1980 XJ 650 will not start......help.

I am new to this, this is my first bike. My starter button will not engage. If I arc the solenoid it will turn over but still will not start. ( i do have a replacement solenoid. ) I checked the starter switch to see if there was any arcing or black marks....nothing, the wires seem to be fine also. I have spark, and I am pretty sure my carbs are in synch.........please help. I am no mechanic either, but I want to learn.
Thanks.

 

Pete, you will need to check for voltage at the two wire pig-tail on the solenoid. You should read a 12 Volt signal there when you press the starter button (can't remember which wire but check them both to ground reference which is any naked metal on the motor or the negative battery terminal). No voltage? I'd pop open the starter switch cluster and clean the starter switch. The contact button in there has a nice habit of corroding. Let's get started there (no pun intended) and see what all you find.

 

Thanks, I'll try there.

 

Blue/White and Red/White. The Red/White is 12VDC supplied, the Blue/White goes to the ignition switch and is grounded through the switch. If you apply a ground to the Blue/White contact at the solenoid, the engine should turn. This will tell you that the ignition switch is suspect. You should also check to see if the ignition fuse is intact. Replace any stock fuse block with a new one at first opportunity, they have left more Yamaha riders stranded than I can shake a stick at.

 

hello folks im having the same exact problem . Im getting no voltage from the altenator, no voltage from the start switch, no spark. Could this be a problem with a relay or the Ignitor ? I took apart the ignitor module and touched each solder joint with the solder iron. no components in the ignitor module looked bad or burnt up. can someone post the fuse labels top to bottom if anyone has them handy? I was thinking possible this could be maybe the DC to AC convertor or the silver box thing might if its not converting the ignitor module might not fire right ? I replaced the start switch button with a momentary push button from radio shack.


Be sure to check your relays i found one that was in bad shape due to water seepage and it cause the relay to rust together in the terminal to coil causing it to be on all the time. Any info would be appreciated this is my only ride. Im using a remote trigger switch to turn it over for now.

 

Welcome Vulcan 750! You really should post your own thread. Jumping in on someone else's is called thread-jacking and is considered bad form.
Which bike are you working on? No voltage from the alternator is a sign of bad brushes. Get that cover opened up and check the brushs are intact and the correct length (a very overlooked item in the XJ world).
It sounds like you have been hunting for the problem in a rather round about fashion. You need to approach this in a methodical, step-by-step approach.
Your fuse box arrangement is generally Main, Head(light), Signal, Ignition.
The silver box is the voltage regulator assembly. It both rectifies and regulates the 12 volts output.

 

ok thanks i did a minimum wiring setup i think it is the voltage regulator or brushes.