Keeping my fingers crossed

[friesman]

I finally think i have an issue thats been bugging me on my 85 for about 2 years. It has been a very intermittent starting issue that would happen 2 or 3 times a season, usually when the bike was hot and/or sitting in sun. Checked over everything everytime and found nothing wrong,wait for a cool down and it would start......until in a moment of complete frustration:whistling: as it was making me late for work I just started pressing all buttons and switches, and when i sounded the horn, the bike started! http://www.venturers.org/Forum/images/smilies/icon_exclaim.gif as I was still holding the starter!........this set me to checking grounding points and reseating all connections I could think of, but the bike still very occasionally would still not start except by hitting the horn button while holding the starter engaged.

Things changed while in Drumheller a couple of weeks ago as I had 3 incidents that day where the bike didnt start, but, the horn trick did its thing, but it was unusual as it never happened that often before.

Anyway on the way home we rode thru about an hour of steady rain and the highways were wet for a large chunk of the 8 hour ride home, but the bike ran fine. The next morning after getting home, the bike wouldnt start at all (even with the horn), so I tried to reseat every connection i could think of and liberally sprayed wd40 into the sidestand switch and any connector I could see thinking it would force the water out. The bike started right after that, so I thought i was good and figured it had to be side stand even though my dash showed the stand engaged or not. Anyway bike continued to be undependable starting but now the horn doesnt start it, and its happening much more frequently.

Finally, while stranded with a bike that didnt start a couple of days ago I noticed that my clutch switch wiring harness looked like it was twisted and the was loose on the handlebar and the weather boot wasnt covering the connection point totally, so I pulled it apart and cleaned it right there and the bike immediatly fired right up and hasnt given me any issues since.(and I have tried about 50 starts or more) My working theory is that the horn switch wire is in that part of the wiring harness and somehow I had a bad connection inside there and sounding the horn somehow allowed enough current through to complete a circuit. I dont know why i hadnt thought to check that area before, but i was so sure it had to be a ground or my side switch.

It works now, and I am fairly sure that Ive fixed the issue, but I am still keeping my fingers crossed. :think:

 

Brian

[Yammer Dan]

I'll cross mine that "UGLY" don't try that!! I finally got side stand switch working right I think. Took it out three times. It would work right for a while after I lubed it then start killing bike again.

[dingy]

This may help, depends on how frisky you are feeling about tearing into it.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=43025

 

Gary