no spark please help

I recently came into posession of a 1982 yamaha maxim xj550 and it is my first bike and also my first "project" of sorts so lets start off with whats been done, first the starter brushes were replaced then the fuses were switched over to blade style fuses and then it got a new battery and the tank drained and some fresh fuel in the tank. Now heres my problem something drained the brand new battery which is now totally useless and im getting no spark on any of the cylinders and it seems like the armature of the starter is actually warped. if anyone has any advice or suggestions it would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance -Ryan

 

Ryan-my first question would be-did the problems start right after the fuse box upgrade? (you can see where i'm going here). What type of battery? It shouldnt be useless, just needs to be re-charged.

 

no it didnt start after i changed over to different fuses i got the bike in not running condition to begin with (bad move) and have never really owned a bike before so unless my dad is around i really have no idea what to do besides go through the usual checklist of things such as air, compression, fuel, and spark, and so far the only component of that equation yet to be acheived is spark.

 

O.K.---you need to get a manual for your bike & become familiar with the mechanics of the motorcycle. Then you can go thru a checklist-one thing at a time.
Motorcycle rule # 1-safety first! In my opinion the brakes are the most important thing on a bike. You arent going to like your bike very much if you get in running and then find out the brakes have been seriously neglected.
Im pretty sure our parts man Chacal has a manual for your bike at XJBikes 4ever & I've read of downloadable ones around here.
A good shop manual is the best investment you can ever get for your bike. Dont be afraid to ask questions here, lots of knowledgeable members here willing to share their experience.
Also, you might want to look into a riders training course, I hear theyre pretty good-even for experienced riders. Good luck.

 

BigFitz has a list for you ... I suggest getting it and scheduling a weekend with your dad.

Safety issues first:
Rear brake: the original pads have a tendency to delaminate - to separate from their mounting hardware, which if the bike is moving at the time will result in a large ceramic/metal chunk of stuff suddenly floating around inside your wheel ... You see how this could be a problem? ... Examine the pad. If it doesn't look new(ish), if there is any chance it is the original, change it. Heck, they are cheap enough, just do it.

Obviously, you need to have someone look at your starter. If that needs repair or replacement, it makes sense that it wouldn't start right if the starter is damaged.

Front brake lines: only made to last 4 years. If those are the originals (check date on hose) then you need to replace them. Your best option is to get stainless steel lines from Chacal, our supporting vendor, as his are custom to your bike, fully DOT certified (others are not) and competetively priced.

Obviously, this will include new brake fluid and you may as well clean/rebuild the master cylinder and check over the front brake caliper while you are at it.

Something appears to be causing a short which is draining your battery. you need to trace your wires and test them with a multi-meter. There is another possibility, however. These bikes have 2 off positions on the ignition switch. Turning counter-clockwise from the ON position, You arrive at Off, Steering lock OFF, and steering lock with parking lights OFF. This last setting is mostly for places like in europe where you are parking your bike on some narrow little street and you don't want someone to run it over in the dark. Unfortunately, the current draw is so strong it can't even last the night ...

When was the bike last used? You say you put gas in it: had it been properly drained previously? If not, you almost certainly need to restore the carbs. Search for the thread containing "church of clean" and follow the instructions.
If it was used "recently" try adding some seafoam to the gas and seeing if that will clean out any junk. Once you get the bike going, run it for 5 min and then turn it off, allowing the seafoam to sit for an hour or so. Repeat that a couple of times. Seafoam to gas ratio should be about 1/2 a can to 1 gallon of gas.

Check the date code on the tires: older than 6 years? It doesn't matter how much tread is left!

There is a good probability that the valve clearances have not been checked = something which is supposed to be done every 5000 miles. You will want to do that right away, and finally the carbs needs to be cleaned, search on "Church of Cllean".

Now send up a flare for bigfitz and get his list.

 

well that was a good chunk of information... however i dont think ill be putting money into brakes for a bike that goes nowhere im not saying i dont plan on changing these things that are very neccesary but i dont have much money to put into this (hence buying a non running motorcycle) and would like to get it to run before i put any serious amounts of money into it, the bike also hasnt been run since about this time last year maybe later it was owned by my friend who lives up the street and he had absolutely no idea what to do with it so he push started it every single time he rode it needless to say we tried doing this as soon as we got the bike but nothing, hell we even pulled it with a pickup truck to try and get it up to speed and still nothing. I found a few people through craigslist ill be picking up a new starter from at some point soon. do you think maybe it could be the ignition coils? or toasted relay somewhere? i guess with a question this vague the possibilities are almost limitless i was hoping maybe someone had a similar issue and there was an almost model specific defect or something with the particular bike. Again thanks for all the help guys i really hope to learn a great deal about my bike and bikes in general through any info i can find here.

 

also ive heard the kickstand switch can be a common problem in preventing the bike from running could this possibly be my issue?

 

That was a very good write-up there by Tumbleweed. I wish I knew how to put into words what he just wrote.
Yes-your kickstand has a safety switch that wont let the bike start when the stand is down--& they do stick sometimes. Its a plunger type thing that contacts when the stand is up. Look under there & see if you can find it. When you do youll see how it works. Im hoping bigfitz comes along with his advice. He's got a list a mile long & you better pay attention, ha ha cuz he really knows his stuff. Good luck

 

Absolutely. Kickstand needs to be up and the clutch in to start.

Park it on the centerstand so you can put up the kickstand.

As you note, there are many possible issues. The only way to figure it out will be to go over it item by item, testing all of the different parts of the ignition system with your multi-meter. If you don't have some sort of a service manual for the biike, get one.

I understand the money thing, I really do. Just make certain those things all get done before you start riding around once it is running.

 

alright well thanks for all the great advice guys i will use it to the best of my abilities tomorrow after work and ill keep you guys posted but i will absolutely make sure every thing safety wise on the bike is in working order before this thing leaves the driveway. oh, and if anyone could chime in and give me a basic rundown of what you guys usually run on your bikes for like maintenance stuff like tires, brake pads/shoes, fuel filters, oil, oil filters, brake fluid, etc i know its personal preference mostly but i'd just like to know what you reccomend.

 

I can help with some ... Fuel filters: just the cheap 1/4 in fuel line ones you get at a hardware or automotive store for a lawn mower or such.

Oil: You want either 10w or 20w - 50, 4T oil. It is specifically motorcycle oil. Do not use any synthetic oils as they apparently damage the wet clutch used on these bikes.

Oil filters ... I have gotten OEM.

Brake fluid: AutoZone or Advance Auto DOT 3 and 4.

Tires? I don't know. I let the guy at Iron Pony "guide" me.

 

The bike, a random set of wires spliced together near the clutch lever, and the absence of anything resembling a kickstand sensor.

 

i guess i cant upload the pictures because they are too big

 

Use one of the photo storage services and then provide a link. ...
photo bucket, for example ...