1978 GS1000 starter circuit problem

[Guest]

Everything working properly until I removed the battery to clean various ground connections located amidships.

After reconnecting the battery, all lights work but no response when thumbing the starter. Silence.

Inspected all fuses. Good. Looked at back of fusebox. Ditto. Inspected starter solenoid. All wires present, clean and solidly connected. Bridge the two terminals atop the solenoid with a screwdriver blade and the starter motor comes to life.

My rudimentary conclusion: the circuit is open between the battery and the starter solenoid, but I'm unable to see where. The only wires that I intentionally disturbed were connected to the positive and negative terminals of the battery, and they all appear to be back in place and securely fastened.

Obviously I did something in removing and reconnecting the battery that disturbed the circuit but I clearly need some help to think this through . . .

[Nessism]

The Positive battery cable runs directly to the starter solenoid, I doubt that circuit is open unless you forget to hook up the cable. The starter solenoid should also have a yellow/green wire which provides the trigger for the solenoid to engage. I suggest checking for voltage at this yellow/green wire when the starter button is pushed.

[Steve]

Did you pull the clutch lever before pushing the starter button?

These bikes came with that feature from the factory, but many of us have bypassed it.

.

[sschering]

Check to see if the solenoid case is grounded.

My guess is you disturbed whatever was grounding the solenoid..

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies.

Problem solved . . . in a curious way. As I was measuring voltage at the green/white wire that triggers the solenoid (thanks, Ed), I found myself observing the plate that fastens the solenoid to the electrical panel. Around one of the holes that a phillips head screws passes through there appeared to be a circular imprint in the plate . . . as if a washer or a brass lug attached to a ground wire might have been fastened there. Sure enough, when I moved one of several ground wires that emerge from the wiring loom near the back of the gas tank (which I had fastened to the negative terminal of the battery) to the solenoid plate, the circuit was complete and the starter came to life.

Note to self: always take a mental picture -- no, make that a digital picture -- before disassembling anything.