1994 XT 600e Starting Problem
 

My '94 XT 600E (7500 miles) will not start using the starter button but it will run fine if I roll start it. I got a new battery and it still wont start. The headlight and dash light comes on and when I press the start button the headlight dims very slightly and I hear a very soft "current hum" as if there is something happening when I hit the button.
I have tried pulling the clutch in, have insured it is in neutral and have played around with the kickstand switch to no avail.
I recently installed Oxford Heaterz heated grips but I have been diligent about turning them off and there hasn't seemed to be an issue until now. My reading so far makes me think the rectifier is fried but I am not confident that my diagnosis is correct.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Quite possibly the starter relay or associated wiring is u/s. You can bypass it as a means of checking it. If you search on here there was a long thread about this topic, probably only a month or six weeks ago. All the info you could possibly want is in there.
Geoff

Thats an easy one to check - get a voltmeter on the battery with the bike running, it should be reading about 12-12.5 at idle rising to about 14.4 (ish) at 4000-500 revs. This means your alternator is working ok. If the voltage keeps rising as the revs go up then your regulator/rectifier is knacked. If the unit wasn't rectifying then you would be getting A/C through! Never heard of that happening though. A paggered regulator will fry your battery.

It could also be a bunch of other things - do you hear the relay 'click' when you push the button? Have you bench tested the starter motor etc etc - see thread above as mentioned!

Happy fettling!

Bad earth / neg terminal loose
 

Check the terminals on the battery, they should be tight and check the wire that connects the negative terminal to the frame/earth point. This can give just the symptoms you describe but won't show up with a voltmeter.

It ended up being the starter relay. It was a 15 minute install (easy "fettling", as you say). Best case scenario, I think! Thanks for the help.