wont start

[stuart]

aaaaaaarghhh
me xs was runing yesterday pulled it out the garage today and washed it now it wont bloody start ,no spark ...any ideas please
checked the obvious connector plugs, broken wires, and the likes,,,,i also have twelve volts at the coils when the ignition on ,,,,,,,,,

[Ken Talbot]

How about the shut-off switch on the handlebar. It has been done before..

[stuart]

wont start

yip mate tried that ...it is still turning over but no spark

[young nip]

starting

Morning,
I know that my bike hates a bath. I have to sponge bath my darlin. I had the same thing once. Took it to the car wash.Power washing --bad idea. Got moisture around or in the sprk plug rubber boots.I always use dialectric grease now on all connections.. problem is the boots will hold moisture for a while till it either gets heated out or blown out manually.Happened at home once too, I used a hair drier on all my connections. just one of those kinky things.good luck
Steve

[randy]

Steve,

Young nip makes a good point. The plug boots are very vulnerable to moisture. Especially the outboard ones that have resistors in them. You know, you can remove the resistor and clean the interior connections to help get more juice to the plugs. Here's how i do it:

Remove the boot from the end of the wire by unscrewing it couterclockwise from the end of the wire. Inside the end that clips to the spark plug you'll see a brass spring clip with what looks like a slot for a screwdriver - well that's just what it is!. When you unscrew the brass plug the resistor will fall out. Be careful with it, it's ceramic and very delicate.

Chances are that is a bit corroded, just clean it up with some steel wool and put it back. There's no wrong way 'round.

Before you re-install the boot onto the wire, clip a 1/2" (13mm) off of the end of the wire to give you a fresh bite on the metal core. BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH LENGTH.

The inboard plug boots will also benefit from the clipping at the end of the wire, but I haven't found a way to get to the resistors in them. Then again, there could be only one resistor in the loop, because two plugs are on each secondary coil circuit.

Maybe someone else knows for sure?

Anyway, after this fix, my plugs never failed to fire even in the rain or after a wash.

Hope this helps.

Randy

P.S. The grab bar looks great. I'll send the pictures soon. I trust you got the letter with Ulysses S Grant?

[chevy45412001]

fuses

You might want to check the ignition fuse also. It took me a long time to find it on mine.The wire was broke towards the metal were you could not see it.Check with test light.Also might want to convert to blade fuses if not done already,Check previous posts for fix.

[stuart]

Wont start

WOOHOO shes away!!! Found the tilt switch under the petrol tank to be faulty, probably just a coinsedince that it happened just after I washed it.
Thanks for all your replys folks, they have been a help.

Stuart

[strom]

washed mine once... ran like a bitch with its ass shot off. So... does all this mean I cant ride in the rain? Coz I do it a lot... OK, did with my previous bikes.

LP