Electrical problems?

Ok folks - as I was taking my starter out (I had to get a new one - it is currently in the mail now) I touched the wire to the engine wall and had a short happened! So, when I turned the bike on afterwards the flasher relay started to click even though the blinkers/emergency flasher were turned off. When I did turn them on it kept clicking and b nothing would work. I checked all the fuses and they appear not to be blown at all. I ordered mew flasher not and now when I connect it they don’t turn on but it doesn’t clock! What am I missing her - also, I know better than not to disconnect the battery when doing work like that - bone headed move I know. Thanks folks! HELP 82 Kawasaki 1100A Shaft

It's late now in the uk (bed time) will look at a wiring diagram tomorrow, most likely thing is you have fried something electronic (not much in the way of electronics on these old bikes) try disconnecting the regulator/rectifier and see if things return to normal. Will have a look tomorrow

You are awesome my friend - look forward to hearing From ya!

Quick thought, why was there power at the starter without the solenoid being operated by the starter button?

I’m pretty sure I was having my wife hit the starter button while I holding it when it happened - I had it on the side wall (stupid I know) - also I noticed there is another looking flasher unit on the othe side of the battery - what is that for?

Also - if I remember right after the spark - the flasher relay started to click and I couldn’t restart the starter. I remember every time I tried Starting it I would hear something click.(this why I bias to get a new starter it quit working) Ever since the spark happened it didn’t/doesn’t happen anymore. 

The click you hear from pressing the start button is probably the electromagnet in the starting solenoid.
The starter must be bolted(grounded) to the engine case to work.

Take your voltmeter.
set to DC V
Turn the key switch to on
kill switch to off

black probe on the negative battery post (post is the metal part of the battery--not the terminal that is attached to the cable)
red probe on positive battery post
note voltage

move your red probe to each of the big screw terminals on the starter solenoid.
One terminal cable goes to the battery. The other goes to the starter lug.
One should read battery voltage(cable coming from the battery)
The other (cable to starter lug) should read close to 0.0V if your starter case is grounded or bolted back into the engine.
Otherwise, it will read ghost voltage--reading not steady but fluctuating.

Move red probe to the engine case
Voltage should be very close to 0.0V
Any higher than 0.5V then your ground to your engine is marginal.

Move the red probe to each fuse and measure both sides of each fuse.
All the fuse measurements should be close to the battery voltage you measured earlier.
If not close to battery voltage, the fuse may be blown or you have resistance in the circuit.

Turn off key switch
 

Do you have a voltmeter ? A bad ground will give the same symptoms. My fault finding guide in the FAQ section tells you how to check a starter circuit for connection problems. There is no worse feeling than spending a chunk of money and having the same problem when you push the button  

Ok so the penny has just dropped that this is the same problem from your previous post. The test sequence I advised then is basically what F64 has also correctly advised and has diagrams to help. When you said you had checked it with jumper cables I assume that was what you meant by having the starter off the bike but still connected. I think you need to work through the test sequence advised for the starter circuit first (I am not fully convinced that the way you have approached this has proved the starter is faulty) Once you have fully tested the starter circuit we can look at what consequential damage you may have caused. Electrical diagnosis is a logical process, if you don't approach it in this way you will disappear down a rabbit hole

Hooked the old starter back up - when impressed the button nothing happened

wrote:

Hooked the old starter back up - when impressed the button nothing happens

 

Unless you follow the testing advice we have given you there isn't much I can do. All of the below could give you these symptoms

• Battery discharged or faulty
• Fuse box fault
• Ignition switch fault
• Kill switch fault
• Starter Button fault 
• Clutch Switch Fault
• Side stand switch (if fitted)
• Starter solenoid fault
• Engine ground fault
• Starter motor faulty
• Any of the wiring between all of the above

This is not a complex system but you need to complete the test sequence to establish where the fault is. Unfortunately there is rarely "quick fixes" only "lucky guesses" and they are rare. If you randomly keep "trying things" you will either drive yourself mad, spend a fortune or set the bike on fire 

Ok - I will do my best - but what about the blinkers? Any ideas? Got a new flasher and they still don’t work. Emergency flashers work - 

wrote:

Ok - I will do my best - but what about the blinkers? Any ideas? Got a new flasher and they still don’t work. Emergency flashers work - 

 

Let's focus on the starter issue first, once we know what the issue there is we can look at any consequential damage from the short circuit