Uncertain Electrical Failure

[xs11bobber]

I haven't found a right control with 5 wires on ebay yet, so I improvised. I put a jumper wire where they would plug in. Well, at first I wasn't sure of which R/W. I looked in the clymer's and kinda dropped it on my frame and it started cranking. It surprised me and I instantly disconnected the jumper. It didn't crank hard so I put the charger on it. Now I can't get the bike to crank at all. I've removed all electrical tape from the harness and nothing looks bare. I've got one odd connection (battery +) that's more like a 6ga. butt connector. Wiggled it a bit and nothing.

I had the battery charger on the lowest setting being 2Amp slow charge. I touch the starter to the + and it cranks. Any advice?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Josh,

Sounds like if you were messing with the right hand control switches, you might have gotten the Emergency Kill switch in the wrong position or such. DO you still have the switch control plugged into the harness??
T.C.

[xs11bobber]

No. My original controls have 3 wires, the knob wont turn, and the start button wont budge. I stole a harness from the 'ole man that he bought from ebay which I figured out has the 78E/79F right control wires.Since I don't have a set of right controls for it yet, I put a jumper on a R/W and L/W. Well, I was certain I had the right R/W at first then sat my clymers on the frame, which bumbed the wiring around the solenoid, and she started cranking then. Now I can't duplicate the result... I'm at a loss...

[xs11bobber]

Well, I WAS certain I had the right R/W at first then sat my clymers on the frame, which bumbed the wiring around the solenoid, and she started cranking then. Now I can't duplicate the result... I'm at a loss...

I meant wasn't

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Josh,

I'm no Electrical GURU, and the wiring diagram doesn't make as much sense as I was hoping it would when I reviewed it!?

The L/W=Blue/white wire is the wire from the starter, it needs to work thru a temporary switch to a black wire/frame ground for it to work.

The Emergency Kill switch has the B/W=black/white wire running to it, and it needs to be NOT connected to a ground for it to be in the ON position. When it's turned to either side for OFF, it connects it to a ground, which deactivates the TCI.

The wiring diagram shows the RED/WHITE wires coming into and leaving the right handlebar switch, but it doesn't show any switches that use them? It comes from the fuse panel, and then back out to provide power to the ballast resistor and low power side of the starter solenoid.

SO...unless someone comes on here and corrects me, it looks like the Red/White wires would actually be connected to each other, and that the Blue/White wire should be connected to the starter button switch which should be connected to a black ground wire, or the switch should be grounded to the switch housing/handlebar/frame!
T.C.

[xs11bobber]

so maybe I completed the ground circuit somehow when I sat my clymers down you suppose?

[xs11bobber]

Another go...

I recieved my MikesXS right controls. I don't want to hack the wiring for them and I can use male spade connectors to plug into it, no big deal. This morning I duplicated a previous result like this...

That's a jumper from blue/black to blue/white and another jumper on those to battery ground... it cranked~!~ This was right after replacing my fuse block with T.C.s fuse block. Now, I can't get anything. Checked the fuses, no problem there. Did the solenoid post/screwdriver test and it came good. Do I have something shorting out? Right when I think I get it, something screws up and I get frustrated and very discouraged. What a PITA. FRED! RANDY! ANYBODY! I need serious help.

[xs11bobber]

I might also note...

that the MikesXS controls have 4 wires. Red/White and Tan which attach to the kill switch and blue/white and black which attach to the start button. I tried what looked to be the right way in my Clymers to attach a red/white to the blue white and then the blue/white to the blue/white and that was obviously wrong because I melted the start button to the spring. I tried the same thing but in reverse with the harness side and got nothing but a blown fuse.

[xs11bobber]

blue white

Oops. I keep doing that. I meant blue/black

[xs11bobber]

Another little update

When I use a test light this is what I get to complete the circuit:

Test light on (+)[Key OFF]
Blue/White
Red/White

Test light on (-)[Key ON]
Red/White(same as one above)
Red/Yellow

So I put the Red/White from above and the Red/Yellow into 1 female spade connector and attached them to the Red/White on the switch then attached the remaining Red/White to the Tan from the switch which appears to complete a hot circuit. I then attached the Blue/White to the Blue/White on the switch and the Blue/Black to the Black on the switch. This gets nothing, but when I reverse the Blues, I turn the key to on, turn the switch and it immediately starts cranking and I can't stop it without disconnecting the wires. So reversed keeps a constant ground, but then why doesn't it work the "right" way?

[John]

You're making this much harder than it really is. There are only four wires to the r/h switch assembly, if there is no headlight on/off switch. The red/white or red/yellow (they look red/white in my Clymers diagram) go to the kill switch, the blue/white goes to the start button, and the black is the ground for the start button. The black will attach to the switch housing just inside the housing where the wires go into the housing. With the key on there should be power to one of the red/white wires in the bikes harness, and power to the blue/white. With the connecters disconnected, and the key on, jump the two red/whites in the harness together. That will simulate the kill switch in the on position. Next jump the blue/white to the black, and that will simulate the starter button being depressed. The bike should crank. If it doesn't crank, go to the starter solenoid and check the blue/white wire with you test light. With the key on there should be power there. If not the solenoid is bad. If you have power there then check again at the connector under the tank. If you have power then by grounding the blue/white should make it crank. If you don't have power on the B/W, at the connector, then you have an open in that wire. There are no other connectors in that circuit.

[Geezer]

When customizing switches, I find it's way easier to just take them apart and figure out what they do and attach the wire accordingly...

Geezer

[xs11bobber]

When customizing switches, I find it's way easier to just take them apart and figure out what they do and attach the wire accordingly...

Geezer

Yeah, I thought it would be that easy, lol

With the key on there should be power to one of the red/white wires in the bikes harness, and power to the blue/white. With the connecters disconnected, and the key on, jump the two red/whites in the harness together. That will simulate the kill switch in the on position. Next jump the blue/white to the black, and that will simulate the starter button being depressed. The bike should crank.

I can simulate this all day long. It seems as if when I hook it up to the switch with this same routing method, I get nothing. I checked the kill and it was working fine. Just my actualy start button, when I press it, doesn't do a damn thing. I took it apart twice and cleaned it, made sure it was functioning properly, and looked for manufacturer defects and everything checked out ok. Could it be my ground? Because When I installed new races, I repainted and cleared the upper TT. Is paint a circuit breaker?

[Geezer]

When I put black painted bars on my 79 Standard, I had to run grounds to the switches but normally there is a ground wire from the harness to the forks. If it's not there, you could have problem. Steering bearings were never meant to be an electrical conductor.

Geezer

[xs11bobber]

Well I have a Black attached to the switch housing, but I don't have a black in the harness. I've been under the assumption that my Blue/black in the harness was ground for the switch. Maybe it isn't connecting properly? Because if I remember right I did clip the blue/white and blue/black together before and I still got nothing. I then took a jumper from the one of those gator clips to battery (-) and she cranked.