I only stated my EE after you posted your 35 years experience. To participate in a forum you need to understand that most people will nothave the same opinion. The purpose of the forum is for people to express their own opinions & ideas. Your opinion is not being critisized, alternate opinions and ideas are being expressed. As I said in my last post. ENOUGH SAID between us. Back to the thread topic.

 

Wow, Im really confused now. and oh by the way im the guys wife, john 3:16 is a bible verse

 

There's nothing to be confused by. If you're entirely new to DC, well, just think of it in terms of water flowing in pipes, only it's electricity. Water flows down hill; DC current flows 'down hill' in its own way, meaning that it flows to 'earth' or to 'ground'.

The larger the water pipe and pressure, the more water will flow through the pipe; the larger the wire and 'pressure' from a power source, the more electricity will flow through the wire. The smaller the pipe, the more 'resistance' the water will have trying to move through the pipe and the less water will move through it; the smaller the electric wire, the more resistance electricity will have moving through the wire and the less electricity will move through it.

If a water pipe is obstructed or partly obstructed, then it will impede the flow of water and thus have even more resistance. Likewise, if a wire is corroded to the point of fully being obstructed (being non conducive), or corroded to the point of being party obstructive to the flow of electricity, there will be more resistance to the electricity, which will result in less power. If there are valves and pipe branches to a pipe, water will also flow there; if there are junctions and wires connected together, electricity will branch off to those also.

To test a fault in a switch (also referred to as a 'short') in a 12 volt DC switch, what you want to do is test the power going into the switch to make sure there is electricity going into it (turn the key on first). Then once that is determined to be the case, then you want to check the wires coming out of the switch to see if they are 'hot' or not, meaning that electricity is also coming out of the switch going to the starter and ignition system. If there is hot wire going into the switch, and the switch is closed (turned to the on or start or run position), meaning that the connecter is supposed to be contacting the lead going out, and there is no electricity coming out of the switch, then you obviously have a bad switch.

This is where a 12 volt testing light comes in handy. If it lights going into the switch, then you know you have electricity going into the switch. If it doesn't light coming out when the switch is turned on, then this is indicating that the switch is not making contact, that it is faulty.

And this is how you use a 12 volt tester all over a car or motorcycle wiring system.

When you get familiar and experienced with it, you can also estimate current flow by how bright the bulb glows. The lesser the current, the dimmer the bulb; the greater the current, the brighter the bulb. It's a cheap way of also measuring amp flow as well, if you are able to recognize this.

That's about the best way I know how to teach you the basics of DC current and trouble shooting in a first lesson of sorts. Like I said, there's not much to DC current, and it is actually one of the easiest things you will work on with your bike, once you begin to get the basics.

A voltmeter (ammeter) will cost you more, but it can come in handy in finding voltage drops which indicate abnormal resistance, which indicates bad wires and connections, and in testing amperage in batteries and wiring. But the first tool I would get is the simple 12 volt test light, which you can get at any auto parts or tool store such as Pep Boys, Checker or Sears, etc.

You can also make one really easy as well, and often make one better than they sell in stores. Radio Shack will set you up with the right parts and tell you how to make the very simple device.

Once you learn DC you will use a 12 volt tester far more than any meter, if you wish to find most problems easier and faster. I even used to use them regularly as static timers on cars ignition systems, especially on VWs.

If you still can't figure it out, then you're the type of person that helps put food on

 

I started tracing through the circuit with a voltmeter. Found there was power coming out of the keyswitch but not reaching the coil. That left the run/stop switch or the wiring. I opened up the switch housing and found 12 volts going into the switch but not coming out.

Something else to check, make sure the battery cables are connected tight at both ends, especially the ground. There could be a loose connection that passes the 15 amps or so needed to run all the lights and such with no problem, but when the starter pulls its 80 amps or more, it doesn't work. Make sure there is a good connection between the engine and frame too. Rubber engine mounts don't conduct electricity very well, so there has to be a wire connecting engine and frame.