so close, and yet....

so damn far. got the 750 engine in the frame, carbs rejetted and on the bike, resealed the intake gaskets, etc etc.

the only thing i missed when putting the engine on was the second earth strap (ground cable). if i have things straight, ground should run from negative battery terminal to engine case, then another ground strap runs from a different screw on the engine case to a screw beneath the tci/rectifier panel. since I forgot to put the strap that goes from screw-on-engine-case to screw-under-panel on the motor before i put the motor on the bike, I used a different case screw from the original for ease of access, one near to the drive shaft boot. will this work?

anyway.... assuming that what i did above ^^ is correct or at least workable for the time being, the bike has a battery/power problem. no lights on instrument panel, headlight, nothing when key is turned to on position. battery had been on a tender for a week, which killed the electrolyte levels. I refilled the electrolyte across all six chambers, charged for another hour on trickle charge, bolted the battery back in, and still no juice. I'm keeping the batt. on the charger for the night, and will see if I can get some action tomorrow.

What do y'all thing is wrong? did my attempt to make things easier make more work for myself? or should i just go buy a new battery if the overnight charge doesn't work?

Thanks!
\//\Chris/\\/

 

I think you need to do some step by step troubleshooting starting with the output voltage of the battery once it's charged. Or better yet take it to your local auto parts store and have them check it for you (load test and all that.) Then take it a step (and connection) at a time until you find the problem (or oversight.)

 

will do. thanks.

 

maby you just jiggled the instrument panel connector loose.. or forgot to hook it up... or forgot to put the fuse back in the fuse panel.. or it blew..
?????

 

battery was dry, replaced it. got lights, etc. but no starter. Push switch, no click from the solenoid. can't see broken parts or dirty contacts on starter switch. could someone give me an idiot's guide to testing the starter system with a multimeter? i.e. what to test, and how.
either that or tell me how to hotwire it so i can ride the damn thing!!

ps new solenoid, new battery, new tci box.....

 

here you go:

Diagnose starting issues
http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=7828.html

 

thanks bill. i actually just found that same link, but i was wondering if i need a simple continuity tester (needle like screw driver/light assy. attached to a clip) or a real multimeter

 

Personally I like a multimeter - way more versitile

 

cool. thanks. ill get down to it. hopefully they have the part i need on ebay. how much does a relay go for usually?

 

Which relay do you need? I have a working safety cutoff relay listed in for sale section if you need one.

 

You just can't not have one.

 

hey moon...
I had what sounds like the same problem with a 750 project bike I picked up. Electric worked but got nothing when I hit the starter button. Went through the starter circuit trouble shooing post here(http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... enoid.html) and could NOT figure out the problem until Chacal pointed out a very important fact about the 2 realys in the starter circuit:
"The KICKSTAND RELAY is a small metal or plastic "can" style relay, and has four wire leads, within a white plastic connector block, going to it: a red wire with a white tracer stripe, a black wire with a white tracer stripe, a blue wire with a yellow tracer stripe, and a blue wire with a yellow tracer stripe (NOTE: the yellow tracer stripes are very faint yellow, and may look white at first glance). This relay will have a SMALL BLUE PAINT MARK or BLUE TAB ON IT. Any other color (or lack of the blue color) indicates the wrong relay."

My relays were swapped. I swapped them back it it cranked right away!!
Good luck!

 

huh. I'll check that out. I was running thru the troubleshooting guide and the solenoid and battery work, but i think the starter switch is broken or not soldered correctly. when i was checking the solenoid, the starter turned... but now none of the lights work on the bike, which they did before i tested. I'll have some time to run thru more tests tomorrow. bill, could you give me a link to that realy in for sale? I might need it.