Motorcycle Repair: Starting problems 1984 Honda, clutch lever, honda shadow

Question
Chris,
I'm a new rider so I apologize if this a vague question... I own a 1984 Honda Shadow VT700C with 15K mi. I recently had a minor accident in which the bike fell over and the clutch lever broke off. The bike sat for a couple weeks and I just replaced the lever, however now when I try to start it nothing happens, not even one turn... There is juice in the battery and I've never had problems with the starter before. The thing is, prior to replacing the lever I started it up several times just to check on it and it ran fine. And the whole time it's only been sitting in the same spot. Can a starter just give out like that?

Thanks for any help you can give me,
Nick
Santa Fe, NM

Answer
Hi Nick.
Start by checking all of the fuses.  Particularly the main fuse, which is seperate from the rest (usually under the right side cover).

After that, make sure that the bike is in neutral.  If everything else is ok, then check the sidestand cutoff relay.  It is probably bad, in which case, you either bypass it or replace it.

Good Luck.
FALCON