Starter

[notmoving]

Hello, everyone! I haven't haunted these cyber halls in almost a year; good to be back.
My issue this time is my starter. Often when I turn the key - nothing. I may have to turn the key several times from "off" to "on" before it engages.
Any help, as always, is appreciated.

 

[nj1639]

Your question only leads to more questions......
Key on should light up the neutral light at least unless the bike isn't stock.
With the key in the on position, will it kick over and start?
Does your key engage the starter like an automobile?

 

[notmoving]

Your question only leads to more questions......
Key on should light up the neutral light at least unless the bike isn't stock.
With the key in the on position, will it kick over and start?
Does your key engage the starter like an automobile?

Yes to lights up. It will kick over and start sometimes. That's my point. If it does not kick over, then I have to turn to key to off and back on again. I've had to do this as many as three times in a row for it to start. When it kicks over, it's fine. It will start.

 

[grouchie83]

Once it's started does it stay running no issues until you turn it off?

My MINI Cooper would do this too in the winter if it was cold enough. I had to cycle the key back and forth a few times for the starter to want to do its job. Never had issues in the summer though.

 

[grouchie83]

Also, does kickstarting it work 100%?

I would probably start thinking the starter button might be an issue, but I'm not very good at electrical stuff.

 

[notmoving]

Yes, it stays running. But this is not a new issue. It happened all last year, but less frequently. So I have to conclude it has nothing to do with the weather.

And kickstarting has never been an option. I bought this in the summer of 2023. The Kickstarter did not work and I have no interest in getting that fixed. Apparently, I am the third owner.

 

[grouchie83]

There is probably a way to hook up a voltmeter somewhere to see if the starter is getting a command to do its job. But admittedly, that is beyond my knowledge.

 

[notmoving]

I wonder if the easy thing to do is to replace the starter. Right now, I have no idea how to do that.

 

[grouchie83]

It's not terribly difficult but you'll need to drain the oil first. Then undo the negative battery cable. There's 4 bolts holding 2 clamps down. Not sure if this can be done with the motor in the frame or not, I took mine out after I pulled the motor.

Do you have a manual?

 

[notmoving]

No, I do not. I have undertaken a number of repairs on my Yamaha, with the gracious guidance of a few benefactors on this site. But I have never pulled an engine. It seems intimidating.

 

[grouchie83]

It's a job, that's for sure. I think there's just one cable hooked up to the starter though.

Maybe unhook that and hook up the voltmeter to that and the frame and press the start button to see if you're getting juice thru the cable 100% of the time?

I'm kinda hoping someone else on here that knows more than me can jump in and help out, since I'm kinda running out of ideas.

If you plan on keeping this bike though I cannot stress enough how much a good manual will help you.

 

[notmoving]

I replied but it didn't go through.
Last year when I was chasing down a problem, I posted to multiple threads. I was chastised not to do that. Because I r4ally would love to speak to the folks who helped me last year.
You've been great, grouchie! Any chance you can link me to a manual or manual seller?

 

[Highpower]

I just went through something similar with my XS, sometimes the starter would turn over and sometimes it wouldn't . Turns out the kill switch was failing. To check it, remove the wires from the switch and hook them together. If you don't have the issue, then you need to get a new switch. Unfortunately, you will have to buy the entire pod assembly as the kill switch itself doesn't seem to be available separately.

 

[grouchie83]

I replied but it didn't go through.
Last year when I was chasing down a problem, I posted to multiple threads. I was chastised not to do that. Because I r4ally would love to speak to the folks who helped me last year.
You've been great, grouchie! Any chance you can link me to a manual or manual seller?

I think they might be available to download.

A week or so ago a feller posted that he printed out the PDF, and put each page in a page sleeve in a 3-ring binder.

Let me research this a bit.

This reminds me of watching Roadkill and if the starter didn't want to work, they would smack it with a rock or something. The symptoms are almost identical, so I'm wondering if there is a fault in the starter itself.

 

[grouchie83]

https://www.xs650.com/threads/xs650...-other-information-including-xs750-850.30569/

Have a look thru here. Also, your thread here doesn't specify what year and if it's a Standard or Special or what have ye.

 

[grouchie83]

https://www.xs650.com/threads/xs650-electric-start-system.948/

 

[grouchie83]

https://www.amazon.com/Clymer-Yamah...cphy=9021599&hvtargid=pla-2281435177418&psc=1

 

[jetmechmarty]

I replied but it didn't go through.
Last year when I was chasing down a problem, I posted to multiple threads. I was chastised not to do that. Because I r4ally would love to speak to the folks who helped me last year.
You've been great, grouchie! Any chance you can link me to a manual or manual seller?

Manuals here:
https://www.biker.net/

I printed what I needed, put pages in sleeves and three ring binder.

 

[notmoving]

Hey there. Sorry about the delayed response; I was working on other issues. Thanks, everyone, for your help. Ill get to checking these out.

And it's a 1979 650sf which I believe means it's a Special. The gent who sold it to me said it's a Special, but a mechanic told me it wasn't. I ran the VIN through an online decoder and got xs650sf.

 

[notmoving]

Okay...

This is a 1979 650SF.

I went out to the bike to see if I could test for continuity. I could not find two areas on any one wire to attach both terminals to. So I don't see how I could do the test, unless there's some basic understanding about using a multimeter I'm missing.

At first turn of the key, when I then pushed the starter button, it engaged immediately. I turned the key off, then on again, then pushed the starter button again in an attempt to duplicate my issue.

The starter continued to work perfectly. So I jiggled the wires leading into the kill switch, and whaddya know? The starter switch stopped working. All the lights on came near the ignition switch, but pushing the starter produced no results at all.

Which was my problem to begin with. That sometimes I had to turn the ignition one to three times before the starter would engage.

I've taken the kill switch apart, and all the connections look good. So my deduction is: the switch is bad.

At first I thought, 25 bucks for a new switch. Big deal! But it turns out this particular switch on Mikesxs.net is 100 bucks - and out of stock! Part 12-0054B

Is my diagnosis correct? Is there anything else I can do? I noticed the wires from the switch head into the headlamp, and then appear to tie in to even more cables.

Thanks for reading all this!
- Mark