'81 SOHC XS won't start

[Travis Lowe]

bike has had some trouble starting lately, (never a problem warm)
was usually able to kick it if electric start didn't work
sometimes all i would get is a click from the solenoid or starter rely
I would open up bike electronics container (it's a bobber)
and usually if I pulled out most of the wiring
i would get the electric start to come back (thinking short somewhere)
but took the bike for nice ride friday night put in the garage
shut it off, turned it back on right away with electric start and it roared to life
came out saturday night for ride, won't start, no electric (solenoid clicks) no kick and no bump start
worked on it all day today and nothing

battery is newish and charged / removed solenoid and tested it for resistance and powered it up it clicks
so I presume it works / bike seems to be getting gas I can smell after repeated kicks / after kickstart i can hear the engine turning / cleaned electric starter button on bars no rust or visible problems there it's grounding to bare handlebars / i know it needs fuel spark and compression / finally removed the air filters and fired in some quick start and it kick started right away and continued to run fine for a several minutes past the quick start so its getting gas but why would it not kick all day ? the over arching DIRTY CARBS?
when it starts and goes it runs like jack the fucking bear so I don't think the carbs are dirty.... but I'm reaching the end of my knowledge for diagnostics.... thanks for help or opinions / electric start still just clicks

 

[TazioliBuilt]

How easy does it turn over? There aren’t many wires for the starting and running systems, go through them and check your grounds and clean them.

 

[SoulMan]

If you take the power lead for ths starter off and hit it woth a jumper cable connected to the positive terminal of the battery it should turn over .Even better would be use the jumper cables to connect the bike to a car .Ie junp start it on a higher amp battery .If it does work then it just might be that the battery you have in it just isnt powerful enough for the starter.

You could always pull the starter motor out and give it a try on uts own by putting the starter on a hard surface and then commectuve the positive cable to the in power lead of the starter and then touching the negative cable to the metal case of the starter. It shouls certainly turn over then if the batter you are uain1g has enough power for the starter motor .

 

[Travis Lowe]

How easy does it turn over? There aren’t many wires for the starting and running systems, go through them and check your grounds and clean them.

thanks I've tested a lot of wires not all though, it doesn't turn over at all with electric start the solenoid just clicks
it will kickstart now start as long as you spray some quickstart into a carb before kicking it over
but the electric start button is click click click and nothing at all

 

[Travis Lowe]

If you take the power lead for ths starter off and hit it woth a jumper cable connected to the positive terminal of the battery it should turn over .Even better would be use the jumper cables to connect the bike to a car .Ie junp start it on a higher amp battery .If it does work then it just might be that the battery you have in it just isnt powerful enough for the starter.

You could always pull the starter motor out and give it a try on uts own by putting the starter on a hard surface and then commectuve the positive cable to the in power lead of the starter and then touching the negative cable to the metal case of the starter. It shouls certainly turn over then if the batter you are uain1g has enough power for the starter motor .

thanks for the reply
yeah that is my next step I think, remove the carbs and test the starter motor by pulling it out,
I don't think the battery is the problem I test it when ever I am trying to diagnose the bike
the battery is less than 3 months old
I make sure that the charges always over 12 and closer to 13
but who the F knows there are a lots of ghosts in the machine with my bike lol