Hey! While at work today my RS decided to try and start itself while parked!! Lucky it did not stay engaged to kill the battery and a coworker called me to let me know. I disconnected the battery until it was time to go home. I reconnected the battery, started the bike and drove home. Then I removed the tank and starter cover took a screwdriver and taped the solinoid with the handle and the starter engaged! (key off) I'm pulling the starter tomorrow to see what happened.
Has anyone else had this happen?
I'm no expert and this is a wild guess based on my experience with my '79 R100....
• Is your starter relay the smaller "mini cube" type relay which uses a socket, or the oblong steel can type with discrete terminals on the bottom ? If it is the mini-cube type, then was the relay just replaced ? Those mini-cube relays all look alike on the exterior, so you have to study the schematic on the side of the relay to determine the correct one to buy. There must be 20 relays that all look very similar.
• Does your bike have the under-tank brake master cylinder ? My '79 master cylinder leaked brake fluid all over my electrical system, especially the starter relay. This filled the mini-cube relay with a lot of conductive corrosion, which could lead to a self-initiated starter motor.
I got a new relay off Amazon for $7 after studying the relay schematic very carefully. If you reply that your case is similar, I can fill you in on the details.
All the best.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Thank for the reply. What I found was the battery cable passes in front of the solenoid connectors solder joint. The front has a sharp point and the cable was turned with the fat side in instead of the flat side. After a lot of years and miles it poked through the insulation and touched making the starter engage. I'm very lucky it did not happen going down the freeway at 80mph!! I hope you can picture my explanation.
Jim.
You mean the teat of the solenoid terminal punctured the insulation of the high current cable coming from the battery to the starter motor ? Man that's just weird.
Maybe your high current cable has been replaced in the past and routed wrong upon installation ? The flat terminal is supposed to come off the big solenoid terminal pointing (approximately) at the RH exhaust pipe. Then it does a U-turn in front of the solenoid and exits up through the rubber grommet.
► I only know that because I looked at an R100 starter during a tech session this weekend. While making a note to myself... your starter cable is routed wrong off the solenoid ! 😛
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
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