Starting issues

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Gulrok

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Feb 14, 2017
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Location
Mount Laurel, NJ
Jeeze. Last september, the bike died right outside of the shed I store it in.. and wouldnt start.

I knew the battery was a few years old, and rough.. so I just pushed it into the shed.

Well I just replaced the battery, and it won't even crank. I actually don't even hear the fuel pump kick on.

Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue (and solution), before I go diving in electrical.
 
Hmm ok,

So I was able to jump across the solenoid and get the starter to spin. But again the fuel pump didn't kick on. I can't seem to find my fluke .. or I would have gotten more into testing.

I did find on the fuse panel underneath the tank that I had a dead fuse for the dash lights.. with a tiny copper wire running across the bottom of it to jump the two terminals. Yeah so I need a new 10 A fuse. Still finding crap that the old owner did.
 
So I found the fluke and started chasing all the wiring.

Have power, have power, have power.. had no power at the switch.. but I had good continuity. Traded it back to the plug. Turns out ... somehow ( I have no freaking idea ) the plug was plugged in partially enough that everything else worked but the "on/off" switch and therefore the fuel pump wouldnt turn on, and the starter wouldn't spin when the button was pressed. I don't remember ever messing with that specific plug but I could have and maybe I didn't plug it back in all the way.

I replugged it in after inspected the plug over and over and not being able to figure out what was wrong.. and bingo it worked. I haven't ever touched the plug but I wonder if the wiring got tugged on enough that it partially pulled out of the plug. ( Or that the little keeper wasn't in it holding it properly. ) Either way it is fixed now.
 
Every season I spray contact cleaner in all my plugs. Can't hurt. Glad you're up and running.
 
Disconnect your plugs and use dielectric grease on the terminals. Preventative maintenance.
 
I'm glad to hear it was an easy fix.
I chased a no spark issue for a few weeks and luckily it also ended up being a fairly easy fix.
 
I had a sidestand relay fry in my '85 a couple years ago. Changed out the ignition box, checked the pickup coils, nothing. I got a tip here to check that little relay, unplugged it and it fired right up. I never bothered replacing it, the bike runs just fine without it. However the sidestand cutout is nonfunctional now.

I thank Sean for sending me an ignition box to help diagnose the problem.
 

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