starting problem

[cowboybob998]

Start switch wont work, so i jumped the sol. it started, as soon as I take the jumper off it dies, fuze box ok, got any ideas any one ?

[DGXSER]

Two faced...

Well...the problem seems to be anyway.

Jumping the starter and it turns, but pushing the button and it does not is one problem. Starting circuit runs as follows on the later models and I think the same on the 78-79 models. Power starts at the battery, goes to main fuse, then to key switch, to the fuse box and the ignition fuse, from there to the e-stop switch or kill switch on the right handlebar, on to the solenoid. Then the grounding side of the solenoid, that blue white wire, goes to the starter button where the button completes the path to ground. Try jumping form the solder joint where the blue white wire connects to the frame with the key on and the kill switch on and see if the starter turns. If it does the problem is in your starter button if not, then continue tracing back.

The second issue you described is it starts when the solenoid is jumpered but dies when you remove the jumper. This sounds like a bad ballast resistor. The resistor is taken out of the circuit when you start the bike, and when the starter is disengaged, it returns to the spark circuit.

[natemoen]

Could it have anything to do with the tipover switch? Where does that fit in the ignition circuit?

[DGXSER]

It is in the ignition circuit, as in spark while running, not neccesarily no starter motor function. So, if the bike runs while the starter is engaged, I would suspect it is not the problem.

[cowboybob998]

switch fired

Took the start switch apart, you can see where it has got hot and burnt, i gess i should be looking for a short.
I have allready diconected all the fuses in the fuse box and wired them together for now just to trace down the problem, I gess next is to start cuting into the harnes to see if I can find some shorted wires.
Know of any good point to start at ?

[Rasputin]

Wiring them direct and taking the fuse out can cause a huge problem of its own, even just for a short time. I would not do it, use and replace the fuses as necessary instead. I tried that once with an old car I had. I burnt wires all the way thru my wiring harness and ruined it. Other than that I would start with any of the connections, followed by places that the wires may be pinched or look worn from movement or vibration. JAT

[DGXSER]

I have to agree with Rasputin. In my younger less informed days, I owned an XS750 that was on its last legs in the wiring department. Of course it did not help that I jumped it over a sidewalk curb once due to losing front brakes. Well, it developed a short that would consistantly blow the main fuse. I ventually got tired of replacing fuses with bigger ones, and put a piece of 12 ga wire across the main.

Worked for a little while, then the magic smoke got out from a few places. Thankfully no flames came with it. In my more thoughtful days now, I know a wire got pinched somewhere when I jumped the curb, and I never tracked it down. Probably a simple soldering job and some shrink wrap was all it would have taken, that and a few hours of searching for it.

[cowboybob998]

Wiring them direct and taking the fuse out can cause a huge problem of its own, even just for a short time. I would not do it, use and replace the fuses as necessary instead. I tried that once with an old car I had. I burnt wires all the way thru my wiring harness and ruined it. Other than that I would start with any of the connections, followed by places that the wires may be pinched or look worn from movement or vibration. JAT

Just posted a reply gess it did not go trough, any way i have some fuseable links i can put in there, good idea, i have the fuse box i got from TC about year ago that i have not used yet, but right now I just want to find the problem.

[Mont]

I had the same situation on my '78. I bypassed the kill switch; it starts and runs now.

[cywelchjr]

Just posted a reply gess it did not go trough, any way i have some fuseable links i can put in there, good idea, i have the fuse box i got from TC about year ago that i have not used yet, but right now I just want to find the problem.

I don't know why people put this mod off so much. It took all of about 20 minutes to change out the fuse box on mine (both bikes actually) and electrical reliability is so much better now. The worst problem for me was the waiting for the part to come in, once you have it I just can't see ANY reason not to just get r done.

[cowboybob998]

I don't know why people put this mod off so much. It took all of about 20 minutes to change out the fuse box on mine (both bikes actually) and electrical reliability is so much better now. The worst problem for me was the waiting for the part to come in, once you have it I just can't see ANY reason not to just get r done.

Have not put the mod off just have not worked on the Xs in about a year, was wateing for a good parts bike and the parts bike turned out to be better than the one i was wateing for parts for
I got the starter button fixed, replaced the switch and found the problem, ballis resistor shorted out, now it runs
Thank guys

[cowboybob998]

It ran for a while

Well it ran ok for awile now its got another probem, its missing but not sure where all plugs have spark 2&3 seem to be week, would week spark cause it not to fire ?
Look at the the vacume addvance it looks ok, it was getting dark in the shead and will have to wate till tomorow to look at the coils.

[Rasputin]

Weak spark may not fire the cylinder for sure. Have you checked your battery? If it is low it will affect how the bike runs and the quality of the spark. Charge the battery or hook up a known good one (steal it from your car), if it runs better that was a simple fix. If it does not change then we have to look at other stuff. You could have worn down the battery while trying to get it to start and these bikes don't charge very much until the rpm's get in the higher range. Running it at an idle or just a quick trip around the block will not charge a weak battery. My .02 cents.

[cowboybob998]

wireing harnes

Here is something i noticed while i was looking for shorts, I was striping back the harnes looking at the wires and there has been some major spliceing done to the harnes, looks likes someone (PO) had spliced a front or back half to the harnes, right in the middel under the tank, it all looked good like it was done well, but who knows for sure, i have another parts bike I can get the harnes off of and replace it with.
I may just put this project on the back bunner for a while, I realy just wanted to see if this motor was good, i have another bike I want to get runing that I know every thing worked, swaping one motor to another one, runing bad motor comeing out that needs 2nd gear fix with good runing motor going in, just want to get one of these XS11 runing to ride before summer is up.

[cowboybob998]

the saga continues

Went out to start on the outher bike, just had to try this one, one more time, bang it fired up kinda, missing at first, smokeing real bad, cleard up after awhile, had alot of gas in the xhaust I gess, it now looks like the carb loaded up at first there was gas coming out of # 4 carb, banged on the side of it with a wrench and it quit, I did, befor i tried to start it unplug the coil wires and pluded them back in, looking at them real close for any bad conections, they looked good to me.
Got another question.
If you use 80 carbs on a 79 motor is it posible to get a dead spot right off of idel, this seems to have a bad dead spot, I will put the 79 carbs on it onece i get a rebuild kit for the 79 carbs.