electric start not working

[OgreBiff]

Hey guys:

i recently bought my first 1980 yamaha xs650 and the electric start worked great for a few weeks. Recently something happened. i am looking very much into learning how to fix my motorcycle with your help. heres the situation. i turn my motorcycle on. i pull the choke out. i flip the starter switch. and thats what happens. i turn the switch on and nothing happens at all. seems like something is burnt out or old. what could this be? the switch worked fine before turning the engine over and started right up. the kick start works fine so that is how i start it now. any suggestions would be great! thank you all!

-Biff

 

[5twins]

I would check all the connections and the starter button itself. My starter didn't work when I got my bike. It was just a rusty connection at the starter motor. I cleaned that all up and it's worked fine ever since.

 

[OgreBiff]

I would check all the connections and the starter button itself. My starter didn't work when I got my bike. It was just a rusty connection at the starter motor. I cleaned that all up and it's worked fine ever since.

Thank you 5twins.

if that does not work. would i need to buy a new solenoid? or a new starter?

 

[Downeaster]

Check ALL the connections from the starter button to the solenoid. (These will be small, 16 gauge wires) If you know how to use a multimeter, check that the solenoid is getting 12 volts (or very near 12 volts) when the starter button is pressed.

Then check all the connections from the battery to the solenoid to the starter. (These will be heavy battery cable wires) If you don't find any loose or dirty connections, use a pair of jumper cables or similar heavy wire to jump between the two large connections on the solenoid. You don't need to make the connection for long, just long enough to see if the starter bumps or tries to spin the engine over.

If not, all is not lost yet, you may just need new brushes and/or bearings in the starter motor.

Let us know the results of these checks and we can provide further guidance.

 

[pamcopete]

You also have to be in neutral. Does your neutral light come on when in neutral?

 

[retiredgentleman]

You may have lost the ground connection for the starter push button or the PB itself may be faulty. The handlebars must be grounded for the PB to work.

For a test, use a jumper wire and connect from battery negative or a good bare metal ground, to the blue/white wire at the starter relay which is near the battery box.

 

[OgreBiff]

Thank you so much gentleman. i will check these out and try these tomorrow when i am on my day off and have my time for the bike. I really appreciate all of your guys help. i will post on here what i find. Thank you all again!

 

[OgreBiff]

Hey everyone, so... i found out more information today about the bike. check this out. so my roommates buddy came over and they were in the garage and wanted to start up the bike. well.. turns out the friend didnt turn the bike on, but he turned on the switch that turns the motor over. it wasnt starting up (i was away on a trip for a few days) and appearantly smoke was coming from underneith the seat area. they couldnt tell where cuz they said they turned the toggle switch off and left.

so when i came home and turned the bike on and turned the toggle switch over it turned the bike over for a few times, but then it stopped working. the previous owner took off some of the hand controls and now there is an electric start toggle switch. i took the seat off today and followed the wires where this starting toggle switch goes. the positive goes to the batter. there is another red wire which trails down the right side of the bike and underneith the right side of the engine. i enclosed a photo above to show you the part the red wire is wired to.

is this the starter relay? and if so did they burn it out?

Thank you guys. and i was reffering to all of you being gentleman, haha, not just the retired gentleman. thank you guys for all your help/

 

[jchrisk1]

That's the starter motor in the pic. The relay is usually under the right side cover, next to the battery. It will have two large terminals, and two small wires coming from it. Red and blue I think. The red wire on the starter will go to one terminal, and the battery will go the the other.

 

[jchrisk1]

I just found this pic for someone else. The solenoid is the one on the left.


View attachment 14479

 

[5twins]

Jeez, I can't believe the things people do to these bikes, lol. It appears you don't have a starter solenoid anymore. Guess the banana brain P.O. figured he didn't need that part. I'm not sure the system will work very well or for very long without it. The smoke it's making sorta confirms that, lol. And that battery cable is waaaay too small. It's supposed to be a big heavy cable. That's probably where the smoke came from. That little wire is burning up.

 

[OgreBiff]

Thank You JChrist and 5Twin, you guys are saying it sounds like it is the starter solenoid then huh? sweet. i will order one today and have it shipped out and see if i can get this thing working.

 

[5twins]

I'm not so sure you can just go order one. These are 30+ year old bikes after all. Even if you could buy a new one, I don't think I would. This is a fairly reliable part and a good used one should save you a bundle. In fact, put an ad in the classified section here. Many of the chopper/bobber guys remove that part because they're going kick only. Try to get the heavy cables that run from it to the battery and starter along with it. Those guys don't use them either.

 

[Splexin]

Starter solenoid aka starter relay, brand new from Mikes is $16.50

I actually had to buy battery box off eBay cause my solenoid was permanently stuck in the old one.

+1 on new cables

 

[5twins]

That's all they cost? God, I thought they'd be hundreds, lol.

 

[jayel]

tractor supply co. (briggs & stratton) lawn mower solenoid would work... but then you need some of this.....