i change handlebars, now it wont start

1980 xj650 maxim

Hello everyone this is my first post, until now any problem that I had I did a search and found my answer and fixed it. This site is great I learned a lot about my bike thanks to every post on here. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
I had the bike running like it was new. Then I seen a set of handle bars I liked. so I put them on now........
Pushing starter button nothing happens. Everything else is working on bars horn, turn signals but no headlight or gauge cluster light. At first I suspected the paint on the bars so I made sure that there was good ground and there is. I followed one of the post on here to check starter and everything else and got as far as the relay under left hand side cover.

I am stumped and don't know what else to check, can it be a relay that is bad. I am at the point that I am over my head with the knowledge of how the starting system works on this bike. HELP!!!!!!!

 

[edit] oops, should have noticed you talked about paint already, sorry

The best way to check, tho it's not fast, is to put the old bars back on and see if it works. then you know it's related specifically to the new bars, and probably a contact issue.

I hate electrical issues.

 

My best guess is an electrical short/malfunction in the killswitch housing. Dielectric grease and fine sand paper/emery board is your friend. This is assuming the issue is related to the handlebar change and not just a coincidence.

I probably swapped out 4 handlebars so far and 9 times out of 10 as long as you are meticulous with installation, you should not have a problem. Finally settled on old suzuki GS-E bars with 10'' pullback (really comfortable now).

 

After trying ten more different things ,nothing would work. So I walked away and started over. I took the kill switch housing back apart and cleaned it again. Put it back together crossed my fingers hit the starter button and.....
It started !!!!!! Racking my brain thinking it was something more serious. The white plastic clip that holds the two r/w wires in place, I put it back upside down the first time. I cleaned and greased everything again, I believe the only contact I was getting was from the corroded screws.

 

My xj650 has a switch on the clutch handle, in place so you have to pull the clutch into start. If this little switch has pulled out even just a little bit and is not making contact correctly my bike won't start. Considering you have look around the kill switch a fair bit, maybe look here?

Cheers

Gauge

 

Umm, Gauge; If you have to pull the clutch in to start the bike then your neutral switch isn't working.

The clutch switch is part of the safety interlock system to allow you to be able to start the bike in gear as long as the sidestand is up. The only reason you would need to always pull the clutch is if the bike doesn't know it's in neutral. If everything was operating properly you wouldn't need to pull the clutch in to start the bike as long as it was in neutral and the sidestand up.

 

Yep your right about that XJ Wizard, the bike I was playing with was not in great shape then (it's getting a ground up rebuilt), if I recall the neutral like and switch didn't work. But I recon if the clutch switch isn't grounded properly you may get the no crank problem.

 

Nope. You can unplug the clutch switch altogether and the only "loss of function" would be an inability to start the bike in gear.

 

Where did you get the rear fender? What did it come off of?

 

The rear fender is off of a 07' Fatboy.
I was on craigslist looking for fender ideas and....there it was a guy that lived two blocks from me had it. Still in the box it came in, he just bought the bike and it came with an extra fender.
I did some research and and it was wide enough to fit over the rear of the frame. After a few modifications which I hid with the saddle bags its a "perfect" fit. Oh and I paid $30.00 for it.

 

Good deal, looks nice. Like the backrest too.

 

Thanks!! Winter project that I got carried away with!! Its addicting!!

The sissy bar was given to me, I think it was off of a sportster.
Cut in half heated and bent to receive the k-bar fighting knife.

 

what did you use for a seat?