Motorcycle Repair: 1982 honda gl1100 goldwing wont start, honda gl1100, honda cbx

Question
My 1982 honda gl1100 goldwing won't start. Battery and starter are new. I think the solenoid is bad. When I jump the solenoid the starter will not spin with compression to the motor. If I remove the spark plugs and remove the compression and then jump the solenoid, the starter will turn. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer
As my profile clearly states, I only know the ins and outs of Honda CBX's.  But I would imagine there can only be one of three issues that is the problem here.  If the button in the switchgear for the starter is good, you will get a 12V trigger signal on the solenoid to activate it.  If that is there, and the battery voltage stays around 12V when pressing the button, you should hear an audible click from the solenoid, and the starter should turn.  You mention battery and starter are new, I assume you mean new, and not used replacements.  If you short out the solenoid the starter should spin the engine with or without spark plugs.  Shorting the solenoid can be dangerous so be careful, and be sure that what you short the solenoid out with, can carry multiple amps such as a big screwdriver.  If it does not spin the motor with the plugs in but will without the plugs, I would suspect the starter is either bad, or the incorrct one for the bike.  You can check if the button and solenoid are working by checking for 12V at the starter when the button is pressed.  The voltage there should be 11-11.5V during cranking, if not the battery may be too weak. There are Goldwing experts on this forum that may have seen this problem before.