Hey World. Long time since I've posted, but I still come here sometimes to see what's up. Now I need you.... My one-owner 1995 was reasonably good until a three or four years ago when a lady decided to knock it over and drive over the front wheel with her SUV in a parking lot while I was donating blood. I filled that bag quick when I was informed! It was "totaled" by her insurance and I used the cash for a family vacation and only rode the bike sparingly, with issues, since. I bought a 2015 new this past December to get me back in the saddle. I miss my gear whine, but enjoy my new ride. With my limited spare time, I am starting some troubleshooting on my 1995 to get her back into good running condition. My first two things I'm tackling are a steering bearing notch and an intermittent start problem. When the starter engages, she'll fire right up. The starter, however, doesn't always cooperate. I made sure the battery was in good condition, it is. I then went to the next step, the relay. Connectors to the relay are good, having replaced with VFRness maybe 6 years back and protected with dielectric grease. The relay always clicks when engaging the start button and the resistance is only about 0.3 amps across the starter leads. When I removed and crossed the leads of the starter, it always seems to turn. Anything else to check? I do have another relay on the way as I'm confounded about what else could be the issue.
Notched steering bearings need replacement. dija pull apart the solenoid plug to check for bad connections underneath, maybe clean wire contacts ??
Got into it this weekend. All contacts are good and still have a coat of dielectric. I got my new relay from Amazon and it's a POS that I am returning. I can't believe the poor quality of it. Steering bearings came in previous to the relay. Not sure what I'll get into next. My free time is at a premium. Thanks for the input. Once I have some resolution, I'll post where it shook out.
Got the $ credit for the horrible Chinese relay and got a used OEM relay off flea bay. The OEM relay did the trick. No idea why the old one was closing and checking out with low resistance but wouldn't work. I thought I'd get no joy, but it worked out. Took about 5 cranks to get her going after the long sit, but success was at hand. Time to clear some space in the garage and take the front end apart for the steering head work. Also on the list: Chain/sprockets intermittent indicator issue plastic repairs