Hi there.  New member here, but I have been lurking for awhile.  Recently I was involved in a crash.  I broke the left fairing, front blinker and mirror.  When I push the starter button, nothing happens.  It's not turning over or anything, but I can still start the bike by push-starting it.  I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction in identifying what the problem could be. 

thanks for the help.

check inside the starter switch housing to make sure the contacts are still good. if they are... good luck, you're in for some switch and relay testing. do you have a manual? examine the ignition system wiring diagrams...


d

Hi there and welcome,

Since the problem occurred right after the crash, it is very likely that they are related. Often a crash can cause a wire to get shorted when it gets pinched between metal pieces.
I'd pull the wires for the starter switch (right handlebar switch) out of their connectors and then test the switch for continuity when the button is depressed. There should be NO continuity when the switch is not being pressed and there should be an infinite amount of continuity when the switch is pressed in.
What year is your bike?
I'd go down the list of other electrical connections on the handlebars and check them one by one until the problem is found.
Good luck and let us know what you find.

Yours,
Todd
P.S. Where are you located, for those of us who may be close enough to you to help you with this?

Thanks for the info.  My bike is a 2004 and I am in San Francisco

So it went over on the L/H side eh?.......... Look under the bike close to the sidestand mounting and check the sidestand switch is functioning correctly. There are 2 wires going to it a Green and a Black+White. Pull these off the switch, short them together then try starting it and see what happens.

Thanks for the tip, I will check the stand out.  It might also be the centerstand as there was a little damage to that. 

check your starter relay also.. its part of the main fuse along the side of the bike..

You might find your answer here: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=40630.0

There is a clutch switch on the underside of the left-hand side of the handlebars held in by two very small screws. This switch, when working, allows electricity to travel to the starter relay, closing the connection there, and allowing it to continue to the starter motor, which starts the bike. If you are not getting a clicking sound from the starter relay, then the clutch switch is a possible culprit as it is cheaply made. Give me a few minutes. I'm going to go out to the garage and take some pics of what and where the clutch switch is.

Okay, here are some pics,

Here's the switch, right at the base of the clutch lever:


Clutch switch with wires plugged in (these wires run from the starter button and then eventually to the starter relay):


Another shot (you can make out the clutch lever in the upper left and center of the picture, for reference to the location of the switch):


This is what my old clutch switch had become and which is why it was no longer working:


Unscrew the two small screws that are visible in the first photo. There is a little plastic slide connected to a metal tab that moves from side to side to either open or close the connection between the two metal tabs you see. If this little plastic piece has broken off from the metal tab then you'll need to replace it. You can buy it at Ron Ayers or Bike Bandit, or other places for $10-11. Hope this helps.

P.S. I think this is the first thing you should check given how easy it is to do so. You might spend hours as I did looking and testing other areas for the problem. This is a simple check. Do it first