boot up. You should see the check-engine light is on.
  • Now remove the hook-up wire from one of the plug pins, wait a second, then plug it back in again.
  • Wait a second. The check engine light should start flashing.
  • Turn the key to off.
  • Remove the wire from all pins.
  • Turn the bike back on, and confirm that the check-engine light goes off after a second or two.
  • Put the protective cap back on, and tuck the connector away where you found it.

Troubleshooting

If you have difficulties, ensure that your wire is making good contact with the pins.

Also, be careful about the timing:

  • The disconnect/reconnect process must happen within a few seconds of turning on the bike.
  • You need to reconnect the wire within a few seconds of disconnecting it.