Welcome to KZr gooter.
If the connections to the battery or solenoid aren't completely secure, or are corroded and/or grounding out, the battery can still provide enough current to power the lights but not enough to fully energize the magnet located within the starter solenoid when the starter button is pressed.
So I'd first suggest on checking ALL of the connections to the new battery and the solenoid to make sure they're secure, not corroded, and aren't grounding out against anything metal like the frame or bottom of the seat pan.
Now if everything checks out there, you'll want to move on to testing the battery itself for proper voltage and amperage. It's not very common, but also not unheard of for a NEW battery to be defective.
Now if everything above is found to be OK, then you can try "jumping" the posts on the starter solenoid with a plastic handled screwdriver.
The two posts on the solenoid you'll be wanting to "jump", will be the one that has the thick red (positive lead) wire hooked to the positive side of the battery, and the thick black (ground lead) wire hooked to the engine case/engine mounting bolt.
With the ignition key on and the handlebar switch set to RUN, place the tip of the screwdriver end on one post (it doesn't matter which one) of the starter solenoid, then lower the screwdriver so that it touches the other post on the solenoid, effectively bypassing it and providing a continuous flow of power to the starter. You may see some sparks when it first touches, but as long as it stays touching the two posts continuously it shouldn't spark anymore than that.
If it spins the starter, then that solenoid is suspect as being worn/faulty.
If it does spin the starter and starts the bike, be sure to remove the screwdriver from the posts right away so that it doesn't overheat the solenoid or the battery.
Post edited by: RetroRiceRocketRider, at: 2006/04/23 11:30