Starter clutch or electrical?

[fintoleft1]

So after spending countless hours cleaning the carbs, changing the oil, etc. I attempt to get the sf started. The connections for the start button and kill switch were all rusted and I stripped the screws trying to remove them. So after cutting all 4 wires to bypass the switch, I connect the blue and black and jump it at the soloniod. After not being run for at least 5 years she sure roared to life. The problem is it sounds like the starter is still spinning. Once I disconnect the black and blue wires she dies immediately. I'm not sure if its an electrical issue because of the way I'm jumping it or if the starter clutch isn't disengaging after she starts.

[DGXSER]

Could be a combination of things. The starter button essentially completes the grounding circuit, and the kill switch completes the red/white wires to get juice to the low side of the solenoid. So to bypass both of those, you want to run a wire from the battery positive to the red white post on the solenoid, and from the battery ground to the blue side. But this is only connected while you want the starter to run. After the bike starts it has to be disconnected to stop the starter turning.

If it started and was running decent with the starter circuit engaged, but died when you removed that connection, it could be a bad ballast resistor. The starting circuit on the 78-80 models that have one, bypasses the ballast resistor. When you disengage the starter, the BR is brought back into the circuit. So the bike could start and even run with the start circuit engaged, but die when it is released.

[crazy steve]

....its an electrical issue because of the way I'm jumping it ....

You need to connect the two red/white wires together for ignition power, then momentarily touch the blue/black to the black ground to engage the starter. If touching the latter two together doesn't make the starter work, then there's a problem in either the wiring to the solenoid or the solenoid itself.

[fintoleft1]

I have a couple ballast resistors and a solonoid from the 79 f I picked up last week. It was an old forgotten build that had some extras. I'll swap out the ballast resistor and try it again. Currently nothing happens when I touch blue to black so i'll check the wiring. Then i'll try swapping the solonoid. Thanks for the help.

[cywelchjr]

I have a couple ballast resistors and a solonoid from the 79 f I picked up last week. It was an old forgotten build that had some extras. I'll swap out the ballast resistor and try it again. Currently nothing happens when I touch blue to black so i'll check the wiring. Then i'll try swapping the solonoid. Thanks for the help.

Remember the two red/white wires MUST be connected together for the bike to run, as the run/stop switch in the run position connects those two wires together and opens them up in the stop position. The starter and everything else is disabled when those are not connected.