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85 Aspy will not turn over.
Hi,

I am newer to Wings and could use some help. Here is what is going on.
First the history. I bought the bike in early spring as a non runner. It needed pulse generators, a new ignition and I switched over the main 30 amp dogbone fuse to an auto type with help from this forum. The bike has run beautiful for a couple months.
To the current situation:
The wing came with auxillary driving lights down at the front bottom, like on the LTD's. They were not hooked up and recently I thought since they were there I would re wire them and use them since they were already mounted.
This is when trouble began. The charging system couldn't keep up and I was showing about 11.5 volts at 3000 rpm and at idle it would dip even further down to 10 volts. Not good, so i disconnected the lights knowing the anemic stator wasn't going to be able to handle them.
I thought this solved the problem. The volts went back up to 14.5 while underway and all seemed fine. Until I stopped and shut the bike down. It would not re fire.
At first the starter would try but the battery sounded too weak to turn it over. I tried charging the battery until it showed a full charge and tried again. The starter gave a weak try and then stopped, like the battery was dead.
I thought I may have damaged the battery so I bought a new one with the exact same results.
I thought about the stator giving up, but me and a buddy pushed the bike and started the bike by popping the clutch. When running it showed a healthy 14.5 volts, but when I got home and shut it down it would not refire. It just clicked. I messed around with some wires and now it won't even click when hit the start button. I have power, all the lights come on.
I found a used solenoid on e bay that said it was in good working order and tried that but still nothing. One thing about that solenoid though is that it was a little different. My original only had two prongs on the side and the newer one had four. Maybe not all 1200 solenoids are interchangeable??

What do you guys think it sounds like??
Stater? soleoid? Something else?
Also, thanks for reading my long entry. I was just trying to be specific.
Reply
#1 08-13-2010, 11:38 AM,
Help will be along the way as you have just posted. The help you will receive will be amazing!
Some details were left out of your description……
…. The charging system couldn't keep up and I was showing about 11.5 volts at 3000 rpm and at
idle it would dip even further down to 10 volts. – does this mean the aux were the only additional
drain on the electrical system?
….. Until I stopped and shut the bike down. It would not re fire. – how soon after riding the bike did
you try to restart it? The starter in these bikes are subject to tremendous heat. With use, the brushes
wear and deposit their dust within the starter and with the heat and dust accumulation, the starter will
have a difficult time turning the bikes engine over. Most assume the battery is the problem when in
fact it is the starter. Something I find which works is to open the throttle while hitting the starter
button. It works for me but is no substitute for opening the starter, cleaning and lubing the inside
and replacing the brushes.
… I tried charging the battery until it showed a full charge and tried again. – using a hydrometer is a
Better way to determine the charged condition of a battery. If you do not have one, please get one.
…. I thought I may have damaged the battery so I bought a new one with the exact same results.
-Don’t toss that battery yet! Test it with your new hydrometer. Again, it may be the starter
and not the battery.
….. I got home and shut it down it would not re-fire. It just clicked. I messed around with some
wires and now it won't even click when hit the start button. I have power, all the lights come on.
-check for blow fuses, clean both battery terminals AND both solenoid terminals on both the old
and E-bay solenoid. Worse case is you can just the solenoid with a screw driver.

To my knowledge, all GL1200 solenoids should be interchangeable so maybe the E-bay is not
For a GL1200.

Again, do not panic. Additional help will be along shortly with more suggestions.

The other suggestion I have is do a tone of reading on this site. Loads of information which
although it may seem like it does not pertain to your case, may raise a question which may
lead you to the solution to your current problem.

Best of luck
enjoying the view from the saddle....... due mainly to the people and information found within this site
Reply
#2 08-13-2010, 12:12 PM,
Have you checked this?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://gl1200goldwings.com/techcenter/article1004.htm">http://gl1200goldwings.com/techcenter/article1004.htm</a><!-- m -->
The only stupid questions are the one's that are not asked.

Reply
#3 08-13-2010, 12:47 PM,
The auxillary lights are not the only drain. There are three other small additions. They are:
5 inch eagle head on the front fender with amber lit eyes. (one small bulb)
Rotor cover scoop side markers on the front with one amber light on each side.
Ring of fire LED's around rotor covers.
When running these three additions the volts were 14.5 at 3000 rpm.
I'm not trying to make these auxillary driving lights work anymore, I just want to ride the bike. I have accepted the stator is weak and I am limited. I'll probably live with that until my stator does give up the ghost. At that time I already know I will be going to the poor boy alternator conversion.

The bike would not re fire immediatley after shut down, and I thought about an overheated starter, but when cool hours later there was still only a "click."

All my terminals are clean and in excellent shape. I put new battery cables on back in May and yesterday I put new nuts and washers on the solenoid. It all looks pretty good.
I also did check the fuses; again all good. I'm never that lucky!

Thanks for the time and good info.
Reply
#4 08-13-2010, 06:13 PM,
I forgot to mention to tricky that I did already do the main fuse conversion to an automotive blade style.
Reply
#5 08-13-2010, 06:16 PM,
freddyboy Wrote:I'll probably live with that until my stator does give up the ghost. At that time I already know I will be going to the poor boy alternator conversion.

Might be a good idea to change to the PB conversion before your stator goes south. Then if something should happen to the PB system, you will have a back up system to limp home with. To my understanding it is only a matter of plugging your original system back in.

Just a thought. :d
Reply
#6 08-14-2010, 08:33 AM,
Interesting Old Dog. But.....
I am worried a bit about cost. I just got laid off from a company I had twenty years into. And unfortunatley things probably will never return. I worked in a Press room at a newspaper. Probably most of you out there know newspapers are becoming news-o-saurs. (extinct)
So, what is a round about figure for a poorboy conversion? Anyone have that info?
Reply
#7 08-14-2010, 10:26 AM,
Hi Freddyboy,
My alternator mounting kit is $215.00 + $15.00 shipping/handling. It sounds like you have starter or wiring troubles that need to be adressed first. Instead of just changing parts you need to do some checking first.

The first thing I would do would be make sure the battery was fully charged. Take one side of a jumper cable set & go stright from the positive battery post to the post on the starter. If nothing happens your trouble is in the starter. Make sure the bike is in not in gear. Work your way back from there.

Ride Safe, Don (Poorboy)

PS, My youngest sister lives in Jackson
Reply
#8 08-14-2010, 07:40 PM,
Very cool Poorboy. You are certainly correct, I was getting ahead of the issue at hand. Easy to do with all the information in this forum. It's good to talk it out with you guys.
How cool is that you have family in my part of the world!? Tell your sister I live on Vandercook Lake and I'll bet she'll know where I am.
Anyway, I have to finish up assembly on a front tractor scoop Sunday so I'll probably not touch the Wing till Monday. When I get back into it I'll update on progress if interested.
Hell, I'll probably have more questions anyway.
Again, thanks so much for the time and advice.

Oh, one more thing... The Poorboy conversion kit isn't as expensive as I thought. Maybe I can get that done after I take care of this first issue. I'm bettin' you have something posted in the tech center about the conversion. I may just snoop around a little......
Reply
#9 08-15-2010, 12:01 AM,


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