Lou
XS650 Member
Hi All, I bought a 1980 XS650 Special a few months ago in running shape but with alot of rust. Interestingly, according to the VIN it was the 7th bike to roll off production in 1980 which is kinda cool.
It had been `stored' for last several years under a tarp here in Hawaii. Ive been cleaning it up to remove rust and give its appearance a boost. I replaced things like spark plugs, new exhaust, new clutch and accel cables, new brakes front/rear, oil change and did a valve adjustment.
Everything was going fine, especially with the great information here on the forum to help me along. Last weekend I started it after installing new exhaust and she started up right away. I went and did some other chores, happy that I was soooo close to being able to take it out for a cruise finally. After a few hours I come back to play some more and start it again, but this time I foolishly sat on bike without the seat and hit the estart button. My neutral light went out and bike wouldnt start. I realized I must have smashed the fusebox or caused a short somewhere.
I replaced the glass fuse box with ATC fuses per the forum recommendations. I also traced the wiring looking for a burned wire but havent found any yet -I also did not smell any burning wires. From what I could find on the forum, there was one other thread where someone did the same thing I did, sitting on bike without a seat, but the solution wasnt clear.
Here is where I am as of today: I got a new starter relay from Mikes and installed it (still have the old one) but it didn't solve the problem. The clues I have are: no visible melted wires or smell at the time I sat on the bike. No visible grounded wires that I have found yet. If I try to kickstart or estart the bike, the neutral light goes out. If I then disconnect/reconnect the battery, the neutral light and tail light come back on...until I kick or hit the start button again.
Can someone help lay out what steps I should take first to try and figure out what the issue is? I have a multimeter but am a novice with electrical troubleshooting. I appreciate any help and let me know if there is some other info I can provide!
Oh yeah, since we all love moto pics I added one the way bike looked when I bought it and then how it looks now.
It had been `stored' for last several years under a tarp here in Hawaii. Ive been cleaning it up to remove rust and give its appearance a boost. I replaced things like spark plugs, new exhaust, new clutch and accel cables, new brakes front/rear, oil change and did a valve adjustment.
Everything was going fine, especially with the great information here on the forum to help me along. Last weekend I started it after installing new exhaust and she started up right away. I went and did some other chores, happy that I was soooo close to being able to take it out for a cruise finally. After a few hours I come back to play some more and start it again, but this time I foolishly sat on bike without the seat and hit the estart button. My neutral light went out and bike wouldnt start. I realized I must have smashed the fusebox or caused a short somewhere.
I replaced the glass fuse box with ATC fuses per the forum recommendations. I also traced the wiring looking for a burned wire but havent found any yet -I also did not smell any burning wires. From what I could find on the forum, there was one other thread where someone did the same thing I did, sitting on bike without a seat, but the solution wasnt clear.
Here is where I am as of today: I got a new starter relay from Mikes and installed it (still have the old one) but it didn't solve the problem. The clues I have are: no visible melted wires or smell at the time I sat on the bike. No visible grounded wires that I have found yet. If I try to kickstart or estart the bike, the neutral light goes out. If I then disconnect/reconnect the battery, the neutral light and tail light come back on...until I kick or hit the start button again.
Can someone help lay out what steps I should take first to try and figure out what the issue is? I have a multimeter but am a novice with electrical troubleshooting. I appreciate any help and let me know if there is some other info I can provide!
Oh yeah, since we all love moto pics I added one the way bike looked when I bought it and then how it looks now.