No headlight; no start.

[apopleptic]

So today I finally put the exhaust back on the bike and hooked the battery back up and tried to start it.
It tried to kick over for a moment and then no more cranking. I checked the battery and it seems to have a good charge.
I also noticed the headlight is no longer lighting, but the indicator lights on the cluster are lighting up.
The main fuse is fine, and if I short the two main terminals of the starter solenoid it cranks. When I checked the trigger switch to the ignition solenoid it is at 12V without hitting the button. I thought that it only went to 12V when the ignition was pressed.
Does this mean the starter switch has failed? or do you think that it's somewhere else in the harness like in the headlight bucket.

Everything has been more or less gone through prior to this and everything seemed to be fine until I tried to fire it up today. It was running fine in November when I took the pipes off.
Thanks!

[Cdnpt1]

Do the signal lights, horn etc work? Have you pulled the controls and cleaned the starter button connection? When i started with mine i had to clean and regrease that because the connection wasnt very good and I had problems with intermittent starter firing. The recent cold weather may have hardened the old grease in there and fouled the connection. Did you check that you havent bumped the hi/lo/off switch for the headlight into the off position? Just some thoughts.

[apopleptic]

Thanks for pointing the obvious out to me.
Nothing had any juice but the cluster.
Looked again and remembered why they put a second ground wire on these things...
Just so I could forget one....
Now to try to get it to actually start. Could it be time to use the choke for the first time ever?

[Cdnpt1]

I am nothing if not a master of the obvious . So did you get it going?

[apopleptic]

I am nothing if not a master of the obvious . So did you get it going?

no, I think my battery may be dead.
I knew it was on it's last legs, but suddenly the spark is so tiny...
I'm thinking of ordering a replacement online, I saw some AGM battery for about $60 delivered... Any reason this one wouldnt work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUZUKI-GSXR1300-HAYABUSA-F4-YT12A-BS-BATTERY-99-11-AGM-GEL-SEALED-2-YR-WARRANTY-/400264692252?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item5d31a2821c

And this one goes on sale all the time for 60 delivered.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TruGel-Battery-MG10L-A2-Suzuki-GN250-GS400-GS425-GS450-/360381601011?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item53e86ad4f3

**EDIT**
$53 delivered

http://www.sublimepowersports.com/trugel-battery-bm-mg10l-a2/

[koolaid_kid]

Do not buy the gel battery. That is yesterday's technology. I have a MotoBatt in both my bikes and I know lots of folk who have them also. AGM is the only way to go; spillproof, come fully charged, the best reasonably priced technology out there. I put 5 years on the one that came in my GS when I bought it, and who knows how long it had been in there before I bought it.

[apopleptic]

Do not buy the gel battery. That is yesterday's technology. I have a MotoBatt in both my bikes and I know lots of folk who have them also. AGM is the only way to go; spillproof, come fully charged, the best reasonably priced technology out there. I put 5 years on the one that came in my GS when I bought it, and who knows how long it had been in there before I bought it.

I dont follow your post, those batteries were AGM. are you reccomending something else? or did i miss something?

[koolaid_kid]

The other batteries were not AGM, they were Gel. That is why they are called TruGel. "Factory Activated Gel Battery". Their ad is incorrect in calling them AGM batteries, they are not.