HELP - Bike won't start!

[mcmotohistory]

My 1981 Venturer has been down for 8 monyhs while I rebuilt the fairing and repainted the whole bike, I also did suspension and tires among other things. Bike started and ran good when I parked it, When it was all together I pored in some gas and hit the starter button and nothing. I mean nothing, its as if no signal is going from the starter button to the starter itself. The battery is good and freshly charged and all the lights lite up and are bright. I'm at a loss on how to proceed. Any ideas?

[mack]

Have

you looked at the kill switch on the right handlebar control? Sometimes we forget to return it to the center position. You wouldn't be the first guy to do that. If it has been centered, cleaning the internals in that control may be required. Also check all your grounds.

[dbeardslee]

Might take a look at the starter button itself, too. They've been known to pop out of their bracket, and when they do you get nothing when you push the button.

[TopCatGr58]

As DB stated,

The Starter button is the other thing to check. But it doesn't send any power to the starter motor....it just grounds the circuit to allow the RELAY to then send the power to the starter motor.

SO...to test the starter relay, you can use a jumper wire that is grounded, and jump it to the blue/white wire, and IF the starter then turns, you then know that the starter button not working/grounding. IIRC someone stated that the 81 had an extra ground wire to the handlebar control set, but if not, then it grounds to the handlebars, but isn't getting grounded for one reason or another....rust on the inside of the button/spring/plate in the switch...or even the wire unsoldered from the PCB/contact plate??

T.C.

[mcmotohistory]

Bike wont start

I also replaced the handlebars, could that be an issue?

[dbeardslee]

I also replaced the handlebars, could that be an issue?

I just replaced my bars a week or two ago, and when I got done I had the same issue - starter button wouldn't work. I opened it up, and sure enough the button had popped its bracket. Put it back together and all was good. I must have done it when I removed the wires at the handlebar unit.

[Motowoman]

My 1981 Venturer has been down for 8 monyhs while I rebuilt the fairing and repainted the whole bike, I also did suspension and tires among other things. Bike started and ran good when I parked it, When it was all together I pored in some gas and hit the starter button and nothing. I mean nothing, its as if no signal is going from the starter button to the starter itself. The battery is good and freshly charged and all the lights lite up and are bright. I'm at a loss on how to proceed. Any ideas?

I'm sayin you lost some important grounds with all that new paint.

[mcmotohistory]

starter button?

So I ran the test, ran a ground wire from the head and touched the blue and white wire, and bam starter turns over. So the problem is in the switch, I took it apart, cleaned the contact points, the wire going to the little contact plate was funky so I resoldered it. The contact seems to be there with the button but it still dosent work. I took a wire from the head and touched the contact plate and bam starter worked. Put it back together and nothing with the button. So am I just going to have to buy a new button?

[dbeardslee]

So I ran the test, ran a ground wire from the head and touched the blue and white wire, and bam starter turns over. So the problem is in the switch, I took it apart, cleaned the contact points, the wire going to the little contact plate was funky so I resoldered it. The contact seems to be there with the button but it still dosent work. I took a wire from the head and touched the contact plate and bam starter worked. Put it back together and nothing with the button. So am I just going to have to buy a new button?

If you've traced the problem to the starter button that would seem like the thing to fix. You can get a replacement at Mikes XS that comes with a new spring too. I've got one that's all metal, but I don't know where you can get those now. The plastic ones tended to wear out, but the metal ones don't.

[TopCatGr58]

Hold on....you don't necessarily need to get a new starter button/switch. The switch works by completing the ground from the starter wire..now nicely resoldered to the switch board....to the spring/button when the button is pushed. The spring contacts the switch housing metal and the switch housing metal is supposed to make a ground contact with the handlebars which are clamped to the TT,and eventually to the frame.

For some reason, the handlebars are not grounding properly...possibly painted or powder coated. Take your meter and test for ground at handlebars to frame. If painted/powdercoated, you can scrape it away where the metal bracket inside the switch housing contacts the bars. OR you can take that extra grounding wire....screw it/connect it to the housing/screw and then to a ground wire in the headlight bucket or the TT to some BOLT that tests good for ground. THEN the starter button will have a ground path to follow, and it should work/start the bike.

T.C.

[mcmotohistory]

The handlebars are black, I dont know if its powdercoat. But you think that could prevent a ground?

[TopCatGr58]

the handlebars are black, i dont know if its powdercoat. But you think that could prevent a ground?

for some reason, the handlebars are not grounding properly...possibly painted or powder coated.

yep!

T.c.

[mack]

I had an identical problem

when I powder coated the LH. You'll have to clean the paint off the pocket the bars sit in so they ground to the frame, then again clean the paint off just where the controls contact the bars.(They each have a metal grounding band in them)

[motoman]

The handlebars are black, I dont know if its powdercoat. But you think that could prevent a ground?

Clue: early models(80 and prior need good groumd to bar for kill switch to work, and properly.

[BA80]

Actually, 79 was the last year for the handlebar ground. 80 and up was grounded through the harness.

We had that issue with RockinD's bike when he had the frame powder coated. Good advice to check ALL ground contacts.