OH no - no go!

[dbeardslee]

Randy - I sent you a PM, but I'll repeat it here for everyone's benefit.

The first thing I did when it quit running was check the fuses. I couldn't see any breaks, and I also ran a continuity test across the fuse block for each fuse. Continuity was good. I took a jumper wire with alligator clips on each end, and connected one to the hot post on the solenoid, and the other to the blob of solder that the red/wht is attached to, also on the solenoid. With the jumper in place, it starts right up and runs - push the starter and release and it starts and runs. Remove the wire and it quits. I didn't try the handlebar kill switch with the jumper in place, but if it was bad it wouldn't have started with the jumper either, would it? I also looked at the power at the TCI. Without the jumper, and the ignition on, I was only reading .25 volts at the TCI. With the jumper it was back up to 12v. So if I put one probe on the red/wht 'y' connection in front of the coils, and the other on the red/wht at the TCI, will that send the current through the wire where the ballast resistor used to be, or do I go from the solder blob to the 'Y' connector?

One little note on the jumper wire - you really have to watch it on that solder blob. When I first connected it, the darn clip popped off the solder and landed directly on the muffler and just laid there. MAN that wire got hot fast .

[randy]

I didn't try the handlebar kill switch with the jumper in place, but if it was bad it wouldn't have started with the jumper either, would it? I also looked at the power at the TCI. Without the jumper, and the ignition on, I was only reading .25 volts at the TCI.

There is your answer, the kill switch is open.

[dbeardslee]

Problem found

Armed with Randy's wiring information I ran some continuity checks (one of the red whites on the kill switch goes to the coil 'y' connector, and the other side goes to the fuse block), and all the wires and connections looked good. I took the switch apart, and checked the kill switch. Everything looked good, but I checked it with a dmm anyway. Everything still looked fine. Connected the switch back on the bike - nothing. I thought, as long as I've got it off, I might as well do the other side of the switch assembly too. Looked a little grunged up, so I completely disassembled it, and cleaned the starter button and it's contacts as well as the lighting switch, and the inside of the housing, and hosed it out with brake parts cleaner. Put it back together, connected it, and she cranked right up. Something was shorting something out, but I'm not sure what - maybe the starter button? Anyway, the hot tip from this one is, if you're having this problem and you've eliminated the ballast resistor, don't stop at cleaning the kill switch - clean the entire assembly. And watch that little ball bearing if you've got the lights on/off switch - that little sucker tried to run away from me twice! Thanks to all for your excellent advice - without it I'd still be putting probes on wires .

[dbeardslee]

One other little tidbit...

If you want to check your starter button, you can do it with out taking the switch off. If you unplug the connector down by the gas tank, and put one probe from a multimeter on the blue/wht wire, and hold the other probe to the switch housing with the mm set to continuity, you should see an open circuit that closes when you push the button. If it shows continuity all the time, or doesn't show continuity when you push the button, then the button isn't doing its thing. Just passing it along in my continuing endeavor to do things the easy way .