bike won't start!!!

[Frost]

I dropped my bike last week...and i finally got around to fixing the bike...

but the bike won't start...what should i check for?...i don't even hear the starter motor trying to run...lights are on...and gas is in tank...what problems might there be?

[EvilScooby]

I would test or charge yoru battery, even though the lights come on it may not be enough for the starter

[jdiggity]

put your kickstand up?  

[Frost]

kickstand is up...
did all the usual check...

even battery is full...
what's wrong with it? :x

[Kerry]

Don't shoot me, but ... engine kill switch on the right handlebar?  

[Frost]

ya...i tried everything...
do you think the kill switch is shot?

[Kerry]

do you think the kill switch is shot?

Probably not, but did the bike land on the right side?  I guess it's remotely possible....

If the bike landed on the left side, maybe the clutch lever safety switch broke.  You can check by removing these two screws and pulling the switch downward:


Otherwise, you may need to short out (or otherwise test) ALL of the safety switches for continuity.

EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net

[Frost]

it landed on the right side...i checked wires and sorts...no obvious damage or loose bolts nuts...

still can't figure out whats wrong... :x

[Jared]

Did you wipe out the right side case good enough to damage te ignition trigger?

[Frost]

how do i check if i did damage the ignition?

[Kerry]

I'd wait on the ignition trigger until you at least get the starter motor to turn.  If you get no sound or motion at all then there is an open circuit somewhere between the battery and the starter motor.

Your fuse is fine because you have lights.  Have you consulted a wiring diagram yet?

EDIT: Changed wiring diagram link from gs500e.co.uk to bbburma.net

[Frost]

i looked at the circuit diagram...sort of...as much as a i can understand and find on the bike...

but don't know how to check for problem...

[Kerry]

Hmmm.  I won't be able to "talk you through" an example until later tonight at the soonest.  (I'm about to leave for home.)  But I'll be happy to do so when I can....

Meanwhile, see if you can find the starter relay on the bike and "short" the contacts (with a screwdriver) while you push the starter button.  (Did someone else already mention that?)

[Frost]

sorry for being ignorant...but what does it mean to 'short' the circuit??

i'm a complete mechanical idiot... :dunno:

[Kerry]

No worries Frost -- I haven't forgotten about ya!  I spent 2 or 3 hours gathering info tonight, but I'm not prepared to "publish" yet.  I need to take some photos tomorrow, and scan a thing or two, and THEN I'll be ready to write.

Thanks to you, I'm finally gaining firsthand experience with the starter relay!  

BTW, do you have a repair manual?  If so, which brand (Clymer? Haynes?) and which edition (covering which years)?  I'm just wondering if I need to do this all from scratch, or if I can refer to sections and pages and diagrams, etc.

[Frost]

WOW... ...kerry...you're the nicest person in the world...can't believe that someone would help me out like that...THANKS!!!!

i figure it had something to do with the starter relay after reading the other posts...but can't figure out how or what to test it...

i have the Clymer 1989-2002 GS manual...

THANKS again kerry...

[Jared]

My bad... I misread the post . I  thought the motor was turning.... I gotta stop working these 50+ hour weeks......

[Kerry]

For lunch today I went out and basically followed the Clymer instructions on testing the starter relay.  But at the same time I took COLOR pictures.  If you don't mind, I'll talk about the starter relay in particular this time around, and get into the more general troubleshooting stuff later....

Here's what I did (following the instructions in the STARTER RELAY section of the ELECTRICAL SYSTEM chapter in the Clymer manual):

1) Put the bike on the centerstand and in NEUTRAL.  (You'll see why in a minute.)

2) Popped the seat and pulled the right side plastic piece.  The starter relay is in the center of the photo:


3) Pulled the starter relay straight out from the frame.  I had to wiggle it back and forth a lot, but I didn't need any tools.  Can you see the horizontal slits on the top and bottom of the rubber housing in the first picture?  The relay assembly is mounted by pushing those slits over a pair of metal "tabs" attached to the frame.


4) Pushed the red and black rubberized "boots" away from the main relay connections.


At this point I took a short (pun intended) detour from the Clymer instructions.  Various wiring diagrams and pictures told me that the only thing keeping the starter motor from turning even when the ignition is turned off (!) is the half-inch of space between those two bolts on the starter relay.  No safety switches, nothing else.  That means that if I were to "SHORT" the circuit by touching my screwdriver to both bolts at the same time....

Sure enough -- the starter motor turned the engine over!  The bike won't start because the ignition key is turned to OFF ... right?  And the rear wheel won't turn because the transmission is in NEUTRAL ... right?     And it wouldn't matter anyway because the rear wheel is off the ground (because you put the bike on the centerstand) ... right?  .

OK, that was fun.    Back to Clymer....


5) Disconnected the black wire from the forward bolt and connected an ohmmeter across the two bolts.  (Keep the black wire AWAY from the area while you do this.  Could be BAD for your meter to have it connected across the battery -- via the starter motor -- while it's in ohm-reading mode!)


6) With the help of a friend:
* Turned on the ignition.
* Made sure the sidestand was up.
* Pulled in the clutch lever.
* Pushed the starter button.


We couldn't do all that AND take the picture, so the reading on the meter is wrong.  It should show between 3.0 and 5.0 ohms.  If you get the "infinite resistance" reading shown in the photo while the starter button is depressed (and after hearing a "CLICK!" from the relay) then the starter relay is bad.  If you don't hear a "CLICK!" then you need to check some more wires and connections.

TIP #1:  Don't let the "CLICK!" from the relay freak you out (like it did me!).  That's the sound of the two bolts in the 3rd picture being connected together INSIDE the relay, and "shorting" the circuit like I did externally with my screwdriver.  (Which is why you disconnect the black wire, so the starter motor won't draw a bunch of current through your meter.)

Whew ... enough for now!  Try going through this procedure, and let us know what you find.

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

TIP #2: If you don't have a cool multi-meter like in the pictures, you might consider dropping $10-$15 on a fairly simple one.  It will come in handy in the not-necessarily-distant future.  But if you're strapped for cash you could buy an even cheaper circuit tester like these tools from Harbor Freight:

• $2.99 Circuit Tester
• $6.99 Extra Long Circuit Tester

(Heck, my older brother MADE one of these in shop class about 30 years ago by drilling out the handle of an old screwdriver -- down to the metal shaft -- and then inserting a springloaded flashlight bulb with a wire soldered onto the metal "can" part.)

With one of these units you would do the final test a little differently:

• Attach the tester clip to the negative (-) battery terminal, or to a piece of (bare) metal attached to the frame.
• With the clutch lever in and the starter button depressed (and after the "CLICK!") touch the tip of the tester to the relay bolt that the black wire was originally attached to.  The light on the tester should light up, indicating a closed (current-conducting) circuit.

EDIT: Updated links to Harbor Freight items

[Juanfer]

Wow Kerry....you keep surprising me....

You are great.  

[Frost]

THANKS!!!...i'm going to try it when i get home tonight...