So today i was running the bike to warm it up & change the oil. As it was idling I noticed the tach needle & fuel gauge needles bouncing & the engine began to run a little ragged, lights got dim and blinkers didnt work. Id noticed this before when turning the forks but it happened so quickly that i didnt think much of it. I shut the bike off & look around, checked ign switch area in case i bumped it somehow. Took the left side cover off, all looked normal. Key turns, neutral light & oil pressure light illuminate on gauges, but no crank, all controls on bar are dead.
So i figure i muffed something up between the bar replacement or the sissybar removal. I check the rear fender, nothing there but turns, wiring looks good. So,I move up to the bars. Took switches loose thinking i pinched something. Nope, both sides look good. Removed both switch assemblies & bike still wont start....WTF. So i start tracing wiring, under the tank, all around the triple trees, remove headlight & inspect that mess in there, nuthin......disconnect air shut off valve, nuthin. what the hell, so i grab a test light & start looking around for i dont even know what & in the midst of me fumbling around up front my test light rubs on the handlebar & it lights....?....LOL. So i check the forks, yep i got power, tank, yep. Frame, yep, all powered up. Holy smoke. Now im looking for something layin power on the chassis. So i reinstall the switch groups & clutch/brake levers. When i attached the clutch handle i heard a crackle & the bike was no longer acting up & would start.....Back to the pinched wiring on the bar, nope, all looks good. Take the clutch lever back off & bike is broke again...what the hell circuit am i completing here! Man so i back up & think i gotta have a ground issue but i had no grounds off ever other than installing the battery. So with clutch lever off, bars are hot, forks are hot & frame is hot, engine is not. I stick my confused ass head under the bike & see that when someone replaced the front drive sprocket (i know they did because they wrote it in the service manual i got with the bike when they did the job in 2000) they didnt connect the ground strap from frame to primary bolt.......i cleaned the eyelets, reconnected, and all was right with the world again.
So the reason the previous owner had no troubles is because his buckhorns were not painted so it grounded through them, the original SP bars are painted therefore the bad connection issue i was having after the swap. Poor bike has had electrons running the wrong way in it for 20 years , but its all good now!
