ignition problems on a CB900F supersport

[TheBinkTonUp]

i have a perfectly running bike one day and then dead end the next, 30 year old bike is a labor of love i suppose.... anyway my 1982 CB900, started being a funky lil bitch yesterday with starting... i would hit the button and get a lil click and then nothing a lil click and then nothing, so i figure the starter BUTTON is sending power to the starter solenoid, so i move to the starter solenoid, and jump it out... works fine, cranks the bike would definately start it... now, i move to the ignition switch, put the key in and for the first time ever co-incidentally the headlight doesnt come on..... head scratcher... i check all the fuses, everything is legit... i disconnect the igition switch, and clean it up, same deal... i REMOVE the ignition switch and jump the red/black together and still get nothing from the starter button, headlight still non functional... im gonna pull my hair out... anyone have any ideas? this is my daily driver and its gonna lay me up now... i already ordered a new ig switch, i figured for like 40 bucks why the hell not... but that still doesnt explain the rest of the issues, as far as i know the only fuses on the bike are on the top of the handlebars, no? any help would be appreciated... thanks

[davidgwells]

Battery?  Check it with a volt meter with the bike off and then again when running to make sure it's charging. 

[TheBinkTonUp]

battery is solid, and charging normally.... grrrr its as if all the wires at the ignition switch are dead... how often would an ignition switch go dead? is there a way to just fricken hotwire the thing??

[teazer]

Did it blow the main fuse of which wire snapped from old age

[TheBinkTonUp]

every fuse i know of is still in tact, including the fuse in the starter solenoid itself... the 30A bar? theres not something INSIDE the ignition switch is there? im just puzzled as to why when the RED/BLACK wires on the ignition harness itself are bridged wouldnt that at least turn the headlight on or make it as if the switch had been turned?? im electrically retarded... sorry guys.

[davidgwells]

There's nothing in the ignition switch fuse wise.  Is the bottom part of the switch still pressed in to the upper tight enough?  I replaced mine awhile back and have it taped together because it kept backing out. 

[TheBinkTonUp]

yes, i actually removed it from the bike entirely (post problem) and cleaned it up on both sides, and made SURE that it was seated properly, there is VERY minimal corrosion the connector or the switch

[BobaChris]

You can also hit up cb1100f and see if there's someone that has had this happen on their cb900.
Also they have the manuals in PDF format on their to download. One of the first things I did when I bought my 82 cb900.
As for your problem I'm not sure. I'm in the middle of building my wire harness and dealing with new components.

[teazer]

If you haven't already done it, trace the wires from battery to ignition and see that you have connectivity the whole way.


You could also hot wire it to test that you have a decent spark.

[TheBinkTonUp]

the fricken rallycar is in the shop... so this is my primary right now... but the second the cars back the whole wiring harness is getting 86'd and i'm starting from scratch, that's a fact... i wish this had a kickstart...

[rays650cafe]

Did you try shooting the switch with contact cleaner? Sounds like the contacts inside the switch are dirty/ corroded. Or, the switch is broken, the headlight interupt seems to be stuck in the start position. But not contacting the contacts to engage the starter. Good luck.
Two Fiddy posts!!!!

[TheBinkTonUp]

thanks ray, i should try that... i cant get INSIDE the ignition switch because the plastic tabs are on 3 sides, and i dont have a tool to push them all in at once.. i should just soak it in contact cleaner hahah

[TheBinkTonUp]

took the switch completely apart, filed and cleaned every single contact, still no change in activity... a wire must have broken somewhere.... this is annoying...

[Sonreir]

Stop spinning your wheels and grab a multimeter, man.  Find exactly where the problem is without all the guess work.

[TheBinkTonUp]

im a tattooer, so i'm stuck at work... til 9pm and the bikes in the shop hahaha multimeters home.. so im more or less doing what i can from here heh... i am gonna just start tracking down whats getting signal and whats dead when i get it home... but i honestly think i'm just gonna rip all the wires off and build a new harness there's like 32486 dead ends at the moment anyway...