cruiserlover

you must have had 200 wires to take out.Did you just follow them all and remove one by one,plus the connectors?

that looks great.what did you use, a second gen gas tank>Are the electrics mounted where the tank used to be.Is that fabbed frame neck cover covering the overflow bottle/ That looks great.

Offend me? Good grief.Why on earth would i be offended.I post problems and questions, you and others answer.I appreciate it.The starter i am afraid if i took it apart it would never get it together.Some used ones are cheap, but they have no guarantee.Shipping gets expensive too.The dealer here is worthless.For a bike that old i expect it.But like I needed some cable to make a new cable.They always ask what bike is it for? I said anybike, I just need some cable.I went to the service department.He said they have cable, charge him so much a foot.You really have to have a good place to order from and do your own repairs.The only thing i dont like about the venture is the tci.

probably so.I now have owned 4 83s,a 99,01,01rstd,and this 86.Until I broke the fairing when it fell over in the trailer it looked really good. A few weeks ago I woke it up from a 4 year nap and it sounded good.You are talking about the cummutator? the shiny part I assume.I will do that eventually.I am working the next few days.This bike will be too heavy for me when i get it on the road unfortunately.My right hip flexor hurts after only 25 miles.Only venture lovers will appreciate it when its going again.the brushes contact points, are they soldered in place.I never took one apart before.For sure I will bench test it before I mount it.

I used big car jumpers, did as you said,the starter did nothing.I aso didnt get a bunch of sparks when i connected the cables which i thought was odd.I had the cable from batt pos to hot wire on the starter. The other cable from batt ground to clamped on the side of starter body.Again few sparks.But no activity from the starter at all.I turned the key on, hit the start button just for grins.nothing.All the lights,horn, everything works.This is my 7th venture counting the 2 nonrunning 83s I have now. I have owned 5 goldwings,no 1800 variety.one valkyrie,one harley ulta classic.The ventures are topheavy but their frame is stiff,handling is superior to any goldwing i owned.It was a purpose built bike from the beginning.tour bike.The GW started out as a hotrod then they started hanging things off it for touring.The first 88 1500 was the first purpose design and honda made as a tourer only. The first gen is way more comfortable than the 99 or 01 I owned.But now they are just too heavy for me.I really want to get this 86 going.It could make someone a very nice bike.I am tired of dealing with it for awhile.

I have the luxury of having both a complete 83 that the motor turns over good but wont start that will be the eventual project.And the 83 in the back yard that nothing will hurt it.Too picked over and in the weather.Thats the one I will chop up, modify,try my ideas on before I transfer it to something viable.I know real handlebars, rear subframe removed, and some sort of fillin where the electrics are exposed with the false tank cover on.I really don't want to put a gas tank up there.A guy named keith writh,maybe Kenneth wright did something with 4 cylinder goldwings I would like to do with a venture.I think his Goldwing was called wicked wings.with some effort it could be done.I do think he used fatbob tanks and not a shelter.I was thinking using a fatbob as a shelter.Who knows.Driveshafts make a limit also, but carefree maintenance free riding aint bad either.His Goldwing cruisers had a seat height of about 24 inches.Naked goldwings web site show what can be done with cutting welding and redesigning.

I am going to try it later.Thanks so much

not sure.they arent as big around as a car jumper cable but much bigger than anything on a motorcycle.They are smaller than the 4 gauge battery cables recommended for bike upgrades.probably about 1/4 inch diameter.On the ground/negative side I did use an actual car jumper cable.I wasnt sure if the wire should be connected to the solenoid while I tried this.Those connections were connected up on the solenoid large terminals.I can try again tomorrow with car cables on both sides.Going to work all night in 15 minutes.

this test sounds like a bench test.as in I had a starter off the bike,I connected a battery from batt positive to the stud on the starter.and from batt negative to somewhere on the starter body.probably just touching the battery with the second lead would make the starter spin if its a good one. So.I reconnected the battery.key on, lights work, dash works,neutral light on,horn honks.I took my makeshift jumper and connected one end to the pos battery post, the other to the stud on the starter.I have the solenoid connected also, which probably isnt necessary because this test eliminates a need for a solenoid if I understand the principle of this test.I then took a car battery cable,connected one end to the negative post of the battery.Then attempted connecting it to the starter body.sparks flew everywhere.As I continued trying to hold the second cable to the starter body the one connected to the starter stud started smoking, and it got so hot it melted the multistrand wire going into the alligator clip almost in half.On a car I have seen this make a battery cable molten till the cable is quickly removed.In those cases it was a starter not spinning. I think my starter is no good.

you are the best brother.I have tried everything else, might as well try the right thing now.2 of the solenoids i thought were bad are not.Thank goodness for the old 83 over in the corner.

there is only one wire or perhaps call it cable on the starter.a stud sticks out, a nut goes over it holding that cable to the starter.That cable runs up and secures to the large terminal of the solenoid..I even made a jumper cable from the negative post of the battery and connected it to the large negative post of the solenoid.I tried putting a jumper from the positive side of the battery to the large nut down on the starter.I had a jumper from the negative side of the battery to the negative side of the solenoid.The negative side of the battery has the cable, about 4 gauge connected to a solid mount under a bolt metal to metal on the motorcycle frame. But, that cable does not also have a second cable going to either the nut on the starter or the negative larger terminal on the solenoid.I figured I made that circuit complete by jumping from the ground post of the battery to the ground post of the solenoid.the one with the 10mm nut holding the cable on.For the umpteenth time i took the solenoid out and swapped it with the old 83.Both make the parts bike turn over.Either some wire is loose or the starter is nonfunctional.I thought beyond the click when I pushed the start button it would attempt to turn the starter.its a big deal to remove a starter but thats my next step i suppose.If that is the answer then i will buy a good 4 brush to replace it.This motorcycle has 84,000 miles but it looks like it was cared for.If its the original starter maybe its no good.The parts bike has 34,000 miles.I appreciate your help.I will go with a jumper to the only wire/cable I see on the starter.I will take a jumper from the ground/negative post of the battery and connect it to the body of the starter.I know you guys are getting tired of all this.

I did as flyin fool said.I connected a jumper cable from the ground post of the battery to the nut holding the starter cable onto the starter. That cable goes up to the ground side of the solenoid,under the large solenoid terminal.I connected a second jumper from the positive side of the battery to the positive side of the solenoid.Turned the key on.neutral light shining bright.Hit the starter button and nothing.But the handle to the clamp of the jumper cable connected to the negative post of the battery started to get warm.

thanks.I figure I will have to remove the radiator also.I looked ath the 83 again.I touched the red white wire to the large terminal on the solenoid and the motor turns over good by pushing the start button.I thought that solenoid was bad.So something on the 86 is not connected right.1. I have the positive battery cable connected to the large terminal of the solenoid, the one with the jumper from the large terminal to the small terminal.The other large terminal has a blue white wire from the small terminal-a very small nut.That blue white is connected via bullet connector to the wire coming from the bike.I have the ground cable from the battery securely fastened on the loose end to under a nut on the frame with a bolt through it holding it tight and secure.The wire bolted to the starter comes up and is under the large terminal of the solenoid, the one with the bluewhite wire under the small nut/terminal.The starter is bolted securely to the engine case.The fuses are good.If I turn the key,hit the start button the lights go off as they should, come back bright when I release the start button.If I disconnect any of this the click stops.Reconnect and the click returns, which i figure is the solenoid sending a signal,current to the starter that should make the starter turn.I can put a screwdriver across the large terminal os the solenoid and the motor doesnt turn over.That is why I thought the solenoid was bad.The solenoid i thought was bad easily makes the partsbike motor turn over.So even if the starter is bad, something should happen.At least a slow turn of the starter or indication the current from the solenoid has been sent to the starter.Something isnt connected.I can not figure out what.All the fuses are good.I was taking the kickstand switch loose to see if that was interfering.But first I disconnected the one on the 83 and it turns over connected or disconnected.next week a smart mechanic friend of mine is coming to see what I did wrong.probably something simple and dumb i have done.I even made a jumper cable with a alligator clip on either end.I connected one end to the positive post of the battery.I touched it to both large terminals on the solenoid one at a time.Nothing.I went from the positive terminal on the battery down to the wire from the large terminal on the solenoid that has its wire connected to the nut holding the cable on.Nothing.Not even sparks.I give up.I traced the connections on the 83, they seem the same.I give up.Any of you guys could fix this in 5 minutes.

I also was able to move the cable where it attaches to the starter.I thought wow, thats it.loose cable.I took it off, got the connection point real shiny and clean,retightened.Nothing.

No I didnt take any engine cover off. Also I took one of the 3 solenoids i had tried and put it back on my parts bike.Hit the starter button on it,nothing.Crossed the posts with and without the key in or on and the motor turns over like i expected it to on my good bike.This nonfunctioning 86.It sure looks like in the manual the starter bolts come through from the inside.If not then I am ectastic.I will take the one off the 86 first.see if its screwed up.Plus hook it to a battery and see if it spins.If its real corroded or something is obvious I will then proceed to take the one off the 83.Thanks so much.As difficult as it would be to remove the left cover i wouldnt do that unless no other option was available.Many allen headed bolts, many of which are soft and strippable.

the starter appears to have only 1 wire.from a nut securing it to the starter up to the solenoid.It is grounded by being bolted to the crankcase it appears.I took a jumper cable from the positive battery post and touched it to the bolt on the starter,nothing.I touched the jumper to the starter cable side of the solenoid.just sparks because the hot cable was touching metal.The only other battery connection is to a cable from the negative battery post to securely under a nut on the engine casing.With the key on, the wire from the starter connected to either post of the solenoid, and switching the positive battery cable to either post of the solenoid nothing happens but sparks.with the positive cable from the big terminal of the battery to the jumpered side of the solenoid.the one pictured in this thread,not the one with the blue wire, and the wire coming from the starter to the opposite side of the solenoid, and the battery securely grounded to the engine casing all should be in order.Put a screwdriver between the posts of the solenoid and nothing.Do the same thing to my junk 83 and the starter turns over.I think it is my starter.I dread removing crashbars,linkage from the shifter peg, all the allen bolts holding the casecover on, to get to the starter mounting bolts.My background mechanically is working on cars.I know if a starter is dragging it will pull down on a battery.Also if you put a redhot battery in a car with a dragging starter it will often start the car making one think the problem was the battery.The way the battery would run down while just trying to troubleshoot this makes me think its the starter.Solenoid clicks and nothing else make me suspect the starter.I was going to rob the starter off the 83 and try it.But of course one of the allen bolts stripped out.I am done with it for today.I will drill out the ruined allen bolt and get the cover off the 83 tomorrow.Hopefully the starter mounting bolts will come loose.I sure dont want to buy a starter if thats not the problem.When I had this bike running it would crank real slow then catch and suddenly start.It could be a worn out starter, or some teeth that are bad and once the starter rotates around to a good place it catches and spins.who knows.

I did number 1.battery is good.2 and 3 coming up.

thanks everyone.I am off today.I will figure it out today somehow.I posted here that i have never seen a bike that if a battery is installed, and the solenoid is properly installed and functional, that i could not get the motor to turn over if i merely took like a pair of pliers or a wrench or something and cross the posts on the solenoid and the motor would turn over.It doesnt matter if the key is on or even in the ignition. By jumping the 2 posts of the solenoid it should turn over.I do get the solenoid click. Once again, thank you for all the suggestions.

The neutral light comes on every time i turn the ignition on whixh is an indication the bike should start.the class system is in the trunk.none of the things i like are connected.anything that is plug and play i will re connect.once i get the motorcycle to start.multiple times dependably start.its frustrating.i do appreciate the help.all the stereo radio stuff is unhooked and the heavy components are in a box.would that have anything to do with the nonstart issue.i dont see how because a week ago i had the bike running for about an hour.the fan never came on.there is a second small fuse bix and a fuse marked FAN.10 amp.its not blown.i have to not wander off.the bike never turns over when i hit the start button.maddening.

youre a good guy spencer.It has to be something simple.But my mind is even more simple apparently.

I left out some valuable need to know information.The fairing pockets that generally contain the brains of some of these components are empty.Those components are in the bike trunk,not hooked to anything.The fairing pockets are empty.The cruise control buttons are still all in place on the handlebar but it appears all cruise control stuff is removed.I would like to have it functional, but i doubt since I have so much trouble with simpler things I could ever manage to get it done.It sounds as if I disconnect the 2 wires in the sidestand switch it will disable the switch.I know I could ride off with the kickstand down.I have never done that since 1972, but there could always be the first time.The clutch wires are cut, each separate.I suppose just cover the end of each of them and they will really have no role.As long as the bike is in neutral, or the sidestand is up and the clutch lever is pulled in even in gear it should start.It is not starting at all.That is why I am trying to eliminate all possible interfering safety switches.I had an 83 that the sidestand switch had to be bypassed because once I put the bike in gear it would die.But that bike was running.This one is not.I had everything connected exactly as it is now a week ago and the bike was running.I am at wits end trying to figure out what is causing this problem.I will keep you posted.I do appreciate all the help.I just want to go riding.

spencer, after you compose yourself, tell me what do i do with the 4 clutch wires now they are cut and hanging in the breeze.I would appreciate that answer so I do not further destroy this motorcycle.

yeah, well, it may be funny but try laying an 800 pound motorcycle on its side so the schematic will make sense.I may need help standing it back up.

The schematic is turned sideways.I understand your explanation.So what do i do with these 4 wires now.I have an 83 laying on its side, the sidestand switch is held in place by 1 phillips screw.I took it out.The switch appears to have 1 blue and 1 green.they are encased in some sort of epoxy.I figure that is not supposed to be that way.I was figuring to connect its wires together and bypass it also on this good 86.function #2 you wrote sounds like potentially my problem.I have not taken loose the sidestand switch from the 86 I am trying to get going.But it sounds like not having the clutch wires continuing in a noninterrupted circuit created an open circuit and is doing the #2 you listed.I need to get it circulating back in itself it seems.

My new mastercylinder hand lever assembly has a non compatible electrical hookup with the stock one on my 86 venture.I want to make the clutch switch out of the equation.It has 4 wires.I cut the factory switch end off.It has 4 wires.2 black with a white stripe.one black with a yellow stripe, and one blue with a yellow stripe.I figured the black with white were ground and could be twisted together.I realize once this switch is bypassed the bike will start in gear,or ls not in neutral or in neutral, I am not sure if the sidestand safety switch will still be in the equation. If so I want to bypass it also. I tried twisting the b/w together, and separately, connected the black/y and blue yellow together.That made the ends of the black with white stripes get hot to touch.Also the voltmeter needle dropped down to zero.I disconnected all this and the voltmeter went back up to 12.The bike wont start.I am trying to eliminate potential causes.But the clutch switch has to go regardless because of the nonmatching connections i wrote.I searched here.I found lots of threads with the word clutch but none specifically about this.thanks.I figure cowpuc will know the answer. ps I destroyed the stock mc trying to drill out a screw.