Bike: 1979 GL1000 Took a short trip ( 70 miles one way ), and got stranded. Had a friend bring a trailer and tow me home. Background: I had pulled into a gas station and refueled. Cranked the engine and it would not start. Cranked it about a dozen times ( approx. 5 to 10 seconds duration ) and it suddenly would not crank. I did hear a "click" at the solenoid when I pushed the starter button.
Since (1) the spark plugs are brand new, and (2) the fuel pump is brand new, and (3) the battery had been cranking fine, I checked the Main Fuse. It was O.K. I only had a small pocket tool with me so I used its fold-out screwdriver to bridge the terminals of the solenoid. Got the starter to crank. Tried to simultaneously manipulate the throttle. Still would not fire up. Now at home and still cannot get the starter button to crank the starter. Question: Since the battery and the starter cause cranking if the solenoid terminals are jumped should I replace the solenoid ?
Better pull your plugs and make sure it didn't flood.
Crank it with the plugs out, make sure the kill switch is in the off position when you do.
(fuel+spark=bad)
Edit: Okay, read the rest of the post and realized that you had it cranking. Check for power from the switch at the yellow wire with a red tracer. If you've got power there, and ground on the other side, I'd say try jumping the solenoid there. Take the yellow wire at the solenoid and press it to the positive cable. If it doesn't crank, the solenoid is bad.
I suspect that your problem isn't the starter or the solenoid. Cranking a dozen times for 5 to 10 seconds will most likely drain the battery. Preventing a good current flow through the solenoid contacts. Your main problem is the fact that it didn't start initially. You need to charge the battery fully and then make your tests. Then work on why it didn't start at first.
I am not knowledgeable about electric issues. And I suspect 9 out of 10 of the forum members here will be able to run circles around me in a diagnostics competition. However, if the engine cranks by jumping the terminals on the solenoid doesn't that suggest the battery is good?
I have a trickle charger I will hook up to the battery, but does it need a full charge to ignite the spark plugs? This engine was warmed up when I pulled into the gas station and refueled and then it would not start again. And it cranked very well until it "suddenly" would not crank at all.
If the battery was weak the cranking should have tapered off with a weak draining noise. Instead it just instantly stopped. This makes me think of an interrupted circuit. No?
"Suddenly" strikes me as a fuel issue, because you were able to get it to crank later. When mine loads up, it won't crank. The hot lead from the button, it's yellow with a red tracer. When disconnected, it should be male on the solenoid side of the connection. When you press the end to the battery cable, does the solenoid engage the starter? Jumping the battery cables proved your battery and starter, this test will verify the solenoid. Next thing would be to check voltage on the hot lead with the button pressed.
You do get all your lights when the key is on, right?
Just a thought... As to the cause of the problem, bike cranking but not starting. Is there a possibility that when you stopped to get gas you hit the kill switch and then forgot to switch it back when trying to start the bike. I can tell you I have done this tons of times on my Interceptor. Get back on the bike after a fill up, hit the starter, cranks but no fire. By now I know to look at the kill switch when I get crank and no start because I have done this so many time. If this is the case then the continued cranking sucked the battery dead, and now if you recharge it fully and make sure the kill switch is on "run" this may have solved your problem. I have found that sometimes the simplest solutions are the first to check.
Love your steak avitar:-)
I have schooled myself in the "sin" of bumping the kill switch & cranking away. However, I've had 2 pretty savvy friends tell me to get a new solenoid. I ordered one & am awaiting delivery. Meanwhile, I'm prepping for 2 long trips by getting my other bike ready. I can't afford to become stranded in the middle of a desert hell if another part of an aging Goldwing decides to give up the ghost. Reliability is paramount to me.
I will report repair results probably by end of week. Many thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Regards, Bill
Sorry to have taken so long to make a final report. Bought a Rick's rebuilt Solenoid. I've used two of his rewound stator's on my other bikes and felt comfortable buying this solenoid. Installed it yesterday, plus did some rewiring (new wires, soldering and insulation) of connectors. Engine fired on the first starter impulse and without the choke (just a roll of the throttle). Hope to keep this old girl rolling down the highway. Already had a potential buyer take her out for a ride. I'm even going to toss in the spare clutch assembly I bought.
Now I am going to take my other bike through Southern Utah, ZION's National Park, the back side of the Grand Canyon, through the Navaho reservation and to an old friend's ranch near the Four Corners area of Colorado. Sure do appreciate everyone's willingness to help enlighten people such as myself via this forum.
Glad you got it back up and running. That ride you are taking is a great ride. I did most of it from the other direction, Did Carlsbad Caverns, Navaho reservation including Window rock Navaho Gov't Headquarters, G. Canyon, north side, then Zion Nat. park.. After that into ST. George and on up to Salt Lake and further to Seattle. Then the 101 and hwy 1 all the way to SDiego, then back to Texas. Great country...make sure you have a camera...lots to take pics of.
William Ennis wrote:Wow, your trip should earn you some kind of "iron butt" badge. I'm curious. What, if any, kind of spares do you take with you on such a tour?
Bill
Actually little to none....some fuses, a battery charger, one of those jumper/starter battery backup units, a couple cans of snot/air and that's about it. I did have a flat at Grand Canyon parking lot. I used the snot and slowed the leak down from a nail hole. I added air about 4 times before getting to a town big enough to have a tire repair shop. Got them to put a plug in it and called ahead to ST. George for a new tire from a Honda dealer. Went through Zion on the way to St. George. The plug worked fine until I got the new tire. I don't like riding on plugs. That ride was on my 84 Aspy 1200 which I have since sold.
And although it was a 6000 mile trip, no iron butt earned. We took our time and only did about 300-350 mi per day and were gone a month. I'm at an age where I can still make very long trips, it just takes me a very long time to do them..But that's ok because we try to scout out the route and find as many things to stop and see along the way. The ride is the vacation, not the destination. That's just a point to change directions.
Hi, just a report that I completed my 2,000 miles trip through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and back to Calif. However, I did it on my GL650. Very reliable beast. At one stretch I calculated 55 mpg. Averaged 49.9 mpg for the whole trip which included a 10,000 ft mountain pass. Camped out to cut expenses and visited a bunch of grandchildren. Worst part of the trip was the desert winds. I almost got blown off the road a half dozen times on my return leg via the Mojave. Posting a photo of the bike
William Ennis wrote:Hi, just a report that I completed my 2,000 miles trip through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and back to Calif. However, I did it on my GL650. Very reliable beast. At one stretch I calculated 55 mpg. Averaged 49.9 mpg for the whole trip which included a 10,000 ft mountain pass. Camped out to cut expenses and visited a bunch of grandchildren. Worst part of the trip was the desert winds. I almost got blown off the road a half dozen times on my return leg via the Mojave. Posting a photo of the bike
Sounds like a good trip....and on that bike....I guess the wind would blow you around a bit. That mpg is a lot better than I ever got even on my CB750 naked. Glad you made it safely....
