bdholsin
XS Enthusiast
Hey guys. I'm soliciting your advice. I was coming home from my dad's house today and pulled up to a stop light about a mile from home. Dropped it in first and started to let out the clutch and the bike died. Just up and quit on me. I got it back into neutral but noticed that my indicator light won't light up. The starter won't turn over and it won't fire if I kick it. No headlight, no indicator lights, no blinkers. The bike is electrically dead. Battery is new this past fall and I had it on a battery tender most of the winter. I've also put a couple hundred miles on the bike so far this spring.
One observation...on the way back I noticed a couple of very very very slight surges/stumbles at 55 MPH. It had the feeling like the tank was starting to go dry (I checked, there is indeed fuel in there). It was barely noticeable...so much so that I thought the wind had gusted behind me and pushed me a little bit.
The bike ('83 Special) is stock as far as the electrical system goes. All I'm running is pod filters.
Suspicions:
1. Ignition switch. Could it "go bad" or have something come disconnected inside it? How easy are these things to replace? I see mikes has it for $33.
2. Kill switch. I haven't touched this thing so I have no idea what is in there. Actually, when I kill the bike I always just turn off the key. I'll be looking inside it tomorrow. However, this won't explain why my indicator lights aren't working. That's why I'm strongly suspecting the ignition switch.
What I've checked so far:
1. Fuses. They are all in tact. They are the stock fuses (round style).
2. Gas. Yep, only used about a gallon in this last tank so I know there is fuel. That won't explain the fact that my center indicator isn't working.
I'll be checking the battery voltage tomorrow but wanted to solicit some ideas from the community before I go chasing my tail. Hopefully one of you seasoned veterans will take a look at my problem and say, "I've had that problem. It's this..."
Thanks.
One observation...on the way back I noticed a couple of very very very slight surges/stumbles at 55 MPH. It had the feeling like the tank was starting to go dry (I checked, there is indeed fuel in there). It was barely noticeable...so much so that I thought the wind had gusted behind me and pushed me a little bit.
The bike ('83 Special) is stock as far as the electrical system goes. All I'm running is pod filters.
Suspicions:
1. Ignition switch. Could it "go bad" or have something come disconnected inside it? How easy are these things to replace? I see mikes has it for $33.
2. Kill switch. I haven't touched this thing so I have no idea what is in there. Actually, when I kill the bike I always just turn off the key. I'll be looking inside it tomorrow. However, this won't explain why my indicator lights aren't working. That's why I'm strongly suspecting the ignition switch.
What I've checked so far:
1. Fuses. They are all in tact. They are the stock fuses (round style).
2. Gas. Yep, only used about a gallon in this last tank so I know there is fuel. That won't explain the fact that my center indicator isn't working.
I'll be checking the battery voltage tomorrow but wanted to solicit some ideas from the community before I go chasing my tail. Hopefully one of you seasoned veterans will take a look at my problem and say, "I've had that problem. It's this..."
Thanks.