I went out for a spin last week on my '82 R65 LS and stopped to see a friend, when I went to leave no start from the starter button which was no surprise as that gremlin has been with me for awhile. The interesting part was that it wouldn't bump start for the first time ever. I feel no bump because no spark but as the starter button is not giving any joy I can't even check for spark. I was running fine and stopping for photos up until this point and then engine had been off for 10-15 minutes before trying to start it again. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
The basics you need to investigate are: Fuel, Fire and Compression. One of those 3 is missing or happening at the wrong time.
However, this might be a bugger because it seems you now have TWO issues that are feeding each other. Allow me to point out the very obvious. The time to fix the starter issue was last week. This week you need a reliable starter to test Fire and Compression, and don't have it. The entire basis of motorcycle repair is that one and only one problem exists at a time. So whereas a single issue might take a moderate single unit of repair time, a dual issue might take 5 or 6 units of repair time. What I'm saying is that if you can't fix this yourself, your repair bill could easily equal the value of the motorcycle. Very probably, your plan of "deferred maintenance" has relegated this bike to the scrap heap.
On top of all that, you've explained your problem very well, but given zero history. Is all the fuel in the tank less that 2 weeks old ? How old is the battery ? Is this bike just out of winter storage, or have you been riding for weeks already this season ? When was the last time this bike had a wash ?
Known R65 issues...
• Cracked ignition coil outer plastic casing, which eventually kills the coil
• Disintegrating white connector on the Bean Can lead
Good luck.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
I'm not sending it to the scrap heap for sure, and I have put plenty of $$ into bikes people would have gotten rid of but I don't mind paying my mechanic to keep them rolling.
I was working on finding the starter gremlin but hadn't succeeded yet, Matt Parkhouse thought maybe the neutral switch but as of yet I hadn't dug into that. I had also heard a cracked starter had given similar problems from another person as well.
I could easily see that the ignition coil could be cracked. Another thing to check was all of the wiring to the starter etc and I looked to see that all of that was in good condition.
At first I thought it was the starter relay which I replaced on my way to Tenessee last summer but no luck there.
If the coil suddenly decided to quit it wouldn't bump start would it? I think this is the first thing I will check and then I will check the bean can and see what I find.
Thank you for the insight.
My 1981 R65 had a similar issue a couple of months ago. The bike was running, I shut it off for 15 minutes.... and then tried to start it... and it would crank, then backfire but no start. During troubleshooting the spark was weak and intermittent. I could get the bike to barely idle... but when I tried to accelerate the engine the engine it would die.
I did the standard things.... checked the valve clearances (they were good) put in new spark plugs, I was getting spark... but it just did not "look right".
Finally I changed out the bean can with one from my 1984 R100RT. The R65 now ran great. So the bean can was faulty. I took that bad bean can.... and I replaced the hall effect sensor..... THAT did not fix the bean can. I changed the connector and cable on the bean can... THAT did not fix it. I changed the bean can connector on the bike side wiring harness. THAT did not fix the issue. I think I also put in new advance weight springs. Did not fix it. I finally decided that the bean can mechanical itself was the issue. I still don't know what was wrong with that bean can. My final solution was to put the bean can from my R100RT onto the bike and use that. It is running fine now. ALSO in the past I did replace my original single two output coil (it was cracked) with two single coils, and I have replaced my ignition control unit with a new one also (the original one went flaky years ago).
As for my bean can donor bike, the R100RT... I bought one of the EME Sachse electronic ignition units and installed that. I am very happy with it.
If you do have a bad bean can... they will sell you a new hall effect sensor and cable guts to it, and you can rebuilt your own bean can.... OR you can just send in your core and they will sell you a complete rebuilt replacement.
If I were to do it again...considering all the time and effort I spent trying to do it myself... I would probably just get a overhauled bean can for the R65... BUT the new Sache unit is nice and works well.. but you have to be able to do the wiring and installation work on it.. The bean can swap is just that... a change out and then a set the static timing.
If my R100RT Bean can now in my R65 ever dies.... I myself would probably go with the SACHE unit... just because it has not mechanicals to wear out. But again.. you have to be willing to install the kit. Check out the EME web site for details.... and the staff at EME is very friendly and helpful.
Now having said all of this... my suggestion is to get your STARTER issue worked out... and then you can look into your ignition issue... (if it is an ignition issue)
My issue really ran me around... I had a very old battery.... so I thought maybe my cranking the starter was taking the voltage down that it was killing the ignition.... but then I was able to START the bike and run roughly at IDLE... but it would not let me rev it up without dying. So.... again.. in the end it was a bad bean can.... not a bad sensor or ignition module... something wore out mechanically in it. One minute it was running... one minute no start. I am hoping that this is how I die in the future. None of this idleing around in a nursing home... Running one minue.. gone the next.
I was working on finding the starter gremlin but hadn't succeeded yet, Matt Parkhouse thought maybe the neutral switch but as of yet I hadn't dug into that.
That's easily tested by simply pulling in the clutch lever ! The clutch switch over-rides the neutral switch.
I had also heard a cracked starter had given similar problems from another person as well.
If you're waiting to compile a full listing of all the LS issues that ever occurred, then your helmet is going to be in the closet for a very long time. "It could be" and "my bike did this this" are the most time consuming and resource wasting ways to solve a problem.
AND, because they involve so little diagnosis, they typically only stumble upon a Symptom, rather than discover the Root Cause. So of course, the issue returns in short order.
All the best.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
The clutch lever worked to start the bike and we did check the wiring on the neutral switch.
Without going to my mechanic I have to work through the few things I know of now to see what I find.
And my helmet does not have to stay in the closet as I have 5 bikes but only 1 running at the moment but that R1100S is sure nice!
Ok, I win the idiot award for not checking the really simple things first. Turns out I'd bumped the kill switch. Of course I didn't notice because it's hidden by my GPS mount.
Thanks for all of your help and suggestions, I still have to do some research on the starter gremlin.
No I have 2 bikes running fine so that's good as I'm not working right now.
Well...at least we were on the right track...It was an ignition problem!
Yeah the absolutely most basic one!
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