A head scratcher

[friesman]

I started having an weird intermittent starting issue with my 85 when I was at Kruisn the Kootenays a couple of weeks ago. About 99% of the time the bike starts fine, but, every once in a while it wont click ,turn over, or make any noise at all. All my gauges work, everything has power, headlight is on and shuts off when I press the start button,so it looks to me like the start switch works ok, and yes, the kill switch is in the run position . After a time I can go back and it starts fine, no set time or temperature hot or cold doesnt seem to matter.

BUT I found out yesterday and again today that if I hold the starter button down and press the horn it starts! Is this a bad ground? I am an electrical moron, does someone have an idea where I should start?

It does have a relay with the Stebel horn that was installed last winter. And my side stand switch appears to be working properly as it kills the engine when I put it down and the warnings show up in the dash when it is down.

 

Brian:bang head:

Edited July 22, 2009 by friesman
added side stand info

[Chuckles]

Brian, try cleaning out the starter switch with electrical contact cleaner. It may be that it is a bad ground and when you hit the horn button it makes a contact to ground and lets the starter switch make contact. spray the cleaner directly into the switch and with the bike off work the switch on and off many times:pushups:. Had a problem with my switch, would stick just enough that my headlight would not come on. Cleaned it out and no problems.

Chuckles

[ArticusMedicus]

Check your kick stand switch. Mine went out on my 84 and gave me fits for a minute.

And as noted above, starter switch may be fouled.

[Condor]

Probably the starter switch contacts, or.... maybe a dirty kill switch?? Or let's face it... as long as you have a horn it's not going to strand you....

[V7Goose]

I started having an weird intermittent starting issue with my 85 when I was at Kruisn the Kootenays a couple of weeks ago. About 99% of the time the bike starts fine, but, every once in a while it wont click ,turn over, or make any noise at all. All my gauges work, everything has power, headlight is on and shuts off when I press the start button, and yes, the kill switch is on. After a time I can go back and it starts fine, no set time or temperature hot or cold doesnt seem to matter.

BUT I found out yesterday and again today that if I hold the starter button down and press the horn it starts! Is this a bad ground? I am an electrical moron, does someone have an idea where I should start?

It does have a relay with the Stebel horn that was installed last winter.

 

Brian:bang head:

I have no experience with the 1st gen, so what follows is just general info that would apply to the average machine - it may or may not be right for your bike!

 

Based on what you say about the headlight going out when you hit the starter switch, I'd suggest it almost certainly is NOT the starter switch.

 

On many vehicles, this behavior is by design so the starter motor has access to ALL the battery juice. But since many motorcycles do not cut out the headlight with the starter, you need to know what is normal for your bike.

 

If your bike normally cuts out the headlight when you hit the starter, your problem is most likely a bad starter relay or bad ground on the starter relay. On the other hand, if your bike is NOT supposed to kill the headlight with the starter, then the most likely problem is a bad battery or corroded battery contacts.

Goose

[Guest seuadr]

 

If your bike normally cuts out the headlight when you hit the starter, your problem is most likely a bad starter relay or bad ground on the starter relay. On the other hand, if your bike is NOT supposed to kill the headlight with the starter, then the most likely problem is a bad battery or corroded battery contacts.

Goose

yep, this. check your connections and check your relay. you could also have an intermitant issue with the solinoid for the starter. an easy way to cut the starter switch and safety switches out of the equation is to cross the poles on the solinoid when it won't start. if that takes care of it, then you at least have an idea where to search.

 

a little side note here, i had a similar problem when my starter clutch kaputed. one of the magnetic slides was actually wedged in the shaft for the clutch, and when it got to that spot, it would just click like a bad battery. I wouldn't worry about that too much unless you've checked everything else first and are still headscratching.

[Squeeze]

Well, on the 1Gen, the Starter Button is supposed to cut out teh Head Light during Starting. Once you let the Button go, the Light come back on. This is because there's an Opener Contact in the Starter Button Circuit.

[friesman]

I knew the headlight on my 85 G1 shuts off when the starter is depressed, which led me to beleive the switch is working ok.

Thanks for the input guys, I will start checking out these things as i just dont think i can trust a bike that needs a horn to start,,,,:whistling:

 

Brian

[mother]

try the kill switch first, take apart and clean the switch innards.

cheers, Scott

[GigaWhiskey]

I am trying to figure out what made you want to honk your horn if the starter clicked.

[friesman]

I am trying to figure out what made you want to honk your horn if the starter clicked.

 

It was actually one of those moments of frustration where ya just push everything you can just to releive the tension and it actually kinda startled me when it started when the horn blew.... and it started at the same time.....lol

 

Brian

[SilvrT]

I am trying to figure out what made you want to honk your horn if the starter clicked.

 

Maybe Brian just likes "honking his own horn" ...

[84xj1100]

I would tend to agree with mother.

 

Check out the kill switch. If you think about it, what you describe is exactly what happens if your kill switch is off. I use mine regularly and have found the odd occasion when I forgot to put it back to run, hit the start button and there is no clicking from the fuel pump, the headlight turns off, yet the instrument panel lights up.