Starter relay ??.

[Hacked850]

Can someone tell me where the starter relay is located on a 1982 GS850G??

[kdo58]

left side cover

[terrylee]

Just follow red wire from battery and should be smaller second wire hooked to it. terrylee

[Steve]

This is on an '82 850GL that has been modified just a bit, but the concept is the same.

Pull the left side cover.


You won't have the two relays shown here, but behind them is where the starter solenoid lives.



Yeah, it's the thing at the back that has all the wires attached to it.
I prefer to add wires to the solenoid terminal, rather than the battery, for anything that needs power all the time.
It moves all the wires to a point that will not be disturbed nearly as often as the battery terminals.

.

[Hacked850]

I see the solinoid but where is the relay ??.

[kdo58]

i dont believe there is a relay.

[Steve]

I see the solinoid but where is the relay ??.

The solenoid IS the relay.

.

[Hacked850]

So there is only 1 wire ( yellow/green ) that go's to the solinoid but 2 wires from the starter button ??.

[Hacked850]

Ok so here is the problem I'm having.The other day I went to start the bike and when I pushed the starter button nothing happened,no click nothing.Battery is charged,all lights,horn etc worked.The button itself was in bad shape,the PO had melted it somehow and glued it back on and I had to push it WAY in to engadge it.I took it apart and the orig button was no good so I installed a aftermarket water tight starter button on a dash I made ( sidecar rig ).When I finished the install I pushed it and nothing,same as the old button!!.I jumped the solanoid and the bike fired right up,I then turned it off and tried the button and it worked great.This morning I went to ride to work and the same thing happened,dead button.I just rode my Vstrom and headed to work.I grabbed a starter relay at work hopping that was the problem.When I got home I tried to start it and it fired right up,shut it off and tried several more times and it fired right up !!.ANY IDEAS ?.

[Steve]

So there is only 1 wire ( yellow/green ) that go's to the solinoid but 2 wires from the starter button ??.

Any electrical device must have two "wires", one for power to come in from the source and another to return power to the source.

The starter button has a wire that comes from the battery (through fuses, etc.) and another wire that goes through the clutch "safety" switch (unless you have disabled it).

The starter solenoid also has two wires, but one of them is disguised. The second electrical connection is the case of the solenoid, which is connected to the frame, which is connected to the battery.
Electrons are not picky about what color or shape their "wire" is, they flow through the frame, thinking that it's a wire.

.

[Hacked850]

Ok so I have narrowed down the problem.I have intermintent power to the starter button.About 75% of the time there is no power going to the button,and when there is it will flicker off and on then go away.Where does the switched power wire come from ??.I'm thinking that it is either rubbed thru some where or the connection is corroded??.

[1_v8_merc]

Is your clutch safety switch working properly?

[Steve]

Ok so I have narrowed down the problem.I have intermintent power to the starter button.About 75% of the time there is no power going to the button,and when there is it will flicker off and on then go away.Where does the switched power wire come from ??.I'm thinking that it is either rubbed thru some where or the connection is corroded??.

The IGNITION fuse (the third one in), has an orange/white wire leaving it. That wire goes to the "kill" switch. The switched side of the kill switch goes to power the ignitor and coils, but before it leaves the right switch housing, it also branches over to the starter button. When the starter button is pressed, power then proceeds to the clutch switch, then finally to the starter solenoid.

If you have reliable power to the coils and ignitor, I would look at the short section of wire inside the right switch housing that goes from the kill switch to the starter button.

.

[Hacked850]

I have installed a aftermarket starter button and disabled the clutch switch.This problem existed with the stock starter button and the clutch switch intact.I thought it was the button because it was melted ( PO tried to melt it back on )and corroded.I wired up the new switch the same way the old one was and I took the 2 wires from the clutch and put them together.It will have power ( the switch ) some times and then nothing!!.