another "bike won't start" thread UPDATED

[12thmonkey]

Sorry i haven't updated this thread yet. While i was working on my bike on Saturday (actually in the middle of posting to this thread)...my laptop crashed. So, as soon as i finished working on the bike, i spent Saturday and Sunday afternoons with the computer. 

Anyway, here's what ended up happening: First off, i realized that i hadn't been doing the tests correctly. i hadn't had my wife hold the starter button down, she more just pressed it for about 1 second. So, that is why i wasn't getting a consistent reading, i'm sure. On Saturday, i followed the two relay tests in the Clymer, and got decent readings. i used a quicktie to keep the clutch lever pulled in, and attached some wire extensions to the multimeter with some alligator clips, so i was able to leave the meter on the tank, and push the starter myself. Worked great! The first test is like the one Kerry described...only Clymer says you should just get a low resistance reading...it doesn't say what it should be. i got a reading around 9 ohms (if i remember correctly). The second test says to unclip the little 3-contact wiring harness (basically pull the relay off the bike, and disconnect it completely), and check the resistance across the two small contacts (not the bigger posts). In this test, Clymer said you should get a reading between 3-5 ohms...which i did. So, my relay was good...which was good news, but also had me worried my starter itself was bad. When i took the starter relay off the bike, i realized that all of the contacts were really, really dirty. i cleaned and lightly sanded all the contacts. i reassembled everything, and tried to start it once. Same thing. So, i stopped, prayed, and tried again. It started right up! Skeptical, i killed it and tried to restart it at least 10 times throughout the day. Each time, it fired up easier than it ever had! Thank you LORD! On Sunday, i tried starting it several times, took it out for a ride, and tried starting it several more times. Each time it fired right up! So, for now, it's fixed.

Thanks for all your help, Kerry. 

[Kerry]

Thanks for all your help, Kerry. 

Shucks - I mostly just stood by and watched while YOU did a great job of persistently working the problem.  Kudos for not freaking out and replacing parts right and left before pinpointing the cause.