SR250 - no start on button but...

[Fedja]

hello,

I am an noob but I'm learning...fast.
Bike won't start with the start button.
It's a 1998 Yamaha SR250, only schematic I found that is readable is this one: http://www.cmelectronica.com.ar/wiring-diagram/imagenes/yamaha-sr250.jpg
If you look at it you can see that there are 4 wires going from right handlebar control; blue/white, red/white, brown and black/blue. Mine looks a bit different. It has blue/white, red/white, black/blue and blue on connector and two browns that are joined at the end..flying (not in connector).
I have plugged connector to harness and that brown joined to brown in harness. When key is turned to on I can hear safety relay clicks. Question number one; Is this ok behaviour?
After that I push start button but nothing happens.
When I was tinkering with starter relay I accidently touched positive wire from battery and wire that goes to starter motor and engine started.

So I took right handlebar controls apart and saw something really confusing. Start switch only has one wire attached to it (blue/white). Question number two; What does start button do? What wires are connected when button is pushed? Why I have 5 wires (6 but brown is joined in one flying) instead of 4 as on schematic?

This is frustrating.

 

[Fedja]

Does it matter if I don't have left hand controls connected?

 

[jay_kent]

My honda had 2 brown wires, and it was for power to the rear lights in park.

and yes if you don't have the clutch switch connected on the left side it often won't start the bike.

 

[Fedja]

i dont think i have clutch switch on left side

 

[jay_kent]

do you have wires coming out of your clutch perch? that's where the switch is, it will prevent you from starting you bike with the clutch engaged and it potentially taking off on you. It isn't with the horn, light housing.

 

[Fedja]

No wires coming out of clutch perch...only wires on left side going out from horn/light housing...

 

[jay_kent]

Post a pic if you can, I've got an 1982 sr250. Sounds like someone has messed up your harness.

 

[Fedja]

I'll photo everything tomorrow morning.

cheers for help m8!!!

 

[Fedja]

Btw. it was all working fine and everything was connceted to work but when I was changing handlebars and headlight and turn lights I didn't mark where does wires that are not in connectors goes to.... Now I have 10 or so wires that I don't know where to connect to...

 

[Tim]

If you have 10 disconnected wires, you should disconnect your battery and sort those out.

Fundamentally everything is color coded, so literally orange goes to orange etc.

The starter button completes a circuit running from the starter solenoid

+ battery to solenoid to button back to - battery (ground) There is a second heavier wire running from the battery + terminal to the solenoid, then to the starter motor. The starter button allows low amperage 12v current to fire the electromagnetic switch in the solenoid, which in turn makes the connection for the heavier wires to allow the high amperage current to flow from the battery directly to the starter motor. A normal handlebar switch can't deal with that current and if it got to your finger, you wouldn't be on the bike for long.

 

[Fedja]

@Tim; thank you for your input. Only thing that bugs me with the starter button is that as you said it should complete a circuit to starter solenoid, but when I opened housing I saw that there is only one wire connected to that button... how can it complete a circuit with only one wire
see the attachment, that blue/white wire is only thing connected to the button

 

[Fedja]

soooooo I got it started via push button, the catch was in new handlebars that apparently are not conductive...so I used one aligator clip wire and connected control housing to frame and bam it worked. I got sorted blinking lights, tail position light and brake light wires.
I still don't have headlight and another strange thing occurred; with tail light connected I switched lights to PO (position) and tail light was glowing ok. Then I swiched from PO to ON and then fuse burned...is this normal?

 

[Fedja]

ok, here is a little update on the bugger.
I've sorted electrical issues, bike starts normally. Yesterday I went for a ride, after 20km or so she just went off. I had power in lights, horn, turn signals etc, but I didn't had signal that is in neutral. Started it by pushing, drove back to garage and found that neutral switch contact was loose and greasy...cleaned it and when I was returning the switch in I over tightened it and switch snapped. So I've put screw inside and hardwired wire to it so safety relay thinks it is in neutral. Started the bike, all went fine for 500 meters and then it died again. I was thinking that the wire came loose, push started the bike again, drove for another 3 km and then everything went black. I have no contact any more, no lights, no nothing. I can't push start it. When I'm trying to push start it I get the neutral light to light for a second but no start... Didn't had time to open it again.

Is it possible that safety relay is burned since it was hard wired and under voltage all the time? But then the light of neutral wouldn't light up when I try to push start it? Or my battery disconnected? Or what? Fuse is also allright I suppose since I got neutral light up when I try to push start it...

 

[Fedja]

ok, fuse blown again, and just a moment ago again, and it only happens during braking and downshifting/stoping. does it have to do with hardwired neutral switch?

 

[jay_kent]

You are grounding out some where by the sounds of it. Really the only thing is to clean all your contacts, switches. Pull out the harness and make sure there isn't a short somewhere along the line.

It sucks to do but it's really the only way to eliminate that part.
Then start in on the switches.
It's one long step at a time.

 

[Fedja]

I did, all contacts rechecked and cleaned. Switches cleaned, all commands work as it should. There is no problem there. I'm suspecting on that hardwired neutral switch is making trouble since it was only thing I've messed with before the fuse blowouts. I ordered new one, will know whats happening in a week or so when I replace it.... :-/

 

[Fedja]

So here we go again with electrical problems. Today I took short distance (few km) and bike was running awesome! After 4-5 km it lost power...battery dead! Rectifier/regulator cold as ice. Jump-started bike from local guy from his WV Polo but went dead after a minute or so. Recharged battery for duration of one cigarette and made it back to garage. On my way back I didn't turn on lights... and rectifier/regulator was still cold. Left it to run in idle w/o lights and it seemed stable, then I turned lights on and after couple of minutes (duration of one cigarette) lights dimmed noticeably. I didn't do any measurement at the time. Is it alternator? Is it rectifier/regulator? Battery is home made 4-pack A123 systems Lithium Ion. Main suspect is cold heated rectifier/regulator. Enlighten me please! Any comments are more than welcome (even rude ones

cheers!

 

[Bert Jan]

couple ideas;

1.Home made battery is not able to keep enough current to keep the bike running for more then couple miles.
2. alternator is shot. Do the lights go brighter when you rev her in neutral?
3. rectifier should be warm to the touch. Does it transfer any current? multimeter it.
4. old rr is not able to shunt current to desired amount and you killed your diy battery

report findings

 

[Fedja]

It was only loosen connection alternator->r/r all good now, giddy up!