replacing the stator

Wouldnt it not run at all with a bad coil? the bike will run all day in neutral... just wont run in gear.

 

A bad coil can be very unpredictable.

 

How could I troubleshoot that?

 

Swap them out with others and see if it still happens. Still sounds like a bad side stand switch. I'd just bypass it for a bit......make a small loop ( a " U " ) of wire with a connector on each end. Disconnect the kickstand at the plugs (under the seat, on the left side, near the inside surface of the inner fender) and plug the " U " in in place of the wires to the kickstand. See what happens. If the bike continues to do the same thing, then you have at least learned that the stand is now eliminated from suspicion and it didn't cost anything to do. If the problem goes away, then it's obviously time for a new switch.

Dave Fox

 

The wiring has been completely redone... nothing but essentials and the side stand switch is not hooked up at all the wires are cut at the side stand. ALso the plug in the ignitor has been soldered by the shop thats working onit as we speak.

 

Reading back through the thread, the bike is supposedly "minimally wired."

If the safety circuits have TRULY been removed, then it could be a problem with the coils as Wiz suggested, or with wiring about anywhere on the bike.

If the bike is only slightly "hacked" but still has the safety relay in the ignition circuit, then there's a problem with one of the "bypasses." Symptoms point to it being the sidestand switch/relay.

Question: Does the "neutral" light still come on, and then go out when the bike's in gear?

I still think there's more left of the original wiring and safety system than what was shared by the PO, and whatever was done to it is what the problem is.

 

Dude.

THIS is the problem. I know you don't want to believe it, but it is.

Here's the hard truth: there are very few shops that have people who know and understand bikes of this era. Most of the guys with the proper skillset are long retired. This is not an '82 Chevy. It's an old example of what was at the time, state of the art engineering. They're NOT "user friendly" in fact they're rather "counter-intuitive" even when it comes to basic maintenance, like valve clearances.

If you plan to actually own, ride, use and maintain one of these bikes, you're going to have to learn to do a lot of this stuff yourself. We've had case after case of guys who took their bike to a supposedly capable shop only to never get it right, or make it worse. You already know these guys are looking for blood, they wanted to charge you for a stator you probably don't need and they probably wouldn't have actually replaced anyway (just charged you for it.)

If you plan to PAY somebody to do everything that will need to be done to make the bike safe and reliable, you're looking at some serious dollars, enough to buy a brand new bike, honest. And that assumes an honest shop, which we know these guys ain't.

Your absolute best bet would be to get a service manual and get your bike back from these yahoos and fix it. Yourself. That's why we're here.

 

I appreciate your honesty and I do believe your opinion to be true. I am good with engines but electrical is my weak side. I took time off work to get this thing fixed wiring wise but I ran into brick wall after brick wall. Eventually I broke down and took it to a shop. The guy seems knowledgable but like you said of bikes of today NOT YESTERDAY. SO at this point I am trying to have him make it run like it did before I brought it to him wityh the problem " battery isnt charging" like you said he took it and ran. He "rewired" the whole bike to "his standards" and when he gives it back the thing wont even go 2 miles without dying. well I got farther than that to begin with on just the battery. So all in all I have learned a valuable lesson... I just need it to run right now so I can get to and from work. I am deploying to Afghanistan in the next few months and plan on having my dad rebuild my engine and carbs while im there (gives him a project). But as for now im just cleaning up the mess the PO made for me.

 

No neutral light on the bike... It has no gauges

 

If you want to use a motorcycle as reliable transportation, it pays to start with a whole bike. Things like speedometers and tachometers were put there for a reason, as were all the various "idiot" lights and safety interlocks. Sorry to hear you're starting with a mess; there are a lot of other safety-related things you should fix first before you can trust this thing as transportation. Like I said, it's not like an old used car. A bike this old takes proper "recommissioning" or you'll spend more time broke down than riding; let alone it's damn dangerous. Your CO would be really pissed if you wound up in the hospital. Have you checked the rear brake for delamination? http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html

Not to pee in your cornflakes, but that's just the simple truth. Most of the problems you'll encounter don't have quick fixes; you'll need to reverse a quarter century's worth of neglect. And these toads don't have the know how. Get the bike back, and park it until you get it fixed and safe. Please.

 

I plan on putting all that stuff back in once its running but I need to get it back on the road before I spend the money on all that. Ihave not checked for delamination but I did read your thread a while back and went ahead and bought new shoes anyway. just for the peace of mind, and because I have a real spongy pedal so as soon as I get her back I will be doing my rear brakes as well.

 

Uh... no gauges? I don't know about out there, but here that's illegal. Now that we find that out, I wish slightly amend my recommendations to a little bit more than just bypassing the kickstand switch. This is based on the new info that I now see. I don't recall (didn't look back for it either) reading that the wiring was minimized. My bad.

Ok, in light of:

minimized wiring ( what else could be compromised)
no gauges (how can you tell Anything)
re-wiring to "his standards" (whatever they may be)

I recommend that you get a good gauge cluster, get a replacement wiring harness, and get all the relays connected back the way they should be.

Once that's done then I'll have an idea of where to go again.

Dave F

 

the wiring is similar to dwcopples basic wiring diagram that I found on this site. I am going to throw some gauges in but It has to run to know what speed im doing.

 

If it starts after it stalls chances are it's not the charging system, it takes less battery to run than start .
Try moving some wires while It's running in the driveway,
The ignition pickup wires are right by the shifter

 

http://www.fixya.com/motorcycles/t23302 ... t_when_hot

 

Ill give that a shot...

 

The thing is that it wont run in gear... It will run fine for about 2 miles. As soon as I stop (at a light) it dies. so I put it in neutral and it starts and runs fine but as soon as I put it in gear (while running) it dies. also if I try to start it in any gear the starter will just turn... like Im getting no spark...?

 

Some bikes have a cut off so you can't start in gear.
It's not the clutch dragging, is it ?

 

Was wondering that myself. You should be able to tell because the starter will turn a little slower and be under more load. I wouldn't bother trying to start it in gear. The process of getting these bikes to start is a VERY low tolerance game of voltages to begin with. If your battery is just a little low it will turn over, but not enough juice left over to fire your coils. So if your clutch is dragging at all it could be causing your starter to draw more current and your coils are below threshold voltage. When you go into 1st does it do more than clunk-like does the bike lurch any?

 

Hey, here's a question..........how hard to you stop at the traffic lights? I'm now suggesting the possibility that you may have a float issue. It is possible for the bike to stall at a stop when the "fuel surge" factor is great enough to temporarily swamp the plugs. If all the electrical stuff checks out, follow this thought for a bit...............

Dave F