very sorry to post

[journerr]

Today, in a parking lot 100kms from home, my 1982 gs400E (TSCC) refused to start.
At first, it was going to start; the starter engaged, the cylinders started up for about 1 second & then everything just went entirely silent.
There were no lights, gear selection lights, no click of starter, no nothing.
I tried playing with wires & wiggling the key ignition switch & moving the bike thinking it might have been a loose connection.
I tried bump starting the bike. When I popped the clutch, there was a very faint pop pop pop pop, or putting, like the pistons moving up & down in the cylinders maybe, but absolutely no hint of real ignition.
I am not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination but I'm not helpless either althought I MUCH prefer a shop to do mechanical work.
The bike just had the stator & R/R replaced (the R/R twice, and I now have a Honda stator waiting to be installed). It has a new battery & although the R/R is certainly not right at this time, I charge the battery regularly in the mean time & the battery was fresh charged last night & has had 2000 kms put on it with these charges, so I know it should have been fine.
Although not related, the mechanic said he loved the sound of the engine after he cleaned & synch'd the carbs.
It has 60,000 kms on it, of which I've put 12,000 on in the 13 months I've owned it.
Also not related is that my kill switch has never worked.
If I had to guess, they would be wild guesses & might include ignition coil, fuse, & key ignition switch but don't have any idea how to confirm any of it.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.
I'm SO disappointed !
Thanks !

[posplayr]

did you ever go through the stator pages? changing parts is no guarantee that it was charging. At this point do you even know if the battery is changed at the time it would not start.

[bonanzadave]

Owners manual ? That would give you a basic troubleshooting guide and an overview of where and what the fuses do. If the key on wont light up anything thats where I would start looking. Do you have a basic Volt meter? How did you get it home ?

[zathros]

With the bike completely dead like that, you have to start at the beginning. Charge up your battery (or make sure, with a hydrometer it has a full charge). If you still get nothing then you have to check all your connections by following with a voltmeter where the voltage is going from the battery, check all your fuses.
If your bike lights up. shut it off and see if a light is staying on. You may have left the bike on inadvertently and just drained the battery. If it starts check the battery voltage with the bike off then check it with the bike running to see it if is charging. You would have noticed it dying if it were not charging, so it sounds like a battery cable lead has gone bad (sometimes they go bad right inside the ends and you can't see it). You have to go through all the basic stuff first.

[journerr]

Holy Cow ! You guys sure are fast !!!
Thank you
I have approached the stator papers numerous times only to shy away from them without understanding a thing.
I am not 100 % sure the battery had a good charge when it would not start but am 99 % sure. I will charge the battery overnight & check in the morning for life.
I do have an owners manual & basic voltmeter. I can check the manual tonight & try to work my poor little UNelectrical mind around attempting voltmeter usage tomorrow. I called a tow truck, and they brought me & the bike home
I understand my bike only has 1 main fuse.
The battery leads were replaced when the stator, R/R and battery were done about 1 month ago - not saying they couldn't be the problem, just adding info.

[Tom MLC]

My guess is your battery is dead. If the "R/R is not right", then it was not wise to ride it such a long distance. Get that charging system working properly. Use The Stator Papers to confirm it. Then get a fresh battery before heading out again.

[donimo]

I sent BikeCliff the wiring diagram for our bike, he has it up on the site now, if that helps.

I had an issue with my clutch disconnect, doesnt sound like your issue, but you have to just spend a lot of time with a voltmeter and just start at one end and check every wire that has to do with starting the bike until you find the problem.

could be many different wores, just gotta do the time unfortunatly, electrical gremlins are the worst...

[Nessism]

If the bike was turning over with the starter and then all of a sudden all the electrical went dead, I’d look at the fuses and electrical contacts for the battery cables.

[Dave8338]

I'de suspect the battery and R/R as if it won't start on a bump, there isn't enough juice in the battery to fire the coils.

[argonsagas]

A- your battery is dead.

There is no point in attempting much else until the battery is fully charged. It needs a trickle charge which you can start at night and the battery will be ready by morning.

Disconnect the cables or remove the battery before charging.

No, it is not mandatory, but it should be done that way to avoid other possible concerns.



B-

100km would have been about enough to deplete your battery if the charging system is not working. You can check that... AFTER you get a fully-charged battery installed.

Once the charged battery is in place you can start the bike and then check the charging system.

Check the battery voltage four times
1-before charging,
2-immediately after charging,
3-one hour or more after the charger is disconnected
(voltage will usually be at its highest when the charger is disconnected, and drops to normal in about one hour....if it drops too much you may have a bad battery...normal should be at least 12.6 after one hour.)
4-immediately before starting the bike
(you need to know this to compare it with numbers after starting the bike)

[journerr]

Thanks for the added info & support. I haven't had time to do anything today but will very soon & post results.

[journerr]

Wow, already 6 pages of technical posts since I last was here. !

Anyway, have not found the issue, and 3 beautiful riding days have gone by

I charged the battery fully & installed.
The headlight & gear indicator/neutral light came on as had NOT happened during the problem.
I pulled the choke out a bit, & hit the starter button.
For less than 1 second the bike wanted to start, but then made a quick "phhzzzzzft" sound and now it is completely dead again - no lights, no click, no nothing what so ever.

All I've learned from this is that it can't be the fuse - lights did come on before hitting the starter button.

Just an update, and reaching for anyone who might have some insights.
I fully expect that folks will say to use the voltmeter & go through all the connections but that seems like rocket science to me.
What will probably happen is I take the bike to the shop

[rustybronco]

I fully expect that folks will say to use the voltmeter & go through all the connections but that seems like rocket science to me.

You have that right!

but it isn't rocket science, it's more like changing a light bulb.

[tkent02]

Buy a new bike.
Old bikes deserve to be owned by folks who make an effort to understand how they work.
This really is basic electricity and can be learned in an hour or so.

[Nessism]

I still say...check the battery terminal connections, and the positive connection down at the starter solonoid. Make sure the major connections are clean first before moving to the smaller connections.