[JerryH]

A battery can show 12 volts, and still be dead. When a battery shows 12 volts and is no good, the voltage will drop substantially when a load is placed on it. What you're calling a solenoid I call a relay, if it is the part on the right side of the battery that the positive battery cable connects to. It is a high capacity electrically operated switch, which is used between the starter button and the starter, because the starter button and wiring are way to small to carry enough current to operate the starter. There are two large cables connected to the relay. One is the positive battery cable, the other is the power cable directly to the starter. Take a screwdriver, and connect these 2 terminals. That bypasses everything, and sends power directly from the battery to the starter. If the battery, starter, cables, and all the connections are good, the starter will turn over. Before doing this, make sure the bike is on the centerstand, or is in neutral. See what happens and go from there.


If your battery has been sitting for a long time without being charged, it is likely bad. That will kill even a brand new battery. A lot of people who have to store their bikes during the winter wind up buying a new battery every year, because they didn't keep it charged during the winter.

 

[JerryH]

So the starter cranks if you connect power directly to it, but doesn't if you jumper the terminals of the relay? That would seem to be impossible, unless you have a bad connection at one end of the positive battery cable, either at the battery or relay.

Unfortunately the starter circuit is a bit complex, and can require a bit of tracing. There has to be power going TO the starter button, the button has to be good, power must come out when it is pressed, and there should be power at the positive side of the relay coil when the button is pressed. That is what triggers the relay and sends power to the starter. Unless it has been disconnected and jumpered, there is also a clutch safety switch which prevents the engine from starting if the bike is in gear and the clutch is out. You need to find out if you are getting voltage to the electromagnetic coil on the relay when the ignition switch in on, and you push the button. If you are, the relay is bad. If you aren't you will need to backtrack back to the pushbutton. This is all just for the starter. Voltage for the ignition system which fires the plugs is routed through the main ignition switch. The ignition switch is complicated, and does several things at once. I would track down the starter issue first.

As for what may look like strange wiring/connectors/fuses, it may be something done by a previous owner, who may have installed any number of accessories on the bike, even if they are no longer there, or it may be normal. Goldwings were made with many different options, and rather than make a separate wire harness for each one, sometimes they modified a harness or left unused connectors. I have found the wiring schematics in my Clymer manual to be incorrect on a couple of occasions. I spent nearly a week looking for why I had no spark, and finally found a broken connection INSIDE the factory wiring harness that the schematic did not even show.


Rather than looking at things that don't seem right, systematically track things down, from one end to the other until you find the problem. You will need a decent multimeter, and maybe some pieces of wire to use as jumpers.

I just reread your original post. So the bike has started before with the starter button. Replacing the relay has nothing to do with whether the headlight comes on or not, it is strictly part of the starter circuit. Did whoever told you to replace it give you a reason?

First make sure you have all the wires connected to the relay. There should be a larger red and red/white wires, and smaller yellow/red and green/red wires connected to the plug on top of the relay, then there should be the main battery cable connected down lower to the big terminal. There should be a dogbone fuse which is part of the relay assembly. Then there should also be ANOTHER dogbone fuse (both 30A) in a SEPARATE red wire coming from the positive battery terminal. The main big red cable is for the starter only, the smaller red wire powers everything else. Make sure BOTH fuses are good.

 

[JerryH]

How many cables are attached to the positive battery post? Mine has two, one big one directly to the solenoid/relay, and a smaller red one which goes into the wiring harness. The solenoid/relay has a 30 amp dogbone fuse in it, and the other wire also has one, in a small black rectangular holder, a few inches from the battery. I believe that wire is what powers the lights. It would be easy to blow the fuse just by working on it. Fuses DO wear out, just like light bulbs. Over several decades they get weaker and weaker. A vibration or a second of slightly high resistance would do it.

It just occurred to me that mine may have some differences being an LTD with fuel injection. I'll look at the manual and see what it shows for yours.

 

[JerryH]

Greg, Here's a pic of the starter selinoid on my bike. The 2 wires in the back of the connector are the hot and ground wires that energise the selinoid. The 2 in the front that are cut are the red, red/white wires that come from the regulator. You should be able to use a test light to see if you're getting voltage to the selinoid. If you do have voltage and it won't start, check the ground..

Another thing you can do is put a multimeter across the battery. With the key off you should read 12.3vdc or so. When you turn the key on the voltage should drop to about 10.9vdc because it's just energised the ignition circuit. This should tell you if you've got a problem with the ignition switch....

BTW, You have a PM....

Why are the wires from the regulator cut? Do you a different setup from stock?

 

[JerryH]

I rewired the stator and regulator, but so far I have only replaced one of the dogbone fuses by the relay (the one in the second red wire, in a separate holder) with a blade type holder and fuse. The dog bone is still in the relay. I have several more. It has yet to fail, and the relay has never failed to work.