Hey guys, I rode my '97 800 Vulcan two weeks ago for the first time since January. I rode to have lunch with a friend and then back close to my neighbourhood to get gas. After filling up, I went to turn the bike back on. At that point, the bike refused to start. The turning was strong, but the engine did not want to kick over. I had to push the bike out of the gas station so I found a nice corner for it. After an hour of several "what the $#%!" moments and scratching my head, I decided to throw in the towel and take the three-mile journey back home by bus. The next day, I returned and the bike still did not want to start. This time, I had all my tools with me in my orange backpack. The only thing I was missing was my lunchbox. I discovered at that moment, I was receiving no spark in either plug with the spark plug to engine ground test. After a few more WTF moments, I called for a tow. :<
Whenever I had the availability, I attempted to tackle the problem. I do pretty well working on any motorcycle, but am dumb as a doorknob when it comes to electrical knowledge. I'm as good with a multimeter as a chimp with a cell phone, so I can only amuse myself with the digital screen. Anyway, I considered the problem might have been with the coils, but it's unlikely that both would go at once. To be certain, I removed them and brought them to a bike shop where one of the mechanics checked them out for me. He confirmed that the coils were good and asked about the problem. I told him I had no spark. Urging to return to work, he quickly suggested I check my wiring, especially my kickstand safety switch and then left.
Kickstand safety switch- I never had a problem with it until one day a year ago I decided to screw in a kickass radiator grill cover with a flaming skull carved into it. When I turned the upper right screw, I felt resistance. I said the hell with it since I was a few turns away from tightness perfection. Little did it register that I was screwing into the wiring that leads to the kickstand safety switch. As a result, the wiring no longer functions to that switch and I can ride my Vulcan like the coolest guy on the road with the kickstand down. This smart move of mine happened early last year, but is it possible some kind of short relating to this could suddenly prevent my bike from turning on?
Regarding wiring, my trusty Clymer states to check the kill switch. Can anyone explain how I can rule this out? I simply can't unplug the red connector underneath the tank because the kill switch is wired in with the electrical start button.
My other consideration is the IC ignitor. Before I go into that, let me talk about the removal process. I cannot for the life of me remove the one bolt facing the right side of the bike. :at-wits-end: The geniuses at Kawasaki made it so you cannot fit any size 10mm wrench into the confining area. I would have loved to take this to the bike shop also, but I couldn't get it out. It's funny how the Clymer simply says to just unscrew the bolts while missing this entire frustrating step. If someone can help me out here, please fill me in.
Still on the topic of the ignitor, when I start the bike, I feel and hear the vibration that comes from the unit itself (almost like a relay) while the starter works at full strength. Without being able to remove the ignitor or test it with the specific Kawasaki tool that the Clymer indicates, I'm only assuming that it is functioning. I don't know anybody else with a spare vn800 ignitor box, so I'm at a loss.
So those are my issues. Any help is appreciated and thanked in advance.
Other info: new spark plugs, ignition fuse is good, the battery is fully charged at 12.49 volts just sitting (yes, I used the multimeter )
Whenever I had the availability, I attempted to tackle the problem. I do pretty well working on any motorcycle, but am dumb as a doorknob when it comes to electrical knowledge. I'm as good with a multimeter as a chimp with a cell phone, so I can only amuse myself with the digital screen. Anyway, I considered the problem might have been with the coils, but it's unlikely that both would go at once. To be certain, I removed them and brought them to a bike shop where one of the mechanics checked them out for me. He confirmed that the coils were good and asked about the problem. I told him I had no spark. Urging to return to work, he quickly suggested I check my wiring, especially my kickstand safety switch and then left.
Kickstand safety switch- I never had a problem with it until one day a year ago I decided to screw in a kickass radiator grill cover with a flaming skull carved into it. When I turned the upper right screw, I felt resistance. I said the hell with it since I was a few turns away from tightness perfection. Little did it register that I was screwing into the wiring that leads to the kickstand safety switch. As a result, the wiring no longer functions to that switch and I can ride my Vulcan like the coolest guy on the road with the kickstand down. This smart move of mine happened early last year, but is it possible some kind of short relating to this could suddenly prevent my bike from turning on?
Regarding wiring, my trusty Clymer states to check the kill switch. Can anyone explain how I can rule this out? I simply can't unplug the red connector underneath the tank because the kill switch is wired in with the electrical start button.
My other consideration is the IC ignitor. Before I go into that, let me talk about the removal process. I cannot for the life of me remove the one bolt facing the right side of the bike. :at-wits-end: The geniuses at Kawasaki made it so you cannot fit any size 10mm wrench into the confining area. I would have loved to take this to the bike shop also, but I couldn't get it out. It's funny how the Clymer simply says to just unscrew the bolts while missing this entire frustrating step. If someone can help me out here, please fill me in.
Still on the topic of the ignitor, when I start the bike, I feel and hear the vibration that comes from the unit itself (almost like a relay) while the starter works at full strength. Without being able to remove the ignitor or test it with the specific Kawasaki tool that the Clymer indicates, I'm only assuming that it is functioning. I don't know anybody else with a spare vn800 ignitor box, so I'm at a loss.
So those are my issues. Any help is appreciated and thanked in advance.
Other info: new spark plugs, ignition fuse is good, the battery is fully charged at 12.49 volts just sitting (yes, I used the multimeter )