What would you think?

[williamruck]

     OK, so here is the story: Recently I purchased a 1982 Yamaha Vision, a non-running vision to be more exact. It had been sitting for just over a year before I got a hold of it and from what the previous owner told me, it just sounded like it needed a "check-up".
     The other day I removed the air cleaner, the carburetor, the battery (which was dead), and the gas tank in an effort to get the ball rolling on this project. When I started looking over the carb I realized that I really didn't know what I was doing. I got in touch with a local RoV member and he said that he would be willing to clean it out and test it for me, much to my delight. I then took the battery to the local bike shop to have it inspected and charged (I unfortunately do not havea battery charger). After that I emptied the gas tank only to find that the gas that came out was brown and speckled with debris. I have added "fuel tank restoration" to my "to do" list.
     This is where I am today, I just picked up the battery from the shop and had a nice long talk with the mechanic about the Vision. When asked what the battery was going into I said "A Yamaha Vision" and he responded with a raised eyebrow and "Hmmm, you don't see many of those anymore." He rattled off some statistics about the vision and how it was different from other bikes and a bit "ahead of its time". When I got back to the bike I put the battery in and put the key into the ignition. Up until now I had just taken it on the word of the previous owner that all of the electronics worked. When I turned the key the oil and the neutral lights came on, and then on further inspection all of the turn signals and lights did indeed work. Hurray!
     This is where we approach the crux of the issue. Now I know that without a gas tank or more importantly a carburetor I have little chance of getting the bike started, but nonetheless I wanted t see what would happen when I pushed the button with "start" emblazoned on it. Well, I pushed the button and then nothing . . . I sat there in confusion for a moment and then quickly checked the fuses under the seat. Even though they are still (I assume) the original fuses they all still looked intact, and surprisingly clean. I pushed the button again but still nothing.
     Now, I don't presume to know a lot about these bikes but I would think that even with the carb taken off there should be some sort of noise or something when the start button is pushed. I may be wrong, but I was just wondering what everyone here thought. Is there just some vacuum connection or something that needs to be connected for the V to turn over? Or am I looking t a larger issue here. Let me know what you think, I am eager to figure this out. Thanks for your time.  ;D

[YellowJacket!]

Did it make any noises when you pushed the start button?  Clicking.....

David

[Walt_M.]

Is the run-stop switch, a rocker switch on the right handlebar on(set to run)?

[kwells]

lol..doh!   I've actually had that be my problem before.

[YellowJacket!]

heh heh... me too.

David

[inanecathode]

Make sure you have the clutch pulled in as well.
(not sure whats up with the sidestand, if it makes allows the starter to engage if its up or down, not sure which)

[williamruck]

OK, I really didn't know about the killswitch, and I also was not aware of a kickstand switch. So with all that in mind I will go back to the bike with a new strategy.  ;D . Thanks for the info, I will be out of town for a bit but I will keep you guys posted on what developes. Thanks again.

[Rick G]

Hi Will,  Put the bike on the centre stand, with the  side stand in the up position make sure the emergency  run/stop switch ,(on the right switch pod ) next to the throttle is on. Pull the clutch in if you want, but with the side stand up you should not have to. 
I nothing happens  , try jumping the solenoid. Its located  to the right side of the  battery, towards the rear of the bike. There are two large wires going to it , with rubber covered ends . You can "jump "them with a pair of pliers , just touch  both ends of the pliers  to the two terminals (after pulling the rubber covers back  for access) A jumper cable used for a car  is better.It may spark but don't worry about that. If the starter tries to turn the engine over , its the assoceated wiring and /or connections. If nothing happens its the solenoid or starter . Safe bet its the starter. Lets us know what you find.

[williamruck]

Thanks for all the info, I will report my findings when I can.

[Tanno]

If the sidestand is down and bike is in gear.....the starter will not engage. If the bike is in neutral - the sidestand is ignored - meaning the starter will engage.

Centerstand doesn't matter....there's no safety switch on that one.

The idea behind it is that you don't start the bike in gear on the sidestand.....the bike would lunge forward and fall over. So, if the sidestand is down, you have to be in neutral for it to start.... or pull the sidestand up and pull clutch in then it will start.

[Tiffanator]

In my experience it could be a combination of things. I had the same deal you did... All the lights would come on and the bike looked ready to go.. push the button.. nothing. For me it turned out to be a combination of bad starter solenoid, bad starting circuit cut-off relay and dirty contacts on the start button. Once I cleaned all of that up, she works. You just have to attack one problem at a time.
Since you said your neutral light is on... that means its not the sidestand or neutral switch unless they have malfunctioned. Easiest way is like others have said, put the bike on its centerstand and put the sidestand up. If you aren't hearing any clicking it could be your starting circuit cut-off relay, but I'd wait until you've exhausted all other possibilities to go after that one, and there's a check in the shop manual for it.
If you are hearing a clicking it means your starter solenoid is bad, you can bypass it like Rick said by touching pliers or a screwdriver across the two studs on the top.  I used a really big socket driver.  If the starter spins you know its fine, if not, it could be full of oil cause the nose seal failed.
If I've learned anything in the battle I've had with mine... its to handle one thing at a time. You can go around and around chasing problems. Rule out one thing completely, then move onto the next one. If your bike has only been sitting a year you may be lucky. Some guys on here have bikes that sat for 10 or more years.
Good luck.
Tiff.

[Rick G]

Tiff, your right about bikes that have sat a long time. My first parts bike  had leaned against a wooden fence rail for  more years than I know ( I knick named it "the rat bike'" ) The tank had rusted through  for about a foot, along the side where it touched the rail , it was full of rusty water.  When I removed the tank , the  air box was missing  and some rodent had made a nest on top of the K&Ns  and peed and pooped all over everything under thing there , what a stink!!! :-[ :-[ Thats why it was named the rat bike. :D

[jasonm.]

Before you even try to start the bike. Put a good FUEL FILTER in line.

[williamruck]

OK you guys, I am sorry it has taken me s long to post anything back but it has been a crazy week.  :o . But Everything seems to have calmed down a bit and I have had a chance to poke around with the V   :D . Anyways, I check all of the fuses and they are good, and then I sat on the bike, pulled up the kickstand and pushed the start button. I made sure that the kill-switch was set to on and I still didn't get anything. Now, I am inclined to think that it may be the sidestand switch and not a bad starter switch/button because when I pushed the button the light illuminating the meter box dimmed a bit with each push. That leads me to think that the actual start button is sending a signal but it is not getting anywhere. I would like to bypass the kickstand switch and will take any advice on that (I will also do a search in the forum). After that I was wondering if anyone had any advice on testing the starter. How do I know if it is the starter or not? Let me know what you think.

Oh, and I have a clear fuel filter that I will be putting inline once I finish restoring the gas tank.  ;D

[Night Vision]

you can test the starter by running a hot lead (red) from a 12v battery to the post on the starter body...
and running the ground lead (black) to the engine case.. hook up the red and just touch the black to the engine case....

using a spare car battery and jumper cables saves you from taking the battery out of the Vision. If the car battery is still in the car, make sure it's not running or you might toast some stuff.

make sure you are in neutal before you do this!

[williamruck]

I will definitely check that, also, when I was crawling around looking under the bike I noticed that I didnt have a center-stand. Is there a switch attached to that that may affect something? Also, where exactly is this kickstand relay?

[inanecathode]

The center stand doesn't have a switch on it, only the kickstand. The kickstand relay is just a safety feature, a starter interrupt. It's the blue and yellow wire going into the TCI box. You can just cut the wire at the tci or you can try .to clean out the switch and relay. Most people just. cut it. But i like having. the safety feature. Keeps me from accidentally dumping the bike...

[Lucky]

not sure where inna got that info...

trace the wires back to the side stand relay, unplug it & jump the terminals.  if she starts you've found the problem. jump the wires fron the relay as well. just bypass it completely these relays can gunk up with crud (sometimes you can open them & clean them.)

--Lucky

[inanecathode]

Alot of people just cut the wire. Its alot easier than cleaning out relays :P
Center stand doesnt have a switch, relay, or starter interrupt.

[Walt_M.]

The fact that your bike's centerstand in gone means it has been in the hands of some uninformed individual or has been otherwise mishandled, not uncommon. I think the first thing to check would be the starter. Drain the oil and pull it and you will probably find it with engine oil in it. If the brushes are ok, a clean-up and seal replacement are required then try it again. Next you will be cleaning the carburetors and replacing the stator. Welcome to Vision ownership. FWIW, if you really want to keep this bike, use an OEM stator, new. Used and cheap replacement stators do not seem to hold up.