ALL HANDS ALL HANDS! HELP! HELP!

[aaronmact]

Im meeting with someone in an hour and of all the times my bike chooses NOW not to start! I was cranking it to get it to start then nothing! it just stopped! NO noise. Nothing from the starter relay either!  I checked my grounds. checked my clutch switch. kick stand up. nuetral. and now ive tried messing with the starter button and nothing! help!

[fraze11]

Only because you didn't mention it...we'll assume your kill switch is off and you didn't hit it by accident.

[aaronmact]

Nope this is after flipping all switches trying every combination, undoing the battery, checking the fuse. everything

[adidasguy]

Any lights on?
If no lights, then check the fuse. Not the spare, but the one under the cover on the starter relay.

[BockinBboy]

Any lights on?
If no lights, then check the fuse. Not the spare, but the one under the cover on the starter relay.

+1!

- Bboy

[AnonRider]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but the same thing happened to me today.

I tried to start the bike, no spark, nothing- not even a sound when i hit the start button. NOTHING.

The lights are all working properly- it wasn't hooked up to a battery tender but i JUST did that, tried starting it after putting the battery tender on, - i got nothing, so i'm leaving the tender to charge up the battery some.

[adidasguy]

If lights are working, the fuse is OK

If the starter relay does not even click, the circuit is simple:

1. Kill switch - set to ON
2. Pull in clutch
3. Press starter

The starter button is in series with the clutch safety switch. Disconnected safety switch or broken switch will keep the starter relay from clicking. Solution to try: get a tiny scrap of small wire or paperclip and short across the switch or the connector.

Another safety circuit of lights are working: Side stand switch and neutral switch.
With bike on center stand and in gear, raise and lower the side stand. You should hear the side stand relay click on or off when the side stand is nearly all the way up.

The side stand relay will be energized when the bike is in neutral (as indicated by the neutral light being on). Raising and lowering the side stand will have no effect.

The circuit of the side stand relay and kill switch will prevent the starter relay from clicking (and that circuit disconnects +12v from the ignition coils).

If the wires from the clutch switch are disconnected, the starter relay won't go. The wires are yellow/green and are on 2 barrel connectors in the headlight bucket (89-02). The safety switch can be permanently bypassed if the 2 barrel connectors from the switch are unplugged and what the plugged in to are then connected together. (I have seen that done in a headlight bucket for an 89 and we do it sometimes for initial testing of a bike).
On 2004+ models, the safety switch connectors are in the left hand control plug and therefore can't be bypassed that way but that also means if the plug comes out, nothing from the left hand control will work (headlight, turn and horn).

[AnonRider]

figured out what my issue was, lol-- wasn't pulling in the clutch as i hit the starter. i feel like an idiot.

(*saved* adidasguys post for the future) the clymer manual is pretty good, didn't specify about the safety switches though

[aaronmact]

I still have all lights and my fuse is good as well. I beleive its my starter relay :/ Theres no clicks or buzzes from any of it and my fuse is fine. When i ground the two ends of the start relay the bike trys to crank. My other switches are fine from what is seems

[adidasguy]

I still have all lights and my fuse is good as well. I beleive its my starter relay :/ Theres no clicks or buzzes from any of it and my fuse is fine. When i ground the two ends of the start relay the bike trys to crank. My other switches are fine from what is seems

Then check the clutch safety switch wiring and connections.
Also side stand and neutral - so do the test for the side stand relay or be sure you are in neutral.

[aaronmact]

My clutch saftey switch is good, my bikes in nuetral, and my kickstand is up. I tried your kickstand down and up method and nothing happened.

[aaronmact]

Ok So recap so far.

Battery-12v
Killswitch-12v
Starter switch orange wire-12v
Starter switch yellow when circuit closed-12v
Clutch safety switch-12v
20A Fuse-12v
Neutral light is on
Ignition-works
Side stand safety switch (idk if I can pull 12v off of that but the sidestand is up)
Starter motor- Cranks when positive and negative terminals on the starter relay are grounded.

My hypothesis is that its not getting the proper voltage from the positive part of the relay to the negative. Thus not turning the starter motor. Is this correct or am I missing something else?

(Should note previous attempts to start the bike I kinda had to hold down the starter switch for a bit till it would turn over.)

[radodrill]

with all the tests done, I'd say the coil within the starter relay is bad; especially since you get +12V out of the starter button ant the starter motor kicks when you jump 12V directly to it.

[adidasguy]

My clutch saftey switch is good, my bikes in nuetral, and my kickstand is up. I tried your kickstand down and up method and nothing happened.

To test - if bike is in gear, you can hear the faint click of the side stand relay as you raise & lower the side stand. About 1/4theway down is where the side stand switch trips and the relay clicks.

4 terminals on the starter relay.
========================
1 big one to the battery +12
Another big one to the starter motor. (Short those and bike will start)

One terminal is ground for the coil
One terminal comes from the starter button. No voltage. When starter pressed and all is OK you see +12

And then there is the fuse which has a terminal for +12 going out to the rest of the bike: to the ignition switch and the regulator.


Starter relay could be bad (or dirty contacts on the plug). It can happen.

[aaronmact]

Sorry guys Ive been at medical entrance processing for the navy the past two days. Talk about a nightmare  I think with everything said and done Im just going to try and order a new relay. IM just kinda worried though. The last time I tried a new relay my bike didnt work whatsoever. It was a brand new relay and absolutely no power would travel through it. I also couldnt get my Wire plug (forgive my term but it has the three wires) to plug into the starter relay either. so between it not working and my plug not fitting im not sure what to do. :/

[adidasguy]

Remember the fuse is there - not the one in the open which is the spare. Be sure to put in a fuse in a new starter relay assembly.

[gs500Faddicted]

I still have all lights and my fuse is good as well. I beleive its my starter relay :/ Theres no clicks or buzzes from any of it and my fuse is fine. When i ground the two ends of the start relay the bike trys to crank. My other switches are fine from what is seems

Open up your Starter switch housing (two screws) and clean the contact point where the spring and wire center touch.  Dirt gets in there and keeps it from making contact..  Clean it with a contact cleaner (IMPORTANT) use the type that does not damage plastic.  Got mine at Advanced Auto.  That should fix it.

[aaronmact]

I tried all that and it didnt work :/ I did manage to solve the problem though. Its under the topic Manged to bypass my starter relay. (or somthing like that.)