HELP

[PINSTRIPERART]

I am in hell. Maybe someone  can help me. My 2000 valk tourer is ill. when I turn on the ignition switch I get tail light, brake lights, turn signals horn, but no headlight and no response when pressing the starter switch. I was told it was a bad starter relay so i installed a new 85 dollar unit, but no change. If I jump the relay with a screw driver it starts right up but still with no headlight.
This all started when I installed road lights and wired them into the high beam wire for the headlight (I have disconnected them now). It worked for quite a while, then one day the starter button siezed up solid. I installed a brand new wiring harness including the right hand controles. starter button and kill switch. so that is all new as well. I have looked at everything I can think of for signs of melted wires and such. checked all the fuses and it all seems to be ok. I am not getting power to the starter ssolenoid switch actuator terminals 4 of them. If I jump the big terminals she will run fine but still no headlight. I am at my wits end. Any ideas... Thanks

[Ricky-D]

Well I'm thinking you're riding a Standard or Tourer, but it is not evident.

You could indicate what you ride in your PROFILE so everyone can see.

***

[Old Geezer Richard]

  Hey Ricky D , Pete is a personal friend of mine and he rides a Beautiful Blk 2000 Tourer .... what difference would it make .... I could see if it were an I/S  model  ...  Thanks the Geezer

[junior]

he melted his push button switch with the power draw from the extra lights

[sutterhome]

i'm thinking ign switch I know when the switch is dirty the lights dont go on as well as no start.Re check wiring.Can you push start it? pop the switch out and open it up you may want to practice on old one first and see whats cooked inside of the switch

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Samething happened to my bike and also my friends bike....Take the starter button housing off I'd bet you have a wire that came un-soldered....Honda just put a dab on the connections its almost like they wanted it to come loose.

[F6BANGER]

Like this Joe?

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Like this Joe?

Just like that    And the bike will not start as stated it happened to mine and my ridin' bud Wimp's....Also on Gig's bike at " The Whiskey Run "  in Kentucky a couple years ago....Thanks for the pic 

[PINSTRIPERART]

do you really think it is the ignition switch. when I turn it on the tail light turn sigs horn all work

[gordonv]

I thought you wrote that you replaced the whole housing, including switches?

I thought someone mentioned there is another fuse for the head lights?

I think what Ricky was getting at, was that it wasn't the IS model, thats why he referred to a std/Tourer. IS uses a relay.

[YoungPUP]

I'm thinking Joe and F6banger may be on track, or could the extra draw from the aux lighting have melted the contacts into the switch, thus keeping them from contacting?

[salty1]

When you get things going again, put the driving lights on a relayed circuit. 

[BF]

When you get things going again, put the driving lights on a relayed circuit. 
[/quote

Better yet, buy a PC-8 fuse block with relay and wire your driving lights (they'll still need their own relay) to that.  You'll be bullet proof after that. 

[salty1]

+1 

[CASABROKER]

no headlight still a problem w/starter switch most likely

[sutterhome]

do you really think it is the ignition switch. when I turn it on the tail light turn sigs horn all work

yes, the switch if I recall will turn the headlight off when starting or cause the light to turn off if you try to try and start  the bike while its running.That switch does alot, and can cause you alot of grief,get to know it, a little knowledge now, might get you home someday

pull the switch and take a look at it its quite easy 2 screws and then you can open the switch....
start here
http://www.rattlebars.com/mtz/starter.html

[John Schmidt]

Same mistake many others make, wiring driving lights into the headlight circuit. You never want to do that, even if it didn't pass through the start switch. You always want to have them on a separate circuit, that way if your headlight goes out you still have lights to get you home. On the Valk as you found out, it will adversely affect the start button. First, repair/replace it, next you need to create a separate circuit for the extra lights. Then, to take a load off the start button for the rest of the life of the bike, install the safeguard relay as shown in the attached link. Scroll down to the "Start Switch Safeguard" and follow the directions. Very easy to do, and drops the current across the start switch from multiple amps to a fraction of one amp. Just mount the relay in the headlight bucket.

http://www.rattlebars.com/mtz/starter.html

[gordonv]

I don't remember which forum I heard it, but someone suggested, to keep that high load out of the starter switch, to depress the starter button before turning the ignition on.

This way there is no arching of turning the lights off, and transferring the power to the starter relay, and then back off/on again. You only have the load going from the starter to the lights.

[Jess from VA]

I don't remember which forum I heard it, but someone suggested, to keep that high load out of the starter switch, to depress the starter button before turning the ignition on.

This way there is no arching of turning the lights off, and transferring the power to the starter relay, and then back off/on again. You only have the load going from the starter to the lights.

That is an interesting idea.  If the starter is pushed then the key turned, would the lights even come on (until after ignition)?

[Bone]

Jess I tried my 98 Tourer. Pushed the starter then turned the key no headlight. Turned off kill switch then pushed the starter then turned on the key no headlight and no starter but you could push the starter button and flash the headlight (no starter). 

Do not try this at home you might fry something

[Ricky-D]

You could use the starter button as a headlight flasher and it would do that without energizing the starter because the bike would be in gear,,,, that is, if you're riding down the road.

I wouldn't suggest that as a general course of action for the extra cycles it puts on the starter switch.

There's already enough going on with that switch and to encourage the switch to perform extra duty is going to end up being counterproductive.

***

[R J]

Well, take a peek at this connection under the right side cover.

Driving lights in the headlight circuit caused this, also no relay.



Replacement universal part, Honda Goldwing.
You have to move the big red wire to match the Valk connector.