Bike won’t start
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chunky butt
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Re: Bike won’t start
Ignition switch ?, or wiring to the switch, poss behind headstock ? Any cable ties on cables to tight ? Hope this helps.
Re: Bike won’t start
Greetings,
From your update I doubt that the problem is the solenoid as that is solely a heavy duty switch used to transmit electrical power from the battery to the starter motor only when the ignition is switched on and you press the handlebar starter switch. There are lock out switches but don't worry about them at this point.
We really need a wiring diagram for your exact model as I think that there are possibly two or three diagrams available depending upon the model. I also think that there is a third yet single fuse inline from the battery to the ignition switch and if this fails then the lights etc all fail to operate. Probably there are two differing sized red leads joined together to the positive battery terminal. The thicker lead will go to the starter solenoid and the thinner to the ignition switch. If the lead up to the ignition switch fails then that switch will not be able to supply power to anything else.
You will need lots of good luck and patience to try and cure the problem/s but hey you have us to try and help you. First off then, follow the thinner of the two leads from the positive side of the battery and see if you can find a single inline fuse leading up to the ignition switch. Having traced the wiring up to the switch check for 12V supply up to the switch terminal connector. Along the way carefully look for any trapped/frayed/clamped or pulled wires/connectors up to the switch. Tell us if you have 12V to the ignition switch connector
TTFN
Hugh.
From your update I doubt that the problem is the solenoid as that is solely a heavy duty switch used to transmit electrical power from the battery to the starter motor only when the ignition is switched on and you press the handlebar starter switch. There are lock out switches but don't worry about them at this point.
We really need a wiring diagram for your exact model as I think that there are possibly two or three diagrams available depending upon the model. I also think that there is a third yet single fuse inline from the battery to the ignition switch and if this fails then the lights etc all fail to operate. Probably there are two differing sized red leads joined together to the positive battery terminal. The thicker lead will go to the starter solenoid and the thinner to the ignition switch. If the lead up to the ignition switch fails then that switch will not be able to supply power to anything else.
You will need lots of good luck and patience to try and cure the problem/s but hey you have us to try and help you. First off then, follow the thinner of the two leads from the positive side of the battery and see if you can find a single inline fuse leading up to the ignition switch. Having traced the wiring up to the switch check for 12V supply up to the switch terminal connector. Along the way carefully look for any trapped/frayed/clamped or pulled wires/connectors up to the switch. Tell us if you have 12V to the ignition switch connector
TTFN
Hugh.
Re: Bike won’t start
Hi Hugh, thanks for your help. I have checked the leads and there is just one thick live lead going to the solenoid. The solenoid also takes the thinner wires via a plug which go into the loom and up to the headlight. The black lead goes from the battery to the engine bolted down with the starter motor. There is a thin black wire which comes off this and into the loom.
Without checking I don’t know where that leads to. When I stripped the bike down I took the whole wiring loom off without dismantling it, just unplugging everything like lights indicators etc. There was only the one earthing point on the bike. I’m guessing then there should be more? Also, I had the frame powder coated, including all the bolt holes, so was wondering if any of the electrical items like the rectifier could be affected by this, only there is a black wire that is fastened to the screw which anchors rectifier to the frame?
I will be checking the power supply over the next day or two. You have to laugh, every time I leave the bike overnight the blooming neutral light comes back on!
Thanks again for your help, I will persevere
Without checking I don’t know where that leads to. When I stripped the bike down I took the whole wiring loom off without dismantling it, just unplugging everything like lights indicators etc. There was only the one earthing point on the bike. I’m guessing then there should be more? Also, I had the frame powder coated, including all the bolt holes, so was wondering if any of the electrical items like the rectifier could be affected by this, only there is a black wire that is fastened to the screw which anchors rectifier to the frame?
I will be checking the power supply over the next day or two. You have to laugh, every time I leave the bike overnight the blooming neutral light comes back on!
Thanks again for your help, I will persevere
Re: Bike won’t start
You can test for faulty earth by using a jump lead from the negative terminal to the frame
Re: Bike won’t start
Hi Rockyexp, sorry I have lots of silly questions. Do I just hook a jump lead to the negative terminal and the frame then try starting It?
Re: Bike won’t start
Greetings,
Since you have had the frame repainted, including the internal threads, I think that we should start to clear the earth lead securing bolt thread, use a thread tap of the correct metric profile. You will need to know the diameter of the bolt size and thread size. I bought a suitable tool off ebay from a trader called "Jesterstrickbits".
I do n't know what tools you have access to but I would suggest that the next steps are to have to hand an electrical multimeter and a 12v test lamp. You can make up a test lamp using an inline fuse, a side light bulb holder with two 1m leads - one red and one black, terminated with small crocodile clips.
Totally disconnect your battery - negative earth lead first - then disconnect the positive lead and leave it disconnected.
If you can make, or purchase, an earth lead of suitable length to go from the cylinder head mounting to a suitable frame lug, again clean the threads and section of contact where the lead will press against the frame. Reconnect the batteries positive earth lead only; clip the fused side of your test lamp to the battery positive terminal and the other to the engine case -- the bulb should light. If so then we have established that there is an earth return to the battery.
Get back to us when you have completed this test.
TTFN
Since you have had the frame repainted, including the internal threads, I think that we should start to clear the earth lead securing bolt thread, use a thread tap of the correct metric profile. You will need to know the diameter of the bolt size and thread size. I bought a suitable tool off ebay from a trader called "Jesterstrickbits".
I do n't know what tools you have access to but I would suggest that the next steps are to have to hand an electrical multimeter and a 12v test lamp. You can make up a test lamp using an inline fuse, a side light bulb holder with two 1m leads - one red and one black, terminated with small crocodile clips.
Totally disconnect your battery - negative earth lead first - then disconnect the positive lead and leave it disconnected.
If you can make, or purchase, an earth lead of suitable length to go from the cylinder head mounting to a suitable frame lug, again clean the threads and section of contact where the lead will press against the frame. Reconnect the batteries positive earth lead only; clip the fused side of your test lamp to the battery positive terminal and the other to the engine case -- the bulb should light. If so then we have established that there is an earth return to the battery.
Get back to us when you have completed this test.
TTFN
Re: Bike won’t start
Hello again,
I should have said that the bulb needs to be bright when it lights up, if it is dim then the earth return is not good enough. If the light is dim then connect a link lead between the engine and direct to the positive terminal of the battery. Should the bulb glow brighter then make up and run another earth lead from the engine to the battery earthing point at the frame.
Your additional 'earth' wires need to be equivalent to the standard item, probably 65x30 gauge. Do not fit a thin cable as it will not carry the return current when the starter is operated.
Once the 'earth' is known to be satisfactory through the frame to the battery we can move onto testing other parts of the systems which might not be as daunting as first thought.
TTFN
Hugh.
I should have said that the bulb needs to be bright when it lights up, if it is dim then the earth return is not good enough. If the light is dim then connect a link lead between the engine and direct to the positive terminal of the battery. Should the bulb glow brighter then make up and run another earth lead from the engine to the battery earthing point at the frame.
Your additional 'earth' wires need to be equivalent to the standard item, probably 65x30 gauge. Do not fit a thin cable as it will not carry the return current when the starter is operated.
Once the 'earth' is known to be satisfactory through the frame to the battery we can move onto testing other parts of the systems which might not be as daunting as first thought.
TTFN
Hugh.
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Scott_rider
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Re: Bike won’t start
If you changed the battery you maybe wiggled/dislodged the connecting wires whilst doing so. I know that when I change a battery I always end up moving the wires at the same time just to get access to the battery box or whilst trying to fit in the tight box (ooh argh, missus 
).
That would fall in line with the intermittent start/stop fault that you'd been experiencing with the old battery....i.e. a loose connection somewhere. I know that's not a definitive answer but I reckon you've got a dodgy/broken wire somewhere near the battery area.
). That would fall in line with the intermittent start/stop fault that you'd been experiencing with the old battery....i.e. a loose connection somewhere. I know that's not a definitive answer but I reckon you've got a dodgy/broken wire somewhere near the battery area.
Suzuki GSX-S1000F...the KTM 450 EXC-R has gone
Re: Bike won’t start
Hi all. Right been and got myself a multimeter and a 12v lamp tester. Followed what Hugh suggested, and have now checked the ground connection.
I should say before I started to test, the neutral light came back on after it was left overnight again. Anyway, I didn’t fire it up this time, I just went through the checklist. The main thick earth cable from the battery is fixed to the engine via the bolt that fastens down the starter motor. I am getting a strong reading from the test bulb and the multimeter. I then followed the wiring to the ignition switch. There is no thin red wire, but wiring does come from the solenoid which feeds into the loom. I have followed this to the ignition wires. Here there are six wires but only five connected. I tested the live red wire to see if power was getting through which it was. The sixth wire was a black one, so I tested this to find it was the earth wire, so I have now connected that back to the frame, and the reading is strong. Fired the bike up again and all was good. It has a manual choke so once it had warmed up I shut the choke off. All still good. I kept an eye on the neutral light. It was ticking over nicely for about 3 minutes. Then I revved her up and the neutral light started to flicker again. As I carried on revving her the neutral light eventually flickered until it died out. Then there was no power again. No neutral light, nothing. I got the test lamp out again and checked from the battery and followed the live feed back up to the where the ignition wires are connected to the loom. There is power there, but still no neutral light coming on.
I have only tested for power up to where the wires of the ingnition are connected to the wires from the loom. So suspect I would need to test for power right to where the live is connected to the ignition barrel? Or could it be the ignition it self that is at fault?
Thanks again for your help with this
I should say before I started to test, the neutral light came back on after it was left overnight again. Anyway, I didn’t fire it up this time, I just went through the checklist. The main thick earth cable from the battery is fixed to the engine via the bolt that fastens down the starter motor. I am getting a strong reading from the test bulb and the multimeter. I then followed the wiring to the ignition switch. There is no thin red wire, but wiring does come from the solenoid which feeds into the loom. I have followed this to the ignition wires. Here there are six wires but only five connected. I tested the live red wire to see if power was getting through which it was. The sixth wire was a black one, so I tested this to find it was the earth wire, so I have now connected that back to the frame, and the reading is strong. Fired the bike up again and all was good. It has a manual choke so once it had warmed up I shut the choke off. All still good. I kept an eye on the neutral light. It was ticking over nicely for about 3 minutes. Then I revved her up and the neutral light started to flicker again. As I carried on revving her the neutral light eventually flickered until it died out. Then there was no power again. No neutral light, nothing. I got the test lamp out again and checked from the battery and followed the live feed back up to the where the ignition wires are connected to the loom. There is power there, but still no neutral light coming on.
I have only tested for power up to where the wires of the ingnition are connected to the wires from the loom. So suspect I would need to test for power right to where the live is connected to the ignition barrel? Or could it be the ignition it self that is at fault?
Thanks again for your help with this
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chunky butt
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Re: Bike won’t start
Try moving the handlebars the opposite direction when the neutral light flickers, you might have a broken wire just shorting out when stretched in the loom. Worth a try, and also cut a few cable ties back around head stock, they can pinch a broken wire, also wiggle the loom when neutral flickers. Hope this helps 
