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81 GS 650 wont start anymore

  • Thread starter Thread starter JRossi17
  • Start date Start date
J

JRossi17

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I had my 81 GS 650 GL running until the battery died. After putting it on the trickle charger (for maybe the 5th time) the bike wont start. The battery has a full charge, all the lights are working and not dim. Everytime I hit the start button it just makes a click and wont do anything else. Im guessing its the electric start thats out but not sure, any ideas?
 
fuse box is under the seat correct? I have the lock on the back of my seat that lets me turn the key in it but wont lift up, is there a trick to getting it off? (new to bikes)
 
Battery is actually probably toast. Put your multimeter on the battery, hit the start button, what does the battery read when you are hitting the start button?
 
Yes, dead battery.

When ever I read an opening like this I wonder when the last time the valves were adjusted?
 
Battery is registering 13.0 on the multimeter, thats what its suppose to be at isnt it?
 
JRossi17 said:
Battery is registering 13.0 on the multimeter, thats what its suppose to be at isnt it?
Click to expand...

mlinder said:
Battery is actually probably toast. Put your multimeter on the battery, hit the start button, what does the battery read when you are hitting the start button?
Click to expand...

Did you do this?

Another thing to do is jump the starter solenoid to see if the motor turns.
 
forgot to put that part, it drops to 8.5ish when you hit the start button. Its just wierd that it wont even try to crank, just goes click once and thats it.
 
Dead battery. Has a bad cel or two. That's your problem. Don't bother trying anything else til you get a good battery, waste of time.
 
Alright thanks! A lot easier to change a battery then starters or electricals.
 
Yub. Below about 10.5, it will still turn the starter, but won't get the ignition going. Below about 9, in your case, it won't even turn the starter anymore.

Like I said, pop in a new battery, everything will probably be fine.
 
JRossi17 said:
fuse box is under the seat correct? I have the lock on the back of my seat that lets me turn the key in it but wont lift up, is there a trick to getting it off? (new to bikes)
Click to expand...
As you turn the key in seat lock, push down on seat and lock will release and seat will pull up and BACK. break out the wd-40 or something!
 
Alright I went and bought a new battery, charged it for about 5 hours on the trickle charger till it said it was fully charged, hooked it up and hit the button, exact same thing. Hooked up the multimeter and it was about 11.1 when i hit the start button and 12.8 with just the battery on. So next im guessing maybe a fuse? I checked them visually so far and was wondering which one is the one that might stop it from going. The first fuse is still intact but the metal has got a heavy lean on it against the glass.
 
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Take a power light and check first the main fuse. You should see power on the battery side and on the ignition side. Check from there to ensure you have power at each point in the circuits.
 
Alright I got about .04ish volts on the main fuse (unless i wasnt getting a good connection) and nothing from the power source fuse. Would the power source fuse affect the bike like whats happening.
 
Do you know how to jump the starter solenoid with a screwdriver? Is so you might want to try this. Often times the electrical connections get dirty and won't transfer power so this will help you determine if the starter works or not.
 
Just a screwdriver between the positive and negative terminals correct?
 
Alright i changed out some of the fuses and after doing the same thing for a second it decided to start. Now to figure out where some of these loose hoses go and hopefully that fixes the idle problem.
 
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