Electrical surprise

I completed a 1981 650 maxim recently that I had been working on since last year. It ran great and all the
electrical components functioned except the blinkers. A tip from Chacal helped me fix those.
Then yesterday I turned the key and nothing happened, no neutral light, no horn, but I was still able to start
The engine by jumping the starter solenoid. With the engine running the horn would beep and the head/tail
lights came on but no neutral light or blinkers. I looked in the headlight bucket and all the wires were still connected. Is the problem in a relay or a switch ? Should I clean up the right handlebar switch first, or start swapping relays ? I have a lot of junk relays laying around, Which ones should I start with ? Through all this
The battery tested fully charged.

 

I start with the fusebox. If it were a ground issue, the neutral light should still work. Sounds like main power to the harness is not there. Should be a open red wire in the headlight, test for 12v there against a good ground.

 

check main fuse.
not sure if this is possible but.
if you turn on key and jump the solinoid the bike is running off of the alternator but started off of battery
alternator charges battery backwards through main fuse (output side of fuse)

try it with key off

check ignition key switch and clean and check wire from battery positive, wire that runs to main fuse red with single wire an one position connector

neutral light runs off of ignition fuse so it is odd it did not light up unless bulb is bad
edit signal f to ignition

 

I was told once the headlight wire runs through the right bar switch and is close to the on off and start button . Does the neutral bulb wire and the
Signal wire run through there too? All the fuses were intact and the battery was fully charged. Could it be a relay ? The ignition switch was new
aftermarket duplicate. So, I should start by testing the ignition switch and the right bar switch ?

 

first mistaken about neutral running off of signal fuse it runs off ignition fuse.
headlight runs from fuse to headlight relay to left side control to highlow switch and then into headlight bucket. only 750 maxim have connection to right control.

neutral switch power from fuse through bulb then to switch and diode block

only things going to right side control is a ground wire for starter button the bluewhite wire for starter button and 2 red/white wires input and out put that connect to kill/run switch.

I would look at aftermarket switch.
first with it key off check for live fuses only main fuse should have power.
second turn key on check fuses all should be live. if all live you will want to test neutral switch and bulb

if no power to fuses check connection to switch.
then disconnect connector and test continuity from switch red to brown and red to blue
also test the harness connector for power from main fuse red wire.

test neutral switch look at wire to switch. you test it by disconnecting switch wire at connector behind motor near main harness . ohm switch side to ground with bike in neutral. ground harness side of wire, bulb should light
no ohms to ground check wire and switch at bottom of motor .
bulb not lighting remove buld and test.

also be aware that in headlight bucket of 650s there is a red wire always hot not fused should not be connected to anything.

this is all assuming you have checked all connections in bucket as all connections are in the bucket for bulb and ignition switch

horn and blinkers not working with key on bike not running could be poor connections dirty or loose then when running enough votage is there to make work .
blinkers could be poor connections in sockets horn could be poor connections at horn or failing horn button . when ws the last time you used the horn before this happened?

 

Thanks for those tips I'll get out the multi tester and run down all that stuff one at a time. It would be a drag if it was the ignition switch, that puppy is brand new

 

Ok, so nothing is happening when I turned the key no neutral light, no horn, no starter, no blinkers, nada. The battery is
new ( 13 volts ) so with a test light I start at the battery side of the solenoid and put the probe on the input side of the
main fuse, nothing ! Then just for a chance I put the probe on the output side of the solenoid and the light in the probe
goes on.and at the same time with the key already on everything lights up neutral light, horn, starter button etc.
Is the bike haunted or is the fault in the cheap solenoid I bought new on ebay ?

 

is the red wire from battery to main fuse connecter tight

 

Did you get this sorted? I'm curious about this test below, can you describe exactly what you did? If I read this right it sounds like you have the probe hooked to the starter side of the solenoid and the main fuse?

 

So I solved the problem, and I feel kind dumb for not checking this first, I went into the wiring in the headlight bucket
and found that one of the wires in the connector leading to the key switch was loose and not making a good connection.
I re crimped and soldered the three blades and all the functions of the switch worked