is it my starter?

What's this wire for? Electrical mods, Lights, Stator, Rectifier, Diagrams & more.
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Triangles
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby Triangles » Tue Sep 24, 2013 12:08 pm

mr.clean wrote:by sticking a flathead betweenthe 2 contacts.And when i tried that headlight dimmed greatly.Battery?

First I am assuming your shorting two contacts is the same as pressing the start button. I could be wrong. Somebody correct me if I am but, I am fairly certain that the headlight should turn off while cranking. It sounds like your's is not doing this?

Anything above 12v is good but doesn't necessarily mean the battery is good. Have you done any maintenance on the battery? Your battery may have gone bad or it could be your starter. Try jump starting it with a car battery. The bike should start very easily. If it doesn't then you likely have problems other than the battery. If your battery is weak, it is possible to crank the engine but not have enough voltage for spark. IIRC I think it takes 9 or 10 volts for the ignition coils to fire. As you observed by lights dimming your voltage is dropping while cranking.
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby mr.clean » Tue Sep 24, 2013 2:17 pm

Yes lights dim.and yes im hitting the two contacts.that worked before not now.Last night it started then it died,wouldn't start again or pushhstart likeit did before.The headlight flickered when it briefly started.No matenance other than tightning çcable to post.I got this bike on labor day.
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby Turbojoe » Tue Sep 24, 2013 7:05 pm

I was assuming you made sure the battery was good before you started diagnosis. STOP! Make certain the battery is good and fully charged or you're just wasting your time. A fully charged 12 volt battery will show 13.2 volts at rest but even as low as 12 volts could still get it started unless the battery is junk. Saying your lights dim I'm guessing you mean indicator lights. On my 2004 the headlight won't come on until after the engine starts. Your 2005 shouldn't either. If it comes on when you turn the key then something isn't right. The headlight relay gets its signal from the stator only after engine start.

Again, STOP right where you are! Charge the battery after you make sure it is topped off with distilled water NOT tap water then take it down to an Autozone or any of the other parts houses that offer free battery testing. Don't just rush out and buy a new battery yet! Once you have a charged battery only then you can continue diagnostics and not a minute sooner. When I had my shop at least three times a week I'd have customers come in saying they needed a new battery. 90% of the time I'd find the battery was OK and the problem was as minor as a bad ground or as major as an alternator. ALL electrical diagnosis starts with a good fully charged battery. Get that done then come back to see if we can help if you still have problems.

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mr.clean
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby mr.clean » Fri Sep 27, 2013 11:08 am

So its the start button,will the en500c plug right in and work to the connector?I have the en500A.
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby Triangles » Fri Sep 27, 2013 12:16 pm

mr.clean wrote:So its the start button,will the en500c plug right in and work to the connector?I have the en500A.

HUH?

I think you are asking if EN500A and EN500C start switch assemblies are interchangeable? Good question. I have both so if I remember I'll take a look at them this weekend.
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby Triangles » Fri Sep 27, 2013 8:12 pm

And the answer is.....
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No they are not plug and play interchangeable. The EN500C is on the left and the EN500A is on the right. However it looks like if you had the tool to remove the pins from the sockets and you could figure out what wire goes where, it just might work. Both have 5 wires and the wiring colors are very similar if not the same.
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby mr.clean » Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:01 pm

Hmm that's weird, I called the dealership and they said it was the same part.so I ordered a used 500c switch from eBay cheap.I bet I can make it work.
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby Triangles » Sun Sep 29, 2013 9:17 pm

it looks like the pins can be fairly easily removed from the plug if you have something small enuff to press the release tabs. Probably an appropriately sized precision screwdriver would work. FYI according to the factory service manual the two black wires are the brake switch, the yellow wire is the ignition voltage. It supplies 12V to the red wire thru the cut off switch when it is in the run position. Also supplies voltage to the start button which puts 12v on the black/red strip wire which activates the starter relay. Let us know how it turns out.
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby mr.clean » Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:19 pm

So I received the switch in the mail today.I have a 500A (2006),and I received one from a 98 500C.Any it did plug right in,and started.So they are interchangeable,at least for my year.
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Re: is it my starter?

Postby Triangles » Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:34 pm

Mr. Clean you have a 500C. The 500A was model years '90-'96 and the 500C was model years '96-'09. in '96 both models were sold. Glad the part turned out to be what you needed!
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