Strange electrics.

[Crusty Snippets]

The story so far. Yami my 79 XS11 Special runs fine. Had not checked the battery in a while. Took it out, 12.25 volts, not enough, put on charger for a day or so. 12.5 volts, not enough. Let sit overnight, 12.25 volts, not enough.
Thinking I have a new battery to purchase. Today checked specific gravity. All cells weak. Put it back in bike in case I need to run it. Got a small spark from the negative connection. That should not happen. While the battery was out I connected a new end to the red wyre, connected to the heavy positive wyre to the battery. That was the only change.
The white connection piece was corroded, and the end of the wyre was corroded.
Now with the battery connected, the red charge lamp and the green neutral lamp will not go off when the key is turned off.
Bike starts, red light goes out. Key off does not stop engine. Neither does the kill switch. So I have an always on situation. Hard to believe the key switch would malfunction doing nothing.
Early on the switch was not reliable at turning on the ignition. I took it apart and cleaned it.
But at the moment the switch is my number one culprit. Can not think of anything else that would cause the problem.

Unkle Crusty*

[skids]

Maybe you switched the leads from the charger to the battery and now have reversed polarity! (Yes, I am kidding)

[James England]

I think it's a coincidence. You've had problems with the switch in the past, correct? Then you do a bit of work on the battery leads and the switch problem recurs. There's nothing you can do to the battery terminals which would result in a permanently on position. And, from what you've said, you only replaced the positive terminal anyway. That won't make a switch stay on.

Also, when you reconnected the battery, you got a small spark at the negative terminal, presumably as you connected it up. That means there was something drawing current..... The switch was 'on'

It's a coincidence, your switch is dodgy. IMO

[Crusty Snippets]

Always on.

James, I think you are correct in all your thinking.
To clarify my post. The positive from the battery goes to a post with a 10mm nut. At that terminal end there is a smaller red wyre that goes to the wyring loom. It was the smaller wyre that I connected a new end to.

The switch problem previously was a non turning on problem. Would have to fiddle with it to get action. I will have another look at it today. I am riding the XS400 which is the winter bike, but I like to have a spare running. Have the side car on the XS11 for fetching supplies.

Unkle Crusty*

[crazy steve]

...Key off does not stop engine. Neither does the kill switch. So I have an always on situation...

You have more problems than just the key switch; the kill switch should stop the motor even when the key is on.

Are you sure that was the right red wire? The large red-only wire from the solenoid terminal goes directly to the 'main' fuse in the fuse panel, from there to the ignition switch with two taps; one to the 'aux' terminals next to the fuse panel and one to the red wire at the regulator (to charge the battery). The red/white is ignition power, should come from the fuse panel to the kill switch, then back to the TCI.

This would account for the 'spark' when you connected the battery cable; it's powering up the ignition system. Now if the bike isn't started right away, a protection circuit in the TCI disconnects power to the ignition to protect it, then 'turns on' when it detects the motor turning. But even when the protection circuit is 'off', there's still a small amount of power being consumed.

[Crusty Snippets]

Good news

Thank you Steve. Wish you were here while I was fiddling with it.
Removed the ignition switch and checked it for continuity. Works fine.
Even with the switch disconnected the dash lights came on. Had to be something else. I studied the spare bike. Realized Yami does not have a fuse box, just four inline fuses. Very strange.The book shows that smaller red wyre doing what you said, all the way to the red at the switch.
My book calls the 1 1/2 inch square unit, that the positive battery wyre connects to, the starter button. Has the red and blue wyre exiting and another heavier wyre at the bottom, also with a 10 mm nut. As I had a spare on my spares bike I swapped them. Yami is back to normal functioning.

Maybe a short in that piece powered the red white wyre, which also confused the kill switch.
I will buy a new battery for Yami for Christmas.

Unkle Crusty