Help! I'm in l.a. And my xs is giving me trouble!

[jwilner]

So I've been traveling by motorcycle for about 8 months (about 16,000 mi) now, only this last month on my 79 xs1100, which I bought in AZ. Now I'm in LA and it is really giving me some trouble. It dies mysteriously, on the road or at stoplights from idle. When it dies the starter switch does nothing (no click). If I connect the two sides of the starter relay I can usually get it running again. This problem is very intermittent, it sometimes wont happen for days, then it will happen 2 or 3 times in an hour. I figure it must be some loose electrical connection. When it is running it runs beautifully.

I do not particularly want to put much more money into this bike, and would be as happy to sell it as have it fixed.

I am very far from home (MD) and am quite desperate. If you live in LA and would be so kind as to give me a hand with it, a recommendation of a good mechanic to diagnose it or want to make me an offer please respond.

thanks,

Joe

[IanDMacDonald]

My first thought is a loose connection in the fuse panel. Time to break out the DMM and do some probing. If you can, carry along a pocket DMM while riding. Since these bikes requires juice to the TCI to run, I'd say you are having some type of disconnect from the battery to the fuse panel. Bad ground? Loose negative cable? I could go on forever . . .

[motoman]

So I've been traveling by motorcycle for about 8 months (about 16,000 mi) now, only this last month on my 79 xs1100, which I bought in AZ. Now I'm in LA and it is really giving me some trouble. It dies mysteriously, on the road or at stoplights from idle. When it dies the starter switch does nothing (no click). If I connect the two sides of the starter relay I can usually get it running again. This problem is very intermittent, it sometimes wont happen for days, then it will happen 2 or 3 times in an hour. I figure it must be some loose electrical connection. When it is running it runs beautifully.

I do not particularly want to put much more money into this bike, and would be as happy to sell it as have it fixed.

I am very far from home (MD) and am quite desperate. If you live in LA and would be so kind as to give me a hand with it, a recommendation of a good mechanic to diagnose it or want to make me an offer please respond.

thanks,

Joe

If fuse panel original, those brass tangs or glas fuses could be giving you issues. Check the main rubber booted 30amp fuse holder and its internals. Ballast resistor comes to mind on that year bike also. You can bypass it. Just throwin out ideas since not knowing what has or has not been done electrically on the bike.

[DGXSER]

I would also suggest the fuse panel if it is the stock one with glass fuses. Otherwise, it could be the right hand e-stop switch as well.

[jwilner]

ok, the fuse panel uses the plastic 2-prong fuses, not glasss tubes, so does that mean it is not original?

As for the engine stop switch idea, that was my thought exactly, because that how it acts, as if it is switched off. I found that the wires (4) from that housing were wrapped up over a bracket on the frame beneath the tank. I straightened them out, disconnected and put a little oil in the connector plugs and put it back together. Unfortunately the problem has been so intermittent I cant say if that fixed it.

[MaximPhil]

Hi J
I had those exact symptoms with mine. Turned out to be the Kill Switch on the right hand. Clean the switch and tug on the solder joints I bet one looks good and comes away in your hand. Cleaning connections is a constant maintenace item on these 30 year old bikes.
8000 miles and not a single photo post....... Never happened
Phil

[DGXSER]

Yes that fuse box has been upgraded. I would bet on the right hand kill switch.

[bikerphil]

+2 on the kill switch being dirty.

[Rasputin]

Had a few beers here so I can not remember if the 79SF had the fuse under the left side cover that would still be the glass one. It may be at fault as well. The kill switch should be able to be disabled by pulling or cutting one wire if I remember correctly. If I am right someone with smarts with confirm that and you may be able to make it home in one piece.

[DGXSER]

Ras, The 78 and 79 had the main in the fuse box. 80=81 moved it out of the fuse box. The kill switch is a closed switch to operate. So you would need to find the two red and white wires, take them apart at the switch and join them together.

[Rasputin]

Good to know DGXSER. I was not sure but thought I would throw it out the in case it inspired ideas as well. Thanks

[skids]

Joe, you might have cruddy contacts in the key switch.

[soccer4m]

check it

I would check the following also, easy to check-
1. battery connections at the battery and the ground to the frame, from the neg. cable.

2. Age of battery, if its over a couple years old, get another, they can cause running and starting problems.

I had both of the above cause your symptoms,,,,the ground connection was bad, and I found out by just wiggling the connection at the frame and it broke apart easily. If the battery is old, just minor vibrations can short out the whole circuit, maybe take it out and an auto parts store can hook it up to a machine and check it out...........keep us informed ,,,,Mike in San DIego

[kevxs]

i had the same issue a few months ago, it turned out the wires coming off the right hand kill switch were grounding to the handle bars. to fix it I re-insulated the wires by putting 2" of heat shrink tubes around each wire coming off the switch.

[jwilner]

Alright fellas. I'm going to take the kill switch apart and redo the connections.
As for the battery, 2 months old. the rubber on the ground wire is a little cracked, would that alone cause a bad ground? I'll take it off and put some dielectric grease on it today.

OK, so there is another issue i didnt bring up earlier. It is also extremely intermittent and i wonder if the two are connected. Sometimes, usually after a few dozen miles or more, the bike seems like it drops a cylinder or two. It looses a bunch of power and sounds very weird. Sometimes it kicks right back and sometimes it doesnt. Any ideas? A theory i had was the kill switch wires, pressed and bent under the tank, once heated up by the engine might be shorting, but I'm not sure if that would cause both issues or just the first one i mentioned.

thanks again everybody