Bike Won't Crank

[chuckditta]

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction as to where to begin in troubleshooting a problem.

Until recently my bike was running like a champ as is the norm. As I was approaching a red light, I pulled in the clutch and the bike died.

I coasted to the light, but when I tried to start it, it would not crank. The starter just clicked once and that's it.

The bike has juice. I am able to move through the gears. It rolls freely in neutral and while holding the clutch.

I was unable push start it.

Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[BigRed]

First thought is a weak battery or bad connection. Check your ground connections at the voltage regulator, your positive connections at the starter solenoid, and your main fuse & fuse holder. I haven't heard of it being a problem on these bikes specifically, but fuses can sometimes crack and give intermittent connections. Have you load tested the battery? You can put your multimeter on the battery, and then watch what happens when you push the starter button. If the voltage drops below 10, then your battery is probably done. You should also check to make sure that the fluid level is correct, and that you're getting the right charging voltage (once you get the bike running again).

Another test for the battery is to boost the bike from your car battery without the car running. If that solves all your problems, then your battery is dead. You can also do your charging check while hooked up to your car battery to make sure the bike's not going to cook a new battery when you put it in.

HTH

[DGXSER]

If you are still using the factory glass fuses, that is a very likely cause of your issue. As stated, check the fuses, and use a meter to check voltage on each side. Check for voltage at the outlet of the connector, not just the glass fuse end or the fuse side of the connector. Those old connectors will break and not transfer the smoke.

Another not uncommon source for this issue is the main switch (key switch). They get awful dirty riding up front there and that dirt can cause corrosion and or just lack of connection. It's not to tough to open one up and clean the connections, hardest part is getting it off the bike.

[mxmikie]

dirty ignition switch