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Started fine, then nutten!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Shanzi
  • Start date Start date
S

Shanzi

Guest
Getting my '81 GS450L ready for spring. Battery was dead, wouldn't hold a recharge.

Emptied and refilled it with brand new battery acid, charged it for 3 or 4 hours and with a little choke bike started up beautifully! Hazzah!!

Shut it down, went and did an errand, about 2 hours, when I came back I notice the ingnition switch had been left on (and battery still on the charger).

Disconnected the charger and nutten. Depressing the starter switch does absolutely nothing now. [clutch in, tran in neutral, main fuse good, instrument lights full bright, horn LOUD] no starter movement at all.

Did I fry something? Am I missing something stupid?

Shanzi [-o<
 
Might check the starter solenoid to see if its still working.

If the battery would not hold a charge, you needed to replace the battery.

As for replacing the acid in the battery, that is a big no no. Acid does not evaporate, only the water evaporates. Electrolyte is a mixture of water and acid. Filling the battery with pure acid will destroy it. Adding acid to a battery will also cause it to fail, big no no there too. You need a new battery. Also, it is never a good idea to charge a battery with it connected to the bike's electrical system. Things tend to get burned up. :-) The maximum charge rate for a bike battery is 2 amps and preferably about 1.5 amps.

Earl


Shanzi said:
Getting my '81 GS450L ready for spring. Battery was dead, wouldn't hold a recharge.

Emptied and refilled it with brand new battery acid, charged it for 3 or 4 hours and with a little choke bike started up beautifully! Hazzah!!

Shut it down, went and did an errand, about 2 hours, when I came back I notice the ingnition switch had been left on (and battery still on the charger).

Disconnected the charger and nutten. Depressing the starter switch does absolutely nothing now. [clutch in, tran in neutral, main fuse good, instrument lights full bright, horn LOUD] no starter movement at all.

Did I fry something? Am I missing something stupid?

Shanzi [-o<
Click to expand...
 
Check the contacts in the starter button and in the clutch switch. There is a good possibility your problem is a worn or dirty contact.
 
Hey Snark, earlfor, good to hear from you.

The battery is new, fall '05. I topped off the dead battery with distilled water and after 8 hours it would not hold enough of a charge to light the headlight. I refilled it with new motorcycle battery - sulfuric acid, packaged just for that, wet charge purposes. Recharged it on a computerized switching battery charger on slow charge, 2 amps. The battery is now hot and holding a full charge.

I will check the switches first thing in the morning. Anything else to look at?

Big thanks,

Shanzi
 
Don't laugh but the contact on the clutch switch on mine worn groves so deep that I did not get a consistant contact. Sanding it with a little emry paper fixed. Your problem sounds like a small, stupid problem that should be and easy fix. Earlfor is right about the silenoid. Jump the teminals to see if that turns the starter. Either way, I'd clean the switches just to be thourough.
 
Shanzi said:
Hey Snark, earlfor, good to hear from you.

The battery is new, fall '05. I topped off the dead battery with distilled water and after 8 hours it would not hold enough of a charge to light the headlight. I refilled it with new motorcycle battery - sulfuric acid, packaged just for that, wet charge purposes. Recharged it on a computerized switching battery charger on slow charge, 2 amps. The battery is now hot and holding a full charge.

I will check the switches first thing in the morning. Anything else to look at?

Big thanks,

Shanzi
Click to expand...

If you don't get rid of that bad battery you run the risk of burning out your regulator or stator or both. GS's are not the motorcycle electrical systems to be mistreating. I estimate a large percentage of charging problems are caused by people screwing with old batteries. It doesn't matter when you bought it, if it wouldn't take a normal charge it's junk. The fact that it even needed a charge says it's junk. I also suspect a new battery will solve your starting problem. Spend the lousey $35 now and save yourself the $110 for a new regulator. My battery test is to let the bike sit for 4 or 5 months during the winter and if it won't start WITHOUT EVEN recharging it, it's junk. I don't mean to sound cranky on you here, well maybe a little, but allot of machinery problems are people induced. This is heading in that direction.

Wish you the best, let us know what you find.

bob
 
Bob is right Y'know.

Earl
 
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Thanks guys,

I Don't mind the straight talk, rather have that than continue to do stupid things. I appreciate your experience.

Will do the drill.

shanzi
 
Well, if I've learned one thing, its dont cut corners. You may get away with it for a short while, but you can count on it coming back and biting you in the butt and usually, that bite will occur on a desolate road at 3am and 90 miles from the nearest nothing. LOL

Earl


Shanzi said:
Thanks guys,

I Don't mind the straight talk, rather have that than continue to do stupid things. I appreciate your experience.

Will do the drill.

shanzi
Click to expand...
 
Well, first I jumped the solenoid cause it was so easy to get to and it fired right up.

Still could be the switches, Right? Wrong?

Shanzi


BTW You're right. The last butt bite was exactly 3 AM in the Sonoran bleedin' Desert.
 
Last edited:
Then its a switch problem and not the solenoid. Either your starter button is at fault, or the clutch lockout switch is keeping the circuit open. You can go into the headlight bucket and connect a jumper wire between the two clutch lockout wires. If the starter then works, you know its the clutch lockout switch. If it doesnt, its either a faulty starter button, or no power to the starter button.

Well, there is the kill switch also, but if you can jump the solenoid and it runs, the kill switch is in the run position and working.

Earl


Shanzi said:
Well, first I jumped the solenoid cause it was so easy to get to and it fired right up.

Still could be the switches, Right? Wrong?

Shanzi


BTW You're right. The last butt bite was exactly 3 AM in the Sonoran bleedin' Desert.
Click to expand...
 
Touch the little yellow and green wire on the solenoid to the battery + terminal and if the bike cranks it is a switch problem. If not, it is the solenoid, the ground wire for the solenoid, the wire to the starter, or the starter.

In that order.

Do this test first before pulling the handlebar controls since you might end up breaking something and having to fish around eBay for it. There are two main directions to a non starting bike. The high power side with the starter and solenoid, and the low power side with clutch switches, kill switch, ignition switch, and start button.

Figure out which of the two is giving you grief.
 
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