katana help

[sprsteve]

hello all i am kinda new to this site but here we go. i own a 1990 suzuki katana 750f. having probs and need answers. i turn the key on and the lights come on but when i push the start button nothing happens. no noise no clicks no nothing. i aso noticed the left plug going into the fuse box is burnt. will that make a difference. please help. thank

[Clint]

I'd say that's a good place to start. We'll have a hard time troubleshooting electrical from here, so fix the obvious and let us know what happens.

Welcome to M-J. As a return favor for any help we can give, please take the time to fill out your profile.

[GregR1]

check kill switch - check tranny in neutral. those are the obvious.
after that, check fuses.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by GregR1

check kill switch - check tranny in neutral. those are the obvious.
after that, check fuses.

And after THAT, check that melted/burned/charred connector.
It just MIGHT have some bearing on the problem.

[wpgmax]

Does your bike have a kickstand safety sensor. On my Katana if the bike is in gear and the stand is down it will not start. Possibly your sensor has gone.

[sprsteve]

fuses are good kill switch is off tried starting it with kick stand up and down bike is in neutral traced the wire to the ignition could that be bad to cause it to fry like that

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by sprsteve

traced the wire to the ignition could that be bad to cause it to fry like that

No, that couldn't be the problem. Wires burn like that all the time.

YES. The burnt wire IS a problem.

How many times are you going to ask the same question before you believe the answer. Yes, yes, yes.

[sprsteve]

thanks for the input easy rider but next time can you {edited} try to help someone instead of degrading people. very disrespectfull and unapreciated.

[GregR1]

in all fairness steve - i'm gonna side with the easy rider. i mean, a burnt wire / charred connector is a red flag saying "hey, something went very wrong here - check me out first!" you should look at that quite quickly. ignoring it and thinking "well, it's burnt, but maybe it's not causing any problems" is similar to saying "well, i'm out of fuel, but the car SHOULD start and idle, so lack of fuel can't be a problem". or "even though i have no air in the tires, the tires ARE still on the rims, so i SHOULD be able to ride around reasonably well"

seriously, steve - i don't think ER was being sarcastic - he spelled out in big letters that yes the burnt wire is a problem. in fact, in his earlier post, he didn't even bother to be remotely sarcastic and basically said "ya, the wire is something you should look at, it very likely is part of the issue"

[sprsteve]

i was simply asking if a bad ignition would cause the fuse to fry like that or if it was something leading to the ignition. im not ignoring the fact that the wire is burnt im just trying to find different reasons that the wire burnt in the first place.

[Clint]

Sometimes it's hard to predict where a shorted wire will melt or burn. Could be the ignition.

Steve, it would help if you'd punctuate and spell-check your posts. They're a bit tough to read as one long sentence, making your questions seem repetitive.

[GregR1]

well, the bike is a good 16 years old, so i wouldn't be at all surprised if some electrical parts decided to release their hidden smoke. could be a bit of corrosion or salt deposits causing a short, or constant vibration chaffing a wire, or the ever-popular "stuff just happens". nothing works perfectly forever.

[Tab B.]

No sarcasm here. If what mentioned above doesn't pan out, check the clutch safety switch. It won't allow you to start the bike without the clutch lever being pulled in. The actual switch is a fussy pain, just like the older Suzuki front brake switch. If it is that switch, and it is broken, and you can't get replacement parts, follow the wires to where they connect into the main harness. Disconnect them from the harness, and connect the ends from the harness to each other. They are male and female, so it is an easy fix. But now you are very, very unsafe. The "Safety Nazis" will be knocking on your door very shortly. Oh, and MAKE SURE you are in neutral, if you hit that starter button with the clutch lever out,,,, or,,,,, get into the habit of squeezing in the clutch every time.


OK, a little sarcasm.

[sprsteve]

its me again. i wanted to thank all of you for the help on figuring out the problem. it ended up being three things gone wrong. the clutch sensor, the starter cylinoid, and the kickstand switch. so after bypassing everything that i could we got it narrowed down to me getting a new starter cylinoid and not having the others work. thanks again to all for the help and do apologize for any frustration going out to anybody who felt disrespected. thanks again. god speed to all and safe riding.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by sprsteve

it ended up being three things gone wrong.

And the burnt wire/connector????
Not a factor ???
If so, that's somewhat amazing.

Glad you will be back on the road again.

Don't be a stranger here.
Even when I bite, I'm still trying to help....really!

[sprsteve]

I know right. suprizingly enough the burnt wire had nothing to do with any of it. im going to replace the connection anyway but it had nothing to do with anything. thanks again for all the help. i wil definently be back for any future problems.