I am having some trouble with my starter switch on the handlebars. Switch went out about 6 months ago and i ordered another one, installed it, and it worked completely fine. Along with installing the new switch, i put a solenoid starter button on it in the event my switch went bad in the future. Well the future is now, and my "new" starter switch is not producing anything AGAIN and the starter button cranks the engine over but everything dies 2 seconds later. Sometimes while trying to get the solenoid starter going, the engine will turn over, run for a few seconds, and die, releasing a small cloud of white smoke from the air filters breather bolt entry. Am i doing anything wrong with the starter button or am i just FUBAR? I depend on my bike to get to work and back so id like to figure something out tonight. Thanks for any help.

 

FYI- checked the necessary fuses, they appear good to go. All of my lights and signals work still but am gonna hook up the battery to a charger anyhow and let it sit for a few hours and then reconnect and try. The solenoid starter button always worked just fine when the handle bar switched worked properly too. Every once in a while id start the bike with the solenoid button and it would start right up. but now that the switch on the bars is not working, the solenoid button is also not working right. Once again, the solenoid button turns the engine over, but it dies after about 2-3 seconds and pops, releasing a little smoke from the breather bolt area.

 

no takers? put the battery back in after fully charging it, fuses are good, lights/signals work, start switch on the bars is dead appearently, and the solenoid starter button rolls the engine over and it idles for 2-3 seconds before shutting down. Back when the switch on the bars worked good, the solenoid button worked good. Why when one doesnt work, both dont work, i thought the whole point of having the solenoid button was for when the switch didnt work so you had a backup.

 

I've got the solenoid starter button on mine , should have nothing to do with the bike shutting down,could the kill switch may be cutting out,since it's next to the starter button could a wire gotten pinched?

 

Im gonna tear down the hand control here in a minute and give it a good look over. I hate electrical issues, id rather my pipes just fall off my bike in the middle of a ride than an electrical issue. At least then all id have to do is bolt them back on!

 

+1 that's my first thought.

 

Electrical issues are a pain , hopefully you fine the problem when you take the switch apart.I had a kill switch that was faulty, the bike would start but the vibrations from running would make it quit,took me 8hrs to find that the switch was the problem.Good luck hope you get it fixed soon.


Macfhionghuin

 

Alright, so today i went out and bought a multimeter to test voltage/continuity in both the run switch and the start switch. I found that the run switch has the correct voltage from the switch all the way to the end of where the wire runs too (it appears that both the run/start switch run into a little module in the same side box as the fuses, looks like it may be something to do with the EFI connections?? correct me if im wrong, please). Along with having the correct voltage, the run switch also beeps when testing for continuity, confirming that its working properly, so thats out. Now, to the start switch, the start switch DOES NOT have continuity from the handlebars to the fuse box area and has ZERO volts from the handlebars to the fuse box area (tested while pressing down on the switch and did it again without pressing down). Next I shaved off a little of the rubber to expose the start switch wire approximately 2 inches down from the switch itself on the bars (so basically the distance from the hand control to where the wires feed into the bars). When i tested the start switch again at that little distance, it DID have the correct voltage. So im assuming that this means that my switch is good, but somewhere in between the wiring entering the bars to its end point connection to the "EFI" module, theirs something happening preventing my bike from starting. If anyone has any knowledge of what this may sound like please chime in and lend a hand for a minute, i can practically build a bike from ground up but have never been able to grasp the wiring side of it all. Also, unless im wrong, the info i stated above still does not explain why my Solenoid Start Button is not working properly. Doesnt the Solenoid Start Button by-pass all the wiring involved with the start switch on the bars? thats why some refer to it as their no fail "get home" button correct? thanks to anyone that can offer some help. Also ive been up for the last 36 hours straight messing with this so if im not specific enough let me know and ill repost in more detail.

 

just got the bike running, after no luck with tracing wires all freaking weekend in the tightest F'ing places around the engine and frame, i was fooling around with the switch itself as a last ditch effort before ghost riding the bike down to the end of the driveway for the trash guy to pick up. I guess the black/red wire that goes into the small sealed box that holds the starter switch connections on the handlebars either vibrated loose or somehow got shifted and wasnt making a connection when i was pressing the starter switch. I just tapped around with the butt of a screwdriver and jammed the wires as best i could up into the entrance of the switch and bam, it started right up. Kinda wierd tho how when i was testing the switch earlier it was giving me a normal voltage reading when pressing it, so i thought it for sure wasnt the switch that was the problem. HOWEVER, i rode it up to the gas station about 5 miles away and sure enough when i went to start it back up the switch wasnt working again! but the solenoid starter button worked flawlessly and got me home. what a mess, ill never be caught away from home without my toolkit in the forkbag thats for sure. Thanks to those that had input. ride safe.

 

FYI for anyone having the same problem that i did, make sure that where the wires on both the run and starter switch are snug up into where the wires enter into the sealed black box. The new switch that i put on about 6 months ago from JP Cycles didnt have the black/red and white wires soldered or glued secure to where they enter the switch. I noticed my original HD run switch had glue or something securing the wires snug so that they didnt shift. Im pretty certain that this is what happened to my aftermarket starter switch, preventing it from making a solid connection after time.