Bike wont start...

Hey everyone, hope you all can help me out as I really want to get this pain in my running... Bike has been sitting for a year, charged the battery up three weeks ago, bike turned over just fine. Spent the next week getting everything I need to finish her, went to start it and nothing happened. Battery is showing 12 volts, so thats good. If I short the - and + terminals on the starter solenoid, the starter turns right over, so the starter works and the battery has enough juice to turn it. I disassembled the starter button and kill switch completely, cleaned and greased all terminals, and reassembled. Continuity tests on kill switch shows nothing with open(Off), beeps when closed (Run). Continuity tests on starter button shows the same. Continuity tests on all wires checked out fine, no breaks anywhere. All connections were cleaned and checked, everything was fine. Fuses are all good. So I started thinking beyond all this, I checked for power coming from the ignition when the key was turned on, nothing. So power isnt even getting to the ignition. So I started to check the schematics to see how power flowed through the whole bike and I just need someone to check me on this:

All power comes from the battery obviously. When the ignition key is turned on, the circuit is closed between the battery, the ignition and the rest of the bike. Now speaking strictly of the starting system, when the ignition is turn on, power flows from the battery, through the starter solenoid, through the 4-pin connector on the solenoid, through the ignition, through the fuse box, then through the kill switch (assuming its in the Run position), through the starter button (assuming its being engaged) back into the starter solenoid and down into the starter motor. Does this sound right? The reason I ask is because nothing works on my bike now, yet everything worked just fine before this starting problem. So if my explanation is correct, then technically, if the solenoid is fried or if the 4-pin connector is removed, then no power would be able to reach the rest of the bike. Therefore, making the solenoid the culprit to the pain currently residing in my ass... Thanks for the help!!

Make, model, and year?

On some bikes there is a main fuse hidden on the solenoid, check to see if you have 12V into the key switch. If you don't then look for that "main" fuse.

Also, when you check your fuses, check to see that you have voltage at both ends with the fuse installed. I have seen fuses fail that still appear fine.

Continuity is great, but regular voltage can be different than the low volts your meter is using to test for continuity.

Usually, the flow is Battery through main fuse to key switch, into kill switch, into ignition (points or Electronic ignition), into coils, Spark at the plug.

The starter circuit is married after the kill switch to the starter button, into the solenoid (relay), relay closes the high amp terminals and the Starter spins.

Your screwdriver test at the solenoid tell us that either the starter circuit is not getting voltage, or the relay is not closing.

With the ignition on and kill switch to run, the screwdriver test should actually start the bike IF the only thing dead is the solenoid.

My guess is a hidden main fuse that has spoiled the fun...

My bad, 83 cb650 nighthawk

There was an old dog bone fuse in there originally, but when I got the bike some idiot just put a wire there. Worked fine, however, I had to jump start my bike a few years back and accidentally reversed the jumper leads to the battery and that little wire fried up quite a bit. The bike still started and worked fine for at least 3 years after that. I first suspected that little wire might be the problem, so I went and replaced it with a 30A (manual says so) blade fuse. Still nothing. I think Im going to reconnect everything as original, but leave the 4-pin connector removed from the solenoid. Connect a positive lead from my multimeter to the hot wire pin on the solenoid, and ground the negative lead from the meter to the frame. If the solenoid and 30A fuse are working, power should be flowing through right?

Bozz said:

On some bikes there is a main fuse hidden on the solenoid, check to see if you have 12V into the key switch. If you don't then look for that "main" fuse.

Also, when you check your fuses, check to see that you have voltage at both ends with the fuse installed. I have seen fuses fail that still appear fine.

Continuity is great, but regular voltage can be different than the low volts your meter is using to test for continuity.

Usually, the flow is Battery through main fuse to key switch, into kill switch, into ignition (points or Electronic ignition), into coils, Spark at the plug.

The starter circuit is married after the kill switch to the starter button, into the solenoid (relay), relay closes the high amp terminals and the Starter spins.

Your screwdriver test at the solenoid tell us that either the starter circuit is not getting voltage, or the relay is not closing.

With the ignition on and kill switch to run, the screwdriver test should actually start the bike IF the only thing dead is the solenoid.

My guess is a hidden main fuse that has spoiled the fun...

Click to expand...

Your test will check to see if the solenoid is getting voltage and if so, how much.

If you are getting less than about 10V to the solenoid it may not close.

However, you will need to leave the plug attached to the solenoid and put your test probe in the back of the connector.

With that plug removed, the battery voltage cannot travel through the main fuse as it is disconnected.

For that matter, with that plug removed the entire bike will most likely be dead!

I get what your saying, makes sense. Except, wouldnt the voltage from the battery travel through the main fuse first before it goes through the connector and the rest of the bike? Also, on a perfectly good bike, does the solenoid close when the ignition is turned on or when the starter button is pushed? Thanks for your help bud!!

For your first question, it depends on your specific solenoid design, some tap the thick battery lead for the main fuse while other designs have a seperate lower amp lead from the battery to the main fuse that travels through the connector in question. I don't know which design you have, so testing with the connector in place will work regardless.

To your second point, on a stock example the starter solenoid only closes (clicks) when the button is pushed, but on many bikes the button gets it's voltage from the kill switch so if the kill switch is off the button can't trip the solenoid.

Older bikes didn't have this which could result in a person cranking and cranking their bike only to find after they have nearly drained the battery that they inadvertently flipped the kill switch.

If you're not getting any power to the ignition switch then you either have a blown fuse (probably in-line) or a wiring issue.

You should have a live wire going to the ignition switch at all times regardless of anything else.

Ya thats what I figured. I always wondered what the point of a kill switch was lol... but ya, im positive the power flows through the main fuse first before it gets to the connector... thanks for your help man, really appreciate it!!

Bozz said:

For your first question, it depends on your specific solenoid design, some tap the thick battery lead for the main fuse while other designs have a seperate lower amp lead from the battery to the main fuse that travels through the connector in question. I don't know which design you have, so testing with the connector in place will work regardless.

To your second point, on a stock example the starter solenoid only closes (clicks) when the button is pushed, but on many bikes the button gets it's voltage from the kill switch so if the kill switch is off the button can't trip the solenoid.

Older bikes didn't have this which could result in a person cranking and cranking their bike only to find after they have nearly drained the battery that they inadvertently flipped the kill switch.

Click to expand...

Fuses are all good. Power on my bike goes through the solenoid and main fuse before it goes anywhere else. The power wire running into the ignition comes straight from the connector that connects to the solenoid. So if im not getting power coming out of the solenoid, the issue is most likely in the solenoid. Im just trying to make sure im understanding all this stuff before i go plop $30 on a solenoid and it still doesnt work. I will retest everythign else again this weekend just to make sure thats the problem, but im pretty sure it is at this point. thanks!!

hillsy said:

If you're not getting any power to the ignition switch then you either have a blown fuse (probably in-line) or a wiring issue.

You should have a live wire going to the ignition switch at all times regardless of anything else.

Click to expand...