I'm having some bizarre electrical problems with my '89 KLR. When I turn the ignition switch on and the kill switch, everything does as it should, but when I press the starter button, it basically acts like an "on/off" switch and shuts off all electrical power, without the ignition even firing. This only started happening in the last day (after I was rear ended by a Jeep Cherokee) so I am pretty miffed at what it is.

Pinched wire? Fuse? CDI....please no!

Any help and hints would be great.

Donald W.

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Hi,
That's a toughy!

What happens when you take your thumb off the starter button? (I assume the starter doesn't crank, it just instantly kills everything)

Everything come back to life? If so it's a huge drain somewhere, so could be one of a couple of things.
First, how is the charge on the battery? If it's weak, that's what it will do.
2nd, if battery ok, it's a short somewhere, and probably on the side before the fuse, possibly on the heavy wire from the battery to the starter solenoid. This usually isn't fused.
3rd, check that the wire from the starter button isn't pinched on the handlebar, pssibly from the switch being rotated in the accident.
4 Can you kick start the bike ok? If not, maybe the motor is seized/stuck/ etc nastiness.
See how you go with that, if no luck repost.
Good luck, you'll need it, electricals are the worst. And I used to do a lot of it.

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Grant Johnson

Share the Dream!
at: www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

SOLVED!

After many pleasent hours spent stripping the bike in my living room, cursing, kicking, crying and then elctrocuting myself with my very own tears, the KLR's electrical woes were finally disseminated as being a pinched/sort of stripped wire which was caught up in the rear 'flap' (as Kawa call it) thus bouncing around with broken bits of plastic (from the accident - not my fault!) and grounding out on the frame...

Thanks for all (Grant's) of the help!

Donald W.