Suddenly won't start

[tri650]

78 xs11. Running fine and just put in new battery. Decided this morning to change out the handlebars - went with higher bars. Had to remove switches, etc. Put on new bars and hit the start button and nothing. Lights came on strong but nothing from the starter. I pushed it down the street and popped the clutch and it started. Rode it for awhile and stopped. Tried to restart with buitton and nothing. I made sure the kill swith was "on". Any ideas?

[John]

Sounds like you need to take the switch housing off again and test the kill switch. They can look ok, and the knob may move easily, but they can fall apart internally. If you have the tank off, you can use a jumper at the wiring connector that houses the kill switch wires.

[DGXSER]

Is that the model that needs the starter button/switch housing grounded to the handlebars to work? Are the bars painted? That could be your problem.

[nutwister]

Correct me if I'm wrong John but It wouldn't even push start if it was the kill switch. Right?

[Incubus]

There are only a few places to check, and I don't see how any of them would come on suddenly from changing the handlebars. Unless, of course, you do have a model that grounds to the handlebars and the new bars are painted.

1. Starter button. Pull the control and remove the starter button. Make sure the end of the button and the plate it grounds are both clean of corrosion.

2. The kill switch. But as you noted, if the kill switch goes I don't think you would have spark. You can check it by disconnecting the wires that go to it in the switch housing, connecting them together and seeing if the engine cranks.

3. The solenoid. There are tests to check it, but they slip my mind right now. Do a search. It's an easy test. You ground one of the soldered connections to the frame.

4. The starter. If you jump the solenoid and the starter turns then this is not your problem.

I don't see how any of these occur as the result of changing the handlebars, unless you tugged a connection loose or your battery is low.

Patrick

[nutwister]

The starter switch is the most likely culprit. Take that left handlebar swich back off and make sure the wire to it isn't broken and be certain that the housing itself is grounded and the handlebars are grounded to the tripple trees.

If the switch and the bars aren't properly grounded the starter switch can't work. It works on a ground through both

[tri650]

The bars are painted black with some type of rubbery coating could this be the problem???

[Incubus]

Yes. How many wires are there in the wiring braid that goes from the switch to the wiring harness? If one of those wires is not a ground wire then your switch grounds to the handlebars. You can leave the bars alone if you run a ground wire from one of the little screws inside the left switch to a bolt on the bike. Your switch may not be grounding.

Patrick

[tri650]

Thank God for this forum

You were all right - it was the bar. The rubber coating was not grounding the housing. When I ran a wire from the housing to the frame it started. YES!!

Thanks to all for the quick reply and for getting this straight. Have a great day and thanks again for all of your help.

[nutwister]

Take that left handlebar swich back off

run a ground wire from one of the little screws inside the left switch to a bolt on the bike.

OOPS! We BOTH meant the RIGHT handle bar switch!

[DGXSER]

ITs ok, you were just looking at his bike from in front of it.

[nutwister]

...........................................

[bikerphil]

"the left switch"

That would be your other left