1980 GS450 No power

[levsmith]

Hey all,
I inherited a 450 from my neighbor that hadn't run in 17 years. When I first got it, I couldn't seem to get any power to the starting system. I removed the headlight trying to chase/test wires, took apart the clutch switch and the kill switch to make sure the contacts were good. After doing all that, it seemed to work fine. Now after riding it around the section (about 4 miles at a time) half a dozen times or so to build up my confidence before taking it to town, its doing it again. One day it worked fine, now its like its completely dead again.

Here are some hints that may help:
When turning the key, there are NO lights (neutral, oil, etc.)
I can pull the clutch lever and push the start button and nothing happens (I think this bike starts in gear as long as the clutch is pulled?)
If I jump the starter solenoid, it will crank but never fires.
Checking continuity on the kill switch, it seems like its working fine. (I would think it would still show its in neutral even if the kill switch is engaged)
The inline fuse coming off of the relay is good, I don't know where anymore fuses are. (I don't think its a fuse since I've been through this before but I would still like to check all fuses)

It almost seems like the bike thinks the ignition is in the off position since there are no lights at all. Does anyone have any ideas where to start?

Thanks

[LAB3]

You're correct in assuming that the clutch needs to be pulled in to start the bike and that there is only one fuse in the system. Sounds to me like the ignition switch is the issue. Here's a wiring diagram for the bike that can explain things better than words can.

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=2370B62DDF9F0C6B&id=2370B62DDF9F0C6B%211031&parId=2370B62DDF9F0C6B%211030&o=OneUp

[LAB3]

Here's another thing I thought of after posting that. You might want to make sure you have the ground on the right place underneath the left side cover. There's a black wire with a ring on it that's the ground connecting the plate the starter solenoid, regulator and ignitor to the frame. Make sure that ring is put on the top bolt that fastens the regulator to that plate, it connects into the frame at the point where the other ones are fastened into the plastic air cleaner housing.

[levsmith]

Thank you very much! I will check the ground and if that looks right, I'll order a new ignition. I only got 1 key from the PO, so it'd be worth the $20-30 just to have a second key. It seems like the ignition switch is a very common aftermarket part, makes me wonder if its a common problem... I appreciate your input, I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something obvious I was missing

[levsmith]

Okay, I've got an update. I checked the ground and everything looked great there. I took the headlight off to unplug the ignition switch and thought I'd try the key one last time before disconnecting. Low and behold, the lights came on! After a little digging, it seems there is a short in the wiring somewhere in the headlight. When I push the wires into the headlight housing, the neutral/oil lights shut off. If I pull the wiring back out, the lights come back on. After pushing and pulling on wires for a while trying to isolate which wire is shorting out, I cannot seem to narrow it down. I figure my next step is to unplug things and check continuity on each wire before and after the headlight bundle. I'm not opposed to putting a new wiring harness on it, but I cant seem to find one anywhere. Does anyone make harnesses for this bike anymore?

[grcamna2]

Okay, I've got an update. I checked the ground and everything looked great there. I took the headlight off to unplug the ignition switch and thought I'd try the key one last time before disconnecting. Low and behold, the lights came on! After a little digging, it seems there is a short in the wiring somewhere in the headlight. When I push the wires into the headlight housing, the neutral/oil lights shut off. If I pull the wiring back out, the lights come back on. After pushing and pulling on wires for a while trying to isolate which wire is shorting out, I cannot seem to narrow it down. I figure my next step is to unplug things and check continuity on each wire before and after the headlight bundle. I'm not opposed to putting a new wiring harness on it, but I cant seem to find one anywhere. Does anyone make harnesses for this bike anymore?

What model GS450 do you have ?

[levsmith]

What model GS450 do you have ?

Its the GS450L

[Gorminrider]

I'm glad you found it. It's a "bad connection", not a "short "which would blow the fuse and/or melt the wiring-quite a difference between the two.

Look especially at the squarish multi plugs in the vicinity. be Careful taking them apart. Any brittle-broken- stranded connection can be repaired. I think you're a long way from needing an entire harness to fix a bad connection

[levsmith]

I'm glad you found it. It's a "bad connection", not a "short "which would blow the fuse and/or melt the wiring-quite a difference between the two.

Look especially at the squarish multi plugs in the vicinity. be Careful taking them apart. Any brittle-broken- stranded connection can be repaired. I think you're a long way from needing an entire harness to fix a bad connection

You are correct, electrical is not my strong suit so the terminology is not perfect! I'm sure I didn't NEED a harness, I just figured if someone out there had a side gig going and they were reasonable, I wouldn't mind starting with a new one so I know its all good. This bike was given to me, so I don't mind spending some money on it to make it reliable. This will be my daily driver so I want it to be well sorted out! It appears the wiring harnesses are few and far between, so I'll take some time and hunt down the bad connection.

[LAB3]

You are correct, electrical is not my strong suit so the terminology is not perfect! I'm sure I didn't NEED a harness, I just figured if someone out there had a side gig going and they were reasonable, I wouldn't mind starting with a new one so I know its all good. This bike was given to me, so I don't mind spending some money on it to make it reliable. This will be my daily driver so I want it to be well sorted out! It appears the wiring harnesses are few and far between, so I'll take some time and hunt down the bad connection.

Seems to me I saw an NOS wiring harness on eBay for $125 plus shipping from Europe once. I'd be inclined to do what's already been suggested and pull apart your plugs to see if there's any corrosion and give them a spray with contact cleaner. While doing this you'll be able to look over the separate piece of the harness to see if there's any chafing or other reason for their to be a short. One time I bought a Virago that had a mouse nest inside the headlamp housing, that was a chore to patch up!