Couldnt kill the bike and had to disconnect battery

[DAVINCI]

how about pulling the ignition fuse.....no shock

[79XS11F]

Go for the main fuss next time it won't stop. As to why it's racing, check cable adjustments since you added the lower bars. If cable adjustment is acceptable check for sticky throttle grip or jamming of the cable connection point on the carbs.
Rob

[FJ111200]

Just stall the fecker.

[Redshirt]

I just had a problem with it on start. Tried starting it and the starter kept on going and going. Luckily (?) it didnt start the bike, but the starter kept on cranking and the motor kept sputtering. Hit kill switch, nothing. Turned key, nothing. I had a screw driver in my hand and bashed the bejebus out of the start switch and it finally let go and shut off.

I had purchased some momentary switches from Radio Shack and stuck in on in place of the normal switch. Works as expected.

Is it just me or is the original start switch a piece of junk?

[natemoen]

They aren't the geatest but remember it is 30 year old plastic. Xschop sells stainless steel replacements.

[cywelchjr]

There is also a guy who shows up pretty often on ebay that sells replacement plastic ones that are almost exactly like the originals. I've got one of them on mine.

[chewie123]

these starter switches really suck.

Hey guys, just got around to looking at this guy again, and I think it might be the starter switch like Redshirt was saying. I tried starting it again, which it wouldnt, but the starter kept going even after the key and kill switch were turned, unplugged the solenoid and it died. Afterwords I checked out the starter button and it is totally stuck. Yes, these buttons blow. Doesnt seem that safe that a stuck starter button can keep the engine going right? Anyway, Im going to hold off blaming the solenoid until i replace the starter switch.

I'll report back with results.

[chewie123]

new switch wiring

Hey Redshirt, how did you wire up your switch from radio shack? I got one today and it has two prongs coming out the back, should i just ground one of the prongs to the screw that used to hold the old switch and wire the blue wire to the other prong? Thanks.

[Redshirt]

Ground goes to one prong, red goes to the other prong.

I took the ground and hot wire, snipped them without loosing too much wire.
I then found some small female connectors that would fit close enough to those radio shack prongs and crimped them onto it (i.e. pliers and gorilla strength). I did this in case I ever find a better button switch.
I dont know if it matters if the ground is on one or the other, but if it does I had a 50/50 and got it right.

Stripped the wires and inserted them into the little connectors,put heat shrink in place, crimped and shrunk all the way over the connector heads. They are flimsy and if they ever bent and touched for whatever reason, it would be as good as a stuck button.
The only issue I had was finding washers that had a big enough inside diameter for the button, but not to big for the interior of the control housing.
The exterior got a washer and then the screw that came with the switch. My exterior washer is slightly larger than Id like, and covers the bottom of the word START on the decal, but function was more important to me at the time.
The button works great. Just alittle flimsy IMO.
EDIT: I put the grounding screw back in the hole it came from so I wouldnt lose it. Nothing is connected to that screw with this switch.

EDIT 2: I pulled the battery cables off so I would hurt myself or start the bike on accident

[Redshirt]

I think you said Blue wire and I said Red. Either way, there's only 2 wires. Black for ground and a non-black wire. I dont remember what color it was, honestly. Just hook them suckers up to the prongs, 1 each.

[chewie123]

Yeah, this is where Im getting confused - my button only had one wire connected to it - Blue with white - and no ground wire to be seen. I was assuming the little copper tab that screws into the housing was the ground, but maybe the PO has rigged something crazy up? I just tried attaching the blue to one prong and running a wire from the other to the "ground screw" and as soon as I turned the key the starter motor began turning. Is something wrong here, should there 100% be a ground wire there for me to hook up? Im going to try reversing the connections later tonight and see what happens, like you were saying, it might be 50/50 to get it right.

[DGXSER]

Not sure about the switch but keep this in mind. On the XS11, the starter button simply completes the ground side of the circuit to energize the starter solenoid. The power runs form the battery through the main fuse, up tot he key switch, back down to the fuse box, from the ign fuse up to the kill switch, and then back from the kill switch to the positive side of the starter solenoid.

The blue wire from the solenoid is a ground wire. If you simply run a wire form that connectro the clue wire is in to a ground you have done the same thing as hitting your starter button. The blue wire runs to the starter button. The other side of the starter button does one of two things depending on the year of your XS11.

For the older models, it simply dgrounds through the switch housing to the handlebars and down through the steering and frame to ground.

The newer models had a fourth wire in there, black one, that connects to ground and to the other side of the starter switch.

So your new switch should simply take that blue wire on one side, should not matter which side, and the other side to ground of some kind.

[Redshirt]

Dont run the ground to the screw/control housing. With those radio shack buttons, you MUST run the wires to the prongs on the back of the switch. One each.
I snipped off the ground wires loopy-thingy contact (technical I know) and connected the wire with flat connectors to a prong.

Also, make sure you have a "momentary switch".

These buttons don't click or toggle into a position. They're simple spring loaded ones that do not lock into a position.
Here is the one I got:
Radio Shack 275-1556 SPST Momentary Mini Pushbutton Switch

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062543

[chewie123]

Yeah, I got a little momentary switch, its basically like yours but the button is a little smaller. Here is a pic of my current situation, I only have one wire going to the starter because its a 78E, so I still dont know what to do with the other prong. What year are you running Redshirt? DGXSER, I did basically what you described but it still cranks on its own. This button is the last piece of the puzzle (hopefully...), gotta get it figured out!

http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/a...0328235103.jpg

[cywelchjr]

Yeah, I got a little momentary switch, its basically like yours but the button is a little smaller. Here is a pic of my current situation, I only have one wire going to the starter because its a 78E, so I still dont know what to do with the other prong. What year are you running Redshirt? DGXSER, I did basically what you described but it still cranks on its own. This button is the last piece of the puzzle (hopefully...), gotta get it figured out!

http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/a...0328235103.jpg

Ground the other wire to the bars, or run a wire back to a ground somewhere else, but basically the wire that went to the starter button already needs to get grounded to make the starter work, so the switch needs to provide a path to ground while being pressed, and then stop providing that when released.