Bizarre Electrical Trouble 84 GS750EF

[fowlerrudi]

Hey folks, I am stranded at work, my bike will not start. Here are the symptons:

Turn the key on, and the guages light up, as usual, but...the oil temp guage whips to full (and the bike is cold). The headlight doesn't come on (it usually does) The starter does not work, press the button, nothing. I tried jump starting, nothing. I shorted the solenoid, it turns over, doesn't start. Verdict: No fire. I pulled the fuses, no problems, switched them around, nothing. Unplugged CDI, fuse box, etc, nothing. What is stopping the fire? It did this to me before but then magically fixed itself overnight. I never thought of it again. Doesn't seem to be loose wires, or bad connections. Wiggled everything and no problems. Can drive miles on end with no problems. Ideas?

[Dave8338]

Hey folks, I am stranded at work, my bike will not start. Here are the symptons:

Turn the key on, and the guages light up, as usual, but...the oil temp guage whips to full (and the bike is cold). The headlight doesn't come on (it usually does) The starter does not work, press the button, nothing. I tried jump starting, nothing. I shorted the solenoid, it turns over, doesn't start. Verdict: No fire. I pulled the fuses, no problems, switched them around, nothing. Unplugged CDI, fuse box, etc, nothing. What is stopping the fire? It did this to me before but then magically fixed itself overnight. I never thought of it again. Doesn't seem to be loose wires, or bad connections. Wiggled everything and no problems. Can drive miles on end with no problems. Ideas?

Sounds like a ground issue. Poor grounds will make guages do strange things and those devices that draw the most current ie. head light and coils, will cease to work. I'd start at the main ground to the engine block from the battery and work my way in from there.

[fowlerrudi]

Hey thanks. That seems to be the idea on www.nbriders.ca as well. Bad ground somewhere. I'll have to go on a scavenger hunt after work...Thanks again.

[t3rmin]

You tried shorting the solenoid already so this probably isn't it, but I'd take a good look at the clutch lever interlock switch. I think it only prevents the starter from activating though...

[fowlerrudi]

Clutch

Yeah, already checked out that clutch safety switch, works like a new one.

[AOD]

Kill switch?

[Guest]

Kill switch?

That'd be my guess also. But it wouldn't stop the head light from coming on.

[fowlerrudi]

Hey guys, thanks for all the help, I tore up everything, the oil sender, the fuse box, CDI, headlight, rear lights, voltage regulator, and traced it all to nothing. I put boosted with another battery and nothing happened. I took the battery out and installed a new one....BINGO. Do I feel stupid for searching through the entire bike when it happened to be the battery? Before you make fun, remember, battery would whirl the engine over so fast it would make your head spin. When shorting the solenoid the bike would roll over, just like a new battery. I don't know what is with this battery, but it is on it's way to the dump...

Again, thanks for the help.

[twistedwankel]

Hey guys, thanks for all the help, I tore up everything, the oil sender, the fuse box, CDI, headlight, rear lights, voltage regulator, and traced it all to nothing. I put boosted with another battery and nothing happened. I took the battery out and installed a new one....BINGO. Do I feel stupid for searching through the entire bike when it happened to be the battery? Before you make fun, remember, battery would whirl the engine over so fast it would make your head spin. When shorting the solenoid the bike would roll over, just like a new battery. I don't know what is with this battery, but it is on it's way to the dump...

Again, thanks for the help.

Something doesn't sound right here. You sure you didn't clean a ground or reconnect a wire in the process of changing the battery?? I've had a battery so dead it wouldn't budge the engine or light the headlight fully but would still fire the engine when I roll started it to get home even with a bad stator only putting out 11Volts.

[fowlerrudi]

Absolutely certain this was the problem. Don't buy DURABATT batteries. You get what you pay for. You can have the old battery if you want, it is capable of pulling some nasty tricks.

[emjay]

I picked up a mainenance-free Yuasa absorbed glass mat battery - worth every penny. It won't let you down.

http://www.yuasabatteries.com