1983 Heritage Special electrical problems

[Usrname Unknown]

Hey guys, I have a 1983 Haritage Special that I just picked up. It sat for the last few years in a shed. I pulled it out, put a new battery in it, fixed the fuse box, and the thing fired up, and ran GREAT!!!!!

I rode it for a few miles, got home, and now the bike wont start anymore. A friend of mine is a motorcycle mechanic, says that he needs specs for the pick up coil, the voltage, resistance, etc...

Any help would be great! I just wanna ride my bike! I am sooooo excited about being apart of this community!

 

[xjwmx]

You can dl a photocopy of the service manual at a site I think is called biker.net. I have an '81 and the '81 manual from there. The '83 is the same as far as its guts go.

 

[retiredgentleman]

Hey guys, I have a 1983 Haritage Special that I just picked up. It sat for the last few years in a shed. I pulled it out, put a new battery in it, fixed the fuse box, and the thing fired up, and ran GREAT!!!!!

I rode it for a few miles, got home, and now the bike wont start anymore. A friend of mine is a motorcycle mechanic, says that he needs specs for the pick up coil, the voltage, resistance, etc...

Any help would be great! I just wanna ride my bike! I am sooooo excited about being apart of this community!

Interlocks on the 82 and 83 can prevent starting. You can unplug the Sidestand relay to test if this is a problem. It has red/white, blue/yellow, black/white and black wires to the relay. Find it, unplug it, and try starting. The inputs to this relay are the neutral switch and the sidestand switch (in up position).

 

[Usrname Unknown]

Interlocks on the 82 and 83 can prevent starting. You can unplug the Sidestand relay to test if this is a problem. It has red/white, blue/yellow, black/white and black wires to the relay. Find it, unplug it, and try starting. The inputs to this relay are the neutral switch and the sidestand switch (in up position).

Sorry, I guess I should have specified "not starting"! It will turn over, but there is not spark. My friend thinks it may be the ignitor box, but wants to check out the pick up coil!

I have looked at the manuals on biker.net, the manual for the 81 doesn't give me what I am looking for! I have tried to do some research on this, but have not found what I am looking for!

 

[nj1639]

Are you kicking it to start or using the starter. What voltage do you have at the battery? Was it charging when you were running it? With the key on, do the blinkers flash?
These bikes need a good charge on the battery to start. If you put a new battery in and ran it but the system wasn't charging it may not have the juice to get it going again. Common failure on these is the charging rotor....seems about 9 thousand to 15 thousand miles and theyll crap out.
Welcome aboard.....

Add.....mine would run about 50 miles or so on a bad rotor. I kept her on a trickle charger untill I got a replcement rotor.

 

[Usrname Unknown]

Are you kicking it to start or using the starter. What voltage do you have at the battery? Was it charging when you were running it? With the key on, do the blinkers flash?
These bikes need a good charge on the battery to start. If you put a new battery in and ran it but the system wasn't charging it may not have the juice to get it going again. Common failure on these is the charging rotor....seems about 9 thousand to 15 thousand miles and theyll crap out.
Welcome aboard.....

Add.....mine would run about 50 miles or so on a bad rotor. I kept her on a trickle charger untill I got a replcement rotor.

Yes sir, new battery! I have been using the starter to turn it over. Thats another thing, where the hell can I find a starter that isn't as sh**ty as the stock one?

 

[gggGary]

Welcome aboard, is the side stand up? Bike will not fire in gear with the side stand down. Nothing wrong with the stock starter. Bad fuse boxes are common as are corroded wires, loose and dirty connections. http://www.biker.net/650parts_index.html for downloads of the factory manual the pickups should ohm out at about 600 ohms seperate three wire connector at rear of engine. Read in the tech section for answers on to how to make the starter work good again, many of the solutions do not involve spending money!

 

[XSLeo]

Nothing wrong with the starter, just weak springs in the gear train between the starter and engine. Try the kick starter.
This is from the Clymer book. Ignition coil, primary 2.25 to 2.75 ohms, secondary, 10,500 to 15,500 ohms, with plug caps add 10,000 ohms.
Pickup coils 80-81, 550-850 ohms from black/white to white/red and white/green. 82 up 630-770 phms. Measure same way.
One way to bypass all the harness is to run a jumper from battery positive to the red/white wire at the coil. Leave the engine stop switch off, kick start.
Leo

 

[ybergner]

Twice I've had problems starting my '83, and neither time did the solution involve coils or the ignitor unit. The first time it was a bad alternator rotor (needed a replacement). The second time it was the side-stand relay switch (just took it out).

I will refer you to the expert advice I got, which will walk you through some diagnostics:
http://www.650central.com/if_your_xs650_with_standard_yama.htm

Enjoy!