I'm having quite the time working out the cobbled, previous owners', "custom" wiring job. I just replaced my starter yesterday and now am left with a dead battery. It was replaced last summer. Even though unable to crank motor, I am still pulling 11.9 volts at the battery, as well as the starter itself. I also discovered a short around the dash ignition switch, as the red/grey "jumper" wire is very warm...almost hot after had been running. I traced the wire back to the connector between the tanks, and found no issues. My neighbor is a 4 wheel mechanic, so his amateur 2 wheel opinion says check the voltage regulator.
Im kind of at a stand still until I study the wiring diagram, but in the meantime I am open to all opinions from those knowledgeable in the electrical field.
Thanks to you all!
2wheel

 

It is pretty easy to check the charging circiut just to see if it is working. Charge the battery up to 12.8 volts. Let it set a few minutes, and check the voltage again. Start the bike, and check voltage with it running at around 1500 rpm. It should be between 13 and 15 volts. If it is the same running or not, the charging system is not working. If it is over 15.5 volts, the regulator is bad. There are several threads on here about charging problems that you can check out for a lot of help.

 

It may be as simle as your starter relay. Mine is located under the right side frame panel cover (not sure if that is what it is called but it's the triangler cover under the seat, one on each side).You can google or check youtube for how to test a relay all you will need is two jumpers and a multimeter.

 

Don't know if you have access to a service manual, but sometimes you can pull the unnecessary fuses and see if it starts. Plug them back in one at a time till you find the bad circuit. Something is drawing alot of amps if you're getting hot wires.

 

Well I finally have some good news on this issue. After taking the dash apart, the orange speedometer light wire was pinched and was hanging on by just a few strands inside of a piece of shrink tube...hence the reason the wire was getting so hot. Im also sure thats what was taking away the needed power to turn the engine, as I had a trickle charger on it for just a few hours, and she fires right up...thankfully, as my test ride ended up being an hour plus ride away
The battery was reading 12.6v not running and 14.4v running so that was a good sign. I went through the tests on the starter relay, and that checked out great as well. It's almost like there isnt any issues with it at the moment (first time I've said that in the 4 years I've owned it)....
Thanks to you for your input, it was greatly appreciated.
Ride free
2wheel

 

Glad you found your problem, and it was one of those cheap fixes. I love those kind. Sounds like your charging system is working just fine. Also love it when we fix our own bikes. Just makes you feel good. Oh man! Have I learned a lot on this forum. Thanks to so many.