1980 GS850 just stopped running... ????

[Kato76]

I've been working on my 1980 GS 850 all summer to get it up and running .. I finally after several months got it to the point where it was starting up and running strong.. took it to a gas station filled it up, road it around town a bit just to test the waters...

After riding it a bit on Sunday I took it around the block once more before I was going to put her away for the evening.. and as I was coming back towards my home. I down shifted from 4th to 3rd and the engine just stopped...

I hurriedly put it in neutral and coasted the rest of the way home.. once I got there the Start button didn't work so I checked the fuses and anything else I could think of... including the wire to the starter...

The lights all work and so does the horn.. but no starting.. any Ideas????

Any help would be welcomed

thanks in advance

J-

[onchiman]

Re-check the fuses. They might appear okay but the internal connections sometimes fail because of vibration. I've had this happen to me more than once.

[marvinsc]

I have killed mine with the kill switch a few Times going down the Road, check that as well.

[Kato76]

Thanks guys i'll check those out when I get home...

[almarconi]

The fact that you downshifted before the bike died implies that you pulled in the clutch. Pushing the start button did not operate the starter.

Does your bike have to have the clutch lever pulled in before the starter switch will operate??

If it does then it sounds to me like the switch in the left hand control has failed (not sure the exact name of it..the one that is activated when you pull the clutch lever in..perhaps a starter disconnect switch).

See if you can jumper the connections on this switch, if the bike will turnover you've found the culprit.

[chef1366]

Bypass the clutch idiot switch and clean the kill switch.

[almarconi]

Hey chef,
You know what I like about you.. is that you don't waste alot of words in your responses. Straight and to the point. That's what I was trying to say.

Al

[chef1366]

Hey chef,
You know what I like about you.. is that you don't waste alot of words in your responses. Straight and to the point. That's what I was trying to say.

Al

Thanks.........:-D
I'm actually a blowhard outside of cyberspace.