beartron Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 I recently received a 1980 XS 400 special from my father who had left it unattended for about 2 years under the carport. I'm having trouble getting it to start, the lights won't even turn on, so i thought maybe someone here could give me a few pointers. The bike needed a new throttle cable, two new tires, and i was warned the battery died often. At the time it was totally dead. The first thing i did was replace the throttle cable, and reassemble the electric starter button box on the handle bars (it was missing the button). After that i removed the carbs for a good clean out and drained the oil and gas. The carbs were actually in surprisingly good condition. The battery looked like only half the chambers had acid in them and the other ones were quite low, so i bought a new battery and let it charge overnight as per the instructions. Now i've got the new battery on, the handle bars/throttle cable assembled, the carbs cleaned out and the oil and gas drained (the gas tank is still off). I know i can't start it up in this condition, but i would like to make sure the new battery is working and all systems go, but when i put the key in and turn it there is nothing, no clicking, no whirring, no spark of life. I've checked the four fuses under the seat and they look legit. I'm having trouble figuring out what my next step should be, any suggestions? I'll post a pic soon. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepperami Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 if it`s been outside & standing for a long time the chances are that the weather has got into a connection somewhere, and this could mean you`ve got no earth??? possibly?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shed hermit Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 as the start button was replaced i would start there and look at any other electrical work that you may have done. try tracing the wires from the battery up to the switch and see if the power is getting that far. check the kill switch to see if it is earthing. i find the best way to do this is to connect up a bulb (one side earthed, other side into the connection) as i dont have a multi-meter. hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted January 6, 2010 Moderator Share Posted January 6, 2010 take out the fuses and clean them and the holders, as this is a weak point! you will need a multimeter to check continuity through out the loom. i'd start with the starter solinoid first and work from there drewps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beartron Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 Thanks guys, I'll check out the wiring situation. dealing with the electrical just seems like such a daunting task I'll update as the situation progresses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningdog Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Don't be intimidated by wiring..at this stage, run through the entire bike and clean every connection you come to.....takes time, sure. Pay particular attention to grounding (black wires, generally, on a Yamaha). Do you have lights/signals/horn function? Good luck...at least, you'll know the bike by the time you go throuigh this exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beartron Posted January 6, 2010 Author Share Posted January 6, 2010 OK, so here's what i'm working with... Haven't had time to really take a good look at the wires yet this week, i think it'll have to wait until the weekend Runningdog - So far the bike hasn't had any electrical function at all. i rode it about 2 years ago at my parents place but that was the last time i saw any lights or horn action. Here's another, you can see I've fixed it up with some clubman bars Notice: dangling rear flashers and flat front tire I've got an old triumph gas tank that i'm chopping down into the seat cowl. more on that later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imtryin Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 You might not be up for this, but... i had never done any motorcycle electrical, and my 81 xs400 was having almost identical issues. one thing i did was i pulled the entire wiring harness from the bike, which was surprisingly easy. maybe about 45 mins. to pull it out and about 20 to put it back in. I labeled each component connector with a sharpie component side, and harness side for reference. I laid the harness out on a bench and i went through the whole thing with an ohmmeter, took a couple of hours but i ended up finding a few bad connections. soldered em back together, and sprayed out all of the connection ends with auto electrical cleaner harness side and component side(any auto parts store) and put the harness back in the bike. Re ran all my grounds and used new screws. Magically the bike came to life. mostly i'm trying to tell you not to be too intimidated by the wiring, a good diagram and a methodical mind and you can get it. good luck buddy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shed hermit Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 sorry to hear you have had no horn action in two years but if you get the bike going atleast you can throw your leg over that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JYA12R Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 sorry to hear you have had no horn action in two years but if you get the bike going atleast you can throw your leg over that Over here we consider it an unrealistic expectation that you could get lights and horn action at the same time..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted January 7, 2010 Moderator Share Posted January 7, 2010 Over here we consider it an unrealistic expectation that you could get lights and horn action at the same time..... unless its "on-stage" somewhere in Holland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts