Topic: Bike decided to quit starting today! Any ignition/electrical guys want to help?

[cbass*gxc]

Well today my bike decided not to start while out running some errands.  It has started doing this a few days ago but would sit for a little bit then start but today I tried waiting a little bit and still nothing.  Luckily my dads house was about 5 miles from me so he came and picked me up and took me and the bike to my house.  Tonight I got in a did a little testing and had some questions.

To test for power at the coils, I would hook my test light up to the black/white wire and the other end to the frame, right?

If that is the way and I get no light, does that mean the black and black/white wires through the o/r/o switch are bad?

Could the black wire running into the switch be messed up somewhere before the switch to make it bad? 

If I am reading this diagram right the black for the start button is a split of the o/r/o switch.  So if the start button is getting power and working the o/r/o switch should be getting power unless the wire from the plug to the switch is bad.

Can I hook the black and black/white together and bypass that switch entirely?

Sorry for so many questions but this has me baffled.  Thanks in advance.

Jay

[troppo]

First things i would do would be to check the kill switch and ignition switch, make sure they are not worn/dirty and making bad contact. Check the plastic base on the ignition switch, these get brittle and came come loose with age.

[cbass*gxc]

I took the switch apart and looked and the o/r/o switch didnt look too great.  The starter seems to be working great just no spark from plugs or points.

My MM had dead batteries this evening so I will do a little more testing tomorrow when I get a new battery.

[TwoTired]

To test for power at the coils, I would hook my test light up to the black/white wire and the other end to the frame, right?

Yes, even better is the battery NEG terminal and the Black/White wire.

If that is the way and I get no light, does that mean the black and black/white wires through the o/r/o switch are bad?

Not yet.  You have to verify that the Black wire feeding the o/r/o switch has power, and the o/r/o switch won't distribute it, in order to condemn the switch.

Could the black wire running into the switch be messed up somewhere before the switch to make it bad? 

Yup.

If I am reading this diagram right the black for the start button is a split of the o/r/o switch.  So if the start button is getting power and working the o/r/o switch should be getting power unless the wire from the plug to the switch is bad.

What bike diagram are you using?  Some bikes have two separate black wire feeds to the control housing.

Can I hook the black and black/white together and bypass that switch entirely?

yes.

This is all according to the Stevie Wonder school of trouble shooting as we can't see the bike or have any knowledge about what bike we are ephemeralizing.

Cheers, 

[Hush]

Your 1943 Zundap has a potato stuck in it's pea-shooter muffler!
Sorry couldn't help that but you gotta tell us what type/year/model of bike you are working on, I know you know now let us in on the wee secret and maybe someone can help.
For a bike with no spark at all on any (guessing it's a four) cylinder there has to be a root cause, testing your coils would be no use unless the Japanese finally perfected that extremely hard goal of death at a certain mileage.
Both your coils wont die on the same day unless you are very very unlucky.
The only reason would be something that stops spark at all 4 plugs and the points and the coils.
So the kill switch is a good starting point, find out the colour of the kill switch wires in the headlight bucket and pull them apart at their connectors.
Do you have spark now?
Has the battery got a good charge? will it run your lights without the motor running?
Does the horn "beep"?
Lay a plug on the side of your engine hooked up to the coils and kick start the bike, was there a spark?
Work backwards from there to points and condensers.....I doubt teh coils are to blame...........have fun and remember to tell us those vital details.....and pictures we love pictures...Hush.

[cbass*gxc]

Sorry the bike is a 78 550k.  Thought it was in my sig.  Anyways I am off to do some moving then to get a battery and back to do some testing.