Motorcycle Repair: electrical, ignition, starter solenoid, suzuki gs750e

Question
I have a 1979 suzuki gs750e that hasnt been running for a while and i cant figure out why there isnt spark mabe because of a saftey switch i dont know about or if there is something that has to be done so the starter will even work. I have power to all of my lights and blinkers and power going in and out of everywher it should. I'me wondering if a safety feature isnt allowing the eletric start to work because on A kawisaki i have there is a safety to the clutch.When i use the kickstarter there is no spark so that makes me wonder if there is some switch that i need to know about. thanks fore your imput, please e-mail your thoughts to me at mjkctonn@aol.com

Answer
Hi Keegan,

Safety switches are usually found on one or more of the following locations: clutch lever, side stand, and neutral detent.

Suzukis require the clutch lever be pulled to start the engine with electric starter. However, doing so while kick-starting will disengage the kick starter.

I suspect the battery is either weak or defective. It's not unusual to hear the starter solenoid make a click sound when the battery is not fully charged.

Kick starting with a weak or defective battery will not generate spark.

Measure battery voltage with a multi-meter (VOM). Measure specific gravity of individual battery cells with a hydrometer designed for motorcycles to determine battery condition or start of charge.

Try trickle charging the battery overnight and then attempt restarting.

I'll send a few tech information files to your email.

Respectfully,
Mark Shively