Motorcycle Repair: 1985 VT1100 Shadow - 35,000 miles, shadow 35, pick ups

Question
A couple of times in the past this bike would not start after getting wet- I heated my work shop to dry out what component was malfunctioning and the bike started. A while back on a hot day I used the kill switch to shut off the bike in a traffic back up on the highway and it would not restart and has not restarted since- there seems to be no spark- I suppose it could be - CDI, stator ,pick-ups etc. - any suggestions on where and how to begin trouble shooting without spending a fortune on new electrical components. Otherwise its been a lot of fun for the money.

Answer
Hi Darryl!! Ya know... the Honda Shadows are one of the best and most reliable bikes made, but they do have a few inherent flaws... one of which is the run switch. The VT750 and 1100 are known to have weak switches. Try either cleaning the run switch with a good contact cleaner, or bypass it and see if that gets things started. Sounds to me like the factory installed lube on the switch has solidified is interfering with current flow. Let us know if that is the trouble. Good Luck Darryl!!

Jack