need help bad... hit start switch and nothing happens

[jstone8952]

guys my car broke down a while ago and ive been using the bike as transportation. well today while trying to jump it something happened... i just put on some clubman handlebars and i think i messed somethign up. it started fine for about a week after i replaced the handlebars. its always had a little trouble turning over. it clicked fine but needed a little choking to get it to start. the need for it to be turned over for a while has led to it needing to be jumped somethimes because it will click over so long the battery dies. all that information may be useless but i figured id put in in there as a prerequisite. today i was jumping it to go to work and it was taking a while... then all of a sudden it stopped clicking over. the gauges lite up and everything seems to have power. i jostled the back of the throttle and starter button assembly and it caught for a second. then nothing. i had to get a ride to work and i got off a few hours ago and im trying to fix it before heading to work tomorrow. i took the switch assembly and throttle apart and while doing to kept it on and for some odd reason (possibly coincidence) when the end of the throttle cable touched the metal housing of the line and i hit the switch it clicked over?!? in fear of killing the battery without being able to start it i put it back together carefully and then tried it. nothing?!? it acts like the kill switch is on. but ive taken that apart and it seems to be fine. the connections are fine. im going to have to wait until places open to get ahold of a continuity tester (its 2am here) but i was wondering if anyone could help me out with this? no fuses are popped and like i said the bike has power. is there a way to "hotwire" it to bypass the kill switch and see if it will click over? im praying there is some easy answer to this but i could really use some help. if ive missed any information please call me out on it ill be on here constantly trying to figure this out. bike is a 1980 gs550l

[cowboyup3371]

What's the voltage on the battery? I'd check there especially since just having lights on doesn't tell you much. Trust me when I say I've learned that lesson even with mine being a brand new battery.

[Steve]

Sounds like you have several things going on at the same time, and all are against you.
Each by itself is not all that bad, but the combination is what's getting you.

Using the "choke" is not that bad in itself, so use it if you need it.

One of the common causes of hard starting when cold is mis-adjusted valves. Check your valve clearances.

If you need to jump the bike because it's not starting quickly, your battery is probably down, too. Check the age and overall condition of the battery.
When you jumped the bike to start it, was the donor vehicle running? I hope not, as that often spells trouble for the bike.

Also check the condition of your charging system. It is common for bad connections to not allow the battery to be charged properly.

Now, when you say "nothing" happens when you push the starter, do you really mean "NOTHING", as in no sparks, no clicking, nothing?. Or do you mean that it turns over, but won't fire? If the kill switch is activated (turned to the STOP position), the starter should not turn, either. If the starter turns, but the coils aren't firing (have you pulled a spark plug to see if it's sparking?), I would suspect a bad connection at the coils.

While the use of a "continuity tester" is good, a test light or a multimeter is better. The test light is a real quick way to see whether you have power or not, but you might need the voltmeter function on the multimeter to see how much you have. To properly use a "continuity tester", you need to disconnect the individual wires to check for continuity on that wire only, then put the connection back together. Not a bad idea in itself (clean the connection and use a little dielectric grease in the process), but not a quick way to troubleshoot.

.

[jstone8952]

Yeah i think one thing after another has just lead to some serious frustration. i basically hotwired the bike this morning, putting two seperate switches (one kill switch to the bat, one to the starter) and got it to kick over. its kicking over and running. got it 3/4 the way home (over an hour away) and it died, so i just knew something i rigged broke. pushed it 5 blocks and stopped 3 times to ask for a jump with no luck. last stop got a cop interested in the bike (yikes) and he ended up jumping it for me. tampa is a hell hole. never move here. im going to spend tomorrow making all the little things i did pretty and a little more permanent. liking the switches i got tho. seem to fit the bike better. oh well.... now to start another post about my loss of power in the fuel/exhaust section. this thing throws one thing after another at me.