not starting... where to start looking

[Steve]

[QUOTE=blowerbike;1166121]

now Honda's....
they will crank with the switch off but no sparkles...

... up to about '94. Starting with most of the '95 models, the kill switch is wired like the GS's.

Kill switch not set to RUN, no sparkles AND no crankie.

(we do this all the time, walking down a row of Wings at any major rally )

.

[duaneage]

wait a minute.....

1.Go to the battery.

2. Find the really big red wire and follow to the starter solenoid, it has another big wire going to the starter,

3. FInd the Yellow wire with green stripe and remove it from the female connector.

4. Touch the male bullet end to the + terminal of the battery. Make sure it is in neutral when you do this.

If the bike cranks go through all that kill switch and clutch lever stuff. if not, make sure the solenoid is grounded through the little black wire under one of the bolts.

No little black wire? Run one to the frame and then try it.

When bikes sit around a questionable ground on the solenoid gets worse and then they don't crank. Checking the solenoid is the FIRST thing to do when a bike won't crank, a lot easier than opening up headlights, hand controls, pulling fuses and defeating the clutch interlocks. Granted a lot can go wrong with this circuit but the first place to start (pardon the pun) is with the solenoid in the first place.