Starter Relay and Starter Motor Issues / Goat's Syndrome

[Kerry]

WARNING: OLD THREAD RESURRECTION AHEAD!

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"It's deja vu all over again..."

First, a little background:

• Last September I went on my longest (GS500) trip ever - to attend family reunions in Kentucky and Ohio.
• After getting home, the bike sat (in my shed) for a few weeks.
• In November I rode 100 miles one weekend, then neglected to refill the tank.  That was my last ride of the year.
• When Spring came, I tried to start the bike a couple times (April, May, etc).  It would turn over but wouldn't start.  I suspected "old fuel".
• On Tuesday (2 days ago) I finally went through the carbs and fuel hoses.  Didn't find anything that would keep the bike from starting.
• Last night I checked various electrical connections.  I found a signal generator wire loose in its connector (which I replaced) and used tiny strips of fine sandpaper to shine up several blade-type connectors.
• THE BIKE STARTED UP!    (Never underestimate the importance of clean electrical connections!)

At this point I remounted the gas tank and seat, then got out my dying-of-loneliness riding gear and got ready for a test ride.  I got on the bike, rolled it forward to drop it off the centerstand, and hit the Start button.

ALL I GOT (over and over) was A CLICK and the sound of a partial rotation of the engine. 

What the?  The bike was JUST running ... what could have happened?  (It's not a battery problem; I hooked up an extra car battery just in case, but no difference.)

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

I sat and thought things through, and all I could come up with was the fact that I had dropped the bike off the centerstand, which would have introduced a sudden tension from the drive chain ... very similar to what happened to OPTheory's bike in this old thread.

So much for the 1,000 trip I was hoping to start on tomorrow.... 

Tonight or this weekend I'll be draining the oil and pulling the left side cover ... expecting to find broken bits of alternator magnet causing a blockage.  (ie, advanced goat's syndrome)  I hope I'm wrong, and that it's something less sinister.