Start Button INOP

[MrRiden]

Got a call the other night from a friend who was stuck after a 60 mile ride. He was nearing home and stopped for about an hour for refreshments. His '83 R65LS wouldn't start. After running through a series of questions with him (gas on, kill switch on run) it was determined that the starter wasn't working when he hit the start button. He had no neutral light either. He also said it has been running odd, like it was running out of fuel (it may have been). I told him to pull the clutch and try. I heard it start as he quickly hung up. Later he said it started right away and behaved well the rest of the way home. I'm going over to have a look at it but other than checking the switch I'm a bit foggy on what else to poke with my VOM.  :-/

[Bob_Roller]

If he pulled the clutch in and the starter worked, the neutral switch wasn't working and the neutral light wasn't illuminated, or the transmission was in gear .

The starter relay uses the ground from the neutral switch when the neutral light is illuminated to complete the holding coil circuit .

Another thing to look for, is the wiring for the neutral switch for security and condition .

But given the notable dubious history of neutral switches, it would be my first ' suspect ' in the troubleshooting  process .

[montmil]

If your friend decides to disassemble the kill switch -BTW, the red lever pulls straight off- remind him to do so while working inside a large, clear plastic bag. Tiny ball bearing, itty-bitty spring go Boing and it's all over but the crying.

Neutral switch wires or the switch itself would be my second guess. If it is the switch, he can still ride while he waits on a new and better Italian-made switch.

[MrRiden]

Ah Ha! Truth be known it was a case of running out of gas, forgetting about the reserve [no ones ever done that, right?] attempting a bump start and in all the confusion missing the neutral light. But now I can check out my own issue with a start button that at times gives me a scare. Live and learn I guess.

[Bob_Roller]

Multiple ' operator ' failures !!!

Rich, I had a starting issue with my '81 R65 a few years after I got the bike .

Press the start button, and only hear the faint click of the starter relay, no starter rotation .

Putting a multimeter on the battery during a start attempt, showed no voltage drop like it should, if the solenoid was getting power .

Removed the cover from the starter relay and found the relay arm moved and made a clicking sound, but the electrical contacts never made contact with each other, no power to the starter solenoid, no starter operation .

You can ' adjust ' the mechanism , tabs of metal that hold the springs that keep the contacts from touching while not being electrically activated .

They just needed a bit of bending to get the relay to work again, relay lasted another 20 years before failing .

I also glued a small piece of sandpaper to the top of the relay case, if it ever happened again, I know I could press on the top of the starter relay cover and get the relay to make contact manually .

I could do this without removing the fuel tank, the sandpaper made it easy to find the correct relay by feel . 8-)

[MrRiden]

Ha! My friend humbly refers to this as a "DFU" error. Thanks for the tips. I think I may also disassemble the Start button following the plastic bag advice. I had a long leaking master cylinder and it's possible, I think, that it may be fouled with accumulated dirt and fluid gak.