Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Electrical problems!!!!!!!!!!

OK here's what's happening with my bike. You turn on the key the oil light & neutral light come on but not the head light and the bike will not start. I've already installed new battery and new ignition switch so it's getting a little annoying now. Now as soon as I hook my battery charger to the new battery it will crank. I then procede to charge the battery for a while then remove the charger and it's back to not starting. Someone please give me an idea whats wrong with this thing. Thanks. Desperate. Sonny

Fuse? Checked connections in the headlight? When you say won't start, does it do nothing? Or does it crank? Or do you hear the solenoid when you hit the go button?

Battery connections? Loose ground? It's usually something simple and obvious AFTER you find it. Good Luck

If it starts when you connect the charger, then you need to check to make sure you don't have a dead cell(shorted). If it was a fuse, it would not crank when you connect the charger...try a direct jump from your car (remove the cables from the bike battery and jump straight from your car/truck), if it starts it's time for a new battery. Also if you have the wires crossed it won't start but you will fry some components and smell a funny odor ........Angelis

Is it possible he has a loose connection and the cables from his charger complete the circuit that is broken otherwise?

This is the second new battery I've put on it. Both batteries did the same thing. I just jumped across the solenoid and the bike started right up. So the battery is working its got to be something else.

So maybe the solenoid isn't working right?

I'm not sure what that proved. I had someone tell me to try it so I did. I just spent 170.00 on the switch and 80 on the battery so this guessing is getting expensive.

Well at this point sleep on it and see what developes here over night. I would imagine the solenoid would be available at an auto parts store for sub-triumph prices!

Mine has done weird sh*t twice.
When I "Gentley laid it over" got the clickin.
Then waiting at a train crossing it died.
Hit starter, dreaded click noise.
Having owned (Grasp grenade firmly, pull pin) fords.
I shorted across the poles and took off.
Ain't fixed it yet but I did note battery terminals
were a bit loose.

OK
Check your solenoid with a test light or meter. Check power on the battery side key on, hit starter switch look for any change. Check power on starter side key on, hit starter switch should have power on starter side same as battery side when starter switch is activated. If not, check power and ground at solenoid activation terminals. If they're good replace your solenoid. Like Benny says, take it to an auto parts store and match up with something. It could be that the charger is supplying enough power to overcome a solenoid that's not making good contact internally.

OK, probably a stupid question... did you check the kill switch? Coz that's exactly what happens when the kill switch is on. If it's not that, check the wiring to & from the kill switch.

That's a good point. The wiring to the kill and starter switch is sorta fragile and exposed if you fiddle with your controls at all.

He said he has no headlight. If the kill switch is on wouldn't he still have a headlight?

Try connecting the charger again, but don't plug it in. If the bike starts, check the battery cables very carefully because it is the connecting and not the charging that makes it work.
Iv'e noticed that, with my charger, I have to tilt the battery outward a bit to connect up. If that's the case with yours as well, check the bottom end of the ground cable. Those have been known to cause a lot of strange problems when they are loose.

Thanks for all the input. I just picked up a ford solenoid for less than 10.00. Figured I would go ahead and replace that since everyone I've talked to thought that was what was wrong.