Please HELP. GS500 will not start!

[Swan81]

Hi

My 1991 GS500E suddenly will not start. I was riding the other day and parked. After 10 min I tried to start and absolutely nothing happened. Except for oil and neutral lights everything else is dead.

This is what happens when I turn the key:

Oil and neutral lights turn on.
No head light, brake light, indicator or any other lights.
When start button is pressed nothing happens. Not even a clicking sound.
When I turn the key there is a click from the regulator.

I have tested the starter relay and it seems to be OK. The 20 Amp fuse is fine. Battery is pretty new and shows 12.4 V.

When trying to bypass the starter relay with a screwdriver the engine turns but will not start. When doing this and pulling the throttle it back fired massively.

Any ideas? I would really appreciate some help.

[rocketgirl]

I'm new to the GS so I'm not familiar with its quirks, but if it was me I'd check the safety switches (side stand and clutch). 

[qcbaker]

Are you pulling in the clutch when starting? Are you attempting to start the bike in gear with the kickstand down?

[Swan81]

I am attempting to start on the center stand with bike in neutral. The clutch swith is missing and there i just an open slot where it is supposed to be. However, it has been that way since i bought it. No electrical wires are connected to the clutch lever so i assume the previous owner has bypassed it somehow?

[BockinBboy]

Battery. 12.4v isn't enough to start the bike

- Bboy


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[Watcher]

Battery. 12.4v isn't enough to start the bike

- Bboy

Uh...  It's a 12V system running 12V batteries.  12.4 is absolutely enough to start it.
I'd be willing to bet you could start it on 10V.


When you turn the key all running lights should come on (headlight, taillight, gauges) as well as the indicator for oil pressure and neutral if applicable.
The fact they don't makes me think either the wiring is buggered or something is disconnected.

[Kiwingenuity]

Looking at what I assume to be the correct wiring diagram for a GS500E - Not sure if you have a service manual for your particular bike (get one!!)
http://www.classiccycles.org/media//DIR_1653304/DIR_1762756/abb58082b60cffe7ffff8268ffffe417.pdf

If you follow the battery connections through to the ignition switch (Red line) - you will see that in the "on" position, you are getting power to the oil and neutral indicator lights (Orange wire gets linked to the Red one) - your horn should also (hopefully) work with the ignition on. All good - neutral light working means the diode module and neutral siwtch is still probably ok.

Next item in the circuit is the sidestand switch (Top right of wiring diagram).
You should be able to put the bike on the center stand, and pop the side stand up - at this stage (ignition on) check to see if you get a 12V signal on the orange wire with the blue strip (Easiest to check it at the handlebar kill switch).

It is also possible that the former owner did a not too stellar job of bypassing the clutch switch - you could try strack down how they have done that / check for a broken connection.

If you have checked the starter relay / motor, my bet is on a faulty connection on the sidestand relay / faulty relay (damaged connection more likely if someone may have tried bypassing it - could be a damaged or corroded connector), or the engine kill switch. Sometimes unplugging everything, giving it a good clean with WD40 / CRC 226 may work.

Good luck - and let us know if you trace it out / have any other questions.

[BockinBboy]

A good, charged 12v battery is 13-14v... anything under 12.6v, depending on general battery health, the bike WILL have trouble starting. I'm not saying it won't start under 12.6v, I'm saying you will see signs of strain to start it. An older battery with depleted cells can show over 12v and you may not even get clicks. You can't rule it out just because it said it's over 12v - that doesn't mean it can actually start the bike - depends on battery health.

Edit: I had very similar symptoms with a 4 month old motobatt in my GS... longer story short - Motobatt helped me determine it was faulty and replaced it without charge.

- Bboy

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[Kiwingenuity]

+1 BBoy - Definately worth having a good battery - and correct wrt the voltages. Bike will run like Sh*T on a dry battery / AGM with a popped cell (I too have had a motobat fail). If you bump start does it try run at all>?

It is odd no headlights or anything - there is a connector that could leave just the neutral and oil light and nothing else - In the middle of that wiring diagram there is a connector shown to the left of the "Front Brake Light Switch" (the connector that has orange/blue+orange/white+yellow/white+yellow/white+black+black)

If that connector was disconnected (Or had some dodgy contacts happening), you would get a no-go with the symptoms you have described.

Hope this helps

[GSChesler]

A good, charged 12v battery is 13-14v...

Is this true? I've never seen anyone make this claim before, except when they're talking about measuring a running car's battery voltage... 13-14v sounds like the measurement when the alternator is charging the battery, but I would not imagine a sitting 12v battery to ever show 13-14v.... 12.6v is about what I would expect from a battery on its own

[Watcher]

A good, charged 12v battery is 13-14v...

Is this true? I've never seen anyone make this claim before, except when they're talking about measuring a running car's battery voltage... 13-14v sounds like the measurement when the alternator is charging the battery, but I would not imagine a sitting 12v battery to ever show 13-14v.... 12.6v is about what I would expect from a battery on its own

That's how I've always seen it.  Charging voltage should be around 14, standing voltage should be around 12.

[pliskin]

Here-here on 12.6v on a resting battery. I've got 2 new batteries sitting at 12.4v and a third one at 12.6). 14v-ish what you want to see on running bike and good charging system. I start my VFR on 12.4v below freezing in the dead winter.

Sounds like a wiring or switch issue somewhere. I'd try to bump start it like someone else said.

On a side note I've dealt with a charging issue on my other bike a while back. One day I took a long ride and parked it for a minute. It would not start after. I let it sit for a while and once it cooled down it started again. Wound up being the stator burning up causing the regulator/rectifier overload protection to activate. I kept running it like that not knowing there was an issue until the battery eventually quit charging and the whole system burnt up.

[BockinBboy]

Alright I'll take it that I'm wrong on resting voltage numbers. It seems like Im only ever testing a battery when it's bad anyway - or shortly after I've replaced it and the bike had been on... so it wouldn't have had a chance to actually 'rest'. 

BUT. I still contend you will begin noticing starting issues with a resting voltage at or below 12.4v on a motorcycle battery. Especially on a cold bike. There just isn't a lot extra CCs there like a car battery. Motorcycle batteries are just enough to start  a bike without room for much else.

- Bboy


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[Kiwingenuity]

Swan81 - any luck tracing the Gremlins?

[gsJack]

Check kill switch?

[Bo bates]

Hi I'm new to this site just read this link my gs has the same problem did you find out what was wrong?  I've tried new battery relays wiring. It will start if I short it in the selinoid. If you hit the start button when it's running you can hear the starter working. But absolutely nothing when you turn the ignition on. Please someone help it's driving me crazy!!!!!

[mr72]

I am pretty sure the original problem in this thread was a dead battery.

I'm pretty sure your problem is a bad starter.

[Bo bates]

Cool thanks for your reply.. The starter dose work if I short the selinoid...

[mr72]

yeah, you mean the relay, right? Big round thing on the RH side mounted next to the battery tray?

If so, you found your bad part. Replace and be happy.

[Bo bates]

No I replaced that.  Still no life when I turn the key. No lights nothing. Lights work if I short the starter selinoid and so does the starter but only when engine is running.