Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

1980 850G Starting Issue

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    1980 850G Starting Issue

    On my dad's 80' 850G when he goes to start the bike; turns the key, lights come on and everything. But when he pulls the clutch and hits the start button....nothing. We tried jumping the solenoid and that worked to get the bike running. We believed that we narrowed it down to the trigger wire that goes down the harness to the solenoid because it had no resistance. But when we hooked up a new wire and tried to start it up still nothing.

    Not sure if he has a bad solenoid or if there is something else to look for before getting a new solenoid. I'm not very electrically advanced so any input is appreciated.

    Also when I hit the start button the solenoid doesn't even click. I know that if the solenoid clicks but doesn't do anything then I have a bad solenoid. But what if it doesn't even click?
    Last edited by Guest; 07-24-2019, 09:32 AM.

    #2
    Did you try shorting across the solenoid with a screwdriver? That's the quick and dirty way to tell if your solenoid has gone bad or not.
    1982 GS850GL - Shaved seat foam and new seat cover; Daytona handlebars and Tusk risers; Puig "Naked" Windscreen\
    1978 KZ200 - Mostly original, hydraulic front brake swap, superbike bars; purchased at 7k original miles
    Track bike project: 2008 Hyosung frame w/ 97 gs500E engine swap (in progress)

    Comment


      #3
      Yes I used a screw driver over both poles and that got the bike to turn over. But when hitting the button there's no click from the solenoid just silence.

      Comment


        #4
        The solenoid frame must be grounded or no click -corrosion .
        1981 gs650L

        "We are all born ignorant, but you have to work hard to stay stupid" Ben Franklin

        Comment


          #5
          So when you say the frame needs to be grounded do you mean the brace that holds the solenoid to the motorcycle?

          And if so would I still be able to jump the posts on the solenoid if it wasn't grounded? Because I can jump the posts to start the bike with no issues.

          Comment


            #6
            The solenoid is mounted to a panel on the battery box. The whole battery box is rubber-mounted, so it is electrically isolated. There is a ground wire (black, with white stripe) that should connect that panel to the chassis or battery. That wire is usually held to that panel by one of the solenoid mounting screws.

            Yes, you can still short across the large terminals if there is no ground for the solenoid. The lack of ground only prevents the coil inside the solenoid from engaging.

            .
            sigpic
            mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
            hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
            #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
            #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
            Family Portrait
            Siblings and Spouses
            Mom's first ride
            Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
            (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

            Comment


              #7
              Thanks Steve! I'll check it out later tonight.

              Comment


                #8
                Good news! I went home and all the connections were clean even the ground to the battery box. So I tapped the solenoid a bit with a screw driver as a last ditch effort. Hit the start button and it worked! Both my brother and my dad gave me the dumbest look considering all the time they spent trying to figure it out and me (Not mechanically inclined) walks in hits the solenoid and starts the bike. Thanks again everyone! I'm glad it was an easy fix.

                Comment


                  #9
                  If it gets flaky again, you can go to the lawn mower department at Lowe's or Home Depot and get a solenoid for about $15.

                  .
                  sigpic
                  mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                  hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                  #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                  #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                  Family Portrait
                  Siblings and Spouses
                  Mom's first ride
                  Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                  (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by jlyon40 View Post
                    ................... Both my brother and my dad gave me the dumbest look considering all the time they spent trying to figure it out ................
                    haa haa

                    To further help them: Mark an X on it, and tell them that is where they need to hit it next time it happens.

                    Haa haa
                    http://webpages.charter.net/ddvrnr/GS850_1100_Emblems.jpg
                    Had 850G for 14 years. Now have GK since 2005.
                    GK at IndyMotoGP Suzuki Display... ... GK on GSResources Page ... ... Euro Trash Ego Machine .. ..3 mo'cykls.... update 2 mocykl


                    https://imgur.com/YTMtgq4

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Yeah Redman my brother was the angriest about it considering he went to school for motorcycles and off-road machines. And I went to business school and know a fraction of what he does. But moral of the story is that it's always good to get input from others.

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X