01 Kat600 wont start (relay?

[buyerwarehouse]

I may be trying to resurrect a very old thread, but I cant find an answer about my 2001 Kat not starting:

-When I hit the start button,nothing happens... the starter relay does NOTclick... ALL SILENT- NO NOISES - and of course, the bike doesn't crank
-If I bridge the starter relay w/ a screwdriver, the bike will crank
-Battery is new and double checked for charge
-Checked all fuses
-Cleaned the starter button

So I can't get the bike to crank without bridging the relay w/ the screwdriver...what should I check next?

Thanks guys!

[Kreylyn]

Clutch in (saftey switch there working) and not in gear/kickstand up (saftey switch there working)?....


Krey

[buyerwarehouse]

Bike in neutral (lights are on), kickstand up or down - wont start... pressed clutch and released and no start... kill switch works if I use screwdriver to bridge/start bike at starter relay...

and no clicks... silent!

[Kreylyn]

Bike in neutral (lights are on), kickstand up or down - wont start... pressed clutch and released and no start... kill switch works if I use screwdriver to bridge/start bike at starter relay...

and no clicks... silent!

by pass the clutch and sidestand saftey switches to make sure they are not the problem. Do it one at a time so you know which one it is if it starts working.

Krey

[buyerwarehouse]

oh boy...I''m going to sound dumb here... ---

How do I bypass the clutch or kickstand? what do you mean by that?

[buyerwarehouse]

i have been reading in all forums online about possible problems... I found a wire under clutch lever unplugged... I plugged it back in and still no start!
It may be this " clutch safety switch"
So where is this switch exactly? Pictures anyone? and what about this wires under the tank?

[Wild-Bill]

Follow the wires from under the clutch lever pivot to the connectors under the gas tank. Unplug the connectors and connect the two from the main harness to each other. That bypasses the evil clutch safety switch. Suzuki's used that same stupid switch since at least 1979 (the earliest model Suzuki I've owned) and it's still a P.O.S.

[buyerwarehouse]

my kat is a 2001... what colors are these wires? I got tank removed

[buyerwarehouse]

Are these wires attached to the actual fuel tank underneath the tank? Or the wires are above the engine bay (removing the tank to expose the wires) Anyone has any pics? what color are these wires?

above the engine bay I see a main harness with a large green plug connector and 4 wires going to two Denso units

Im confused ! LOL!

[Wild-Bill]

They do not connect to the tank. Those are for the fuel level sender. The wires you're looking for should be yellow/green. The absolute best way the find them is to pull the tank and then follow the wires down from the clutch lever. Keep tugging a little as you work your way down to the area under the tank and you'll see them moving.

[buyerwarehouse]

The wires from clutch lever goes under the dash and they r covered w an outer black wire covers... so hard to trace wires... do u recommend that I remove that black cover and then trace wires?

[Wild-Bill]

They should be in their own bundle of just the two of them. (Maybe that's changed for the 98+ Kats?) I'd just follow that bundle, looking for the wires to come out under the front end of the tank. Two Y/G wires going to a pair of bullet connectors.

[buyerwarehouse]

on the 2001 may be different... no bullet connectors under the thank... anyone can confirm this?

[downrangefuture]

You can use a paperclip in the socket to bypass both switches. I don't have the scats in front of me at work to say for sure, but the only connector I remeber right under the tank was for the fuel lever sender.

The relay is easy enough to check, and the sidestand safety switch is right by the sidestand. The connector is under the airbox. I just say that because that one is stupid simple to follow if you can't follow the other one.

To test the relay, remove it from the circuit. Hook a multimeter set to ohms across where the battery hooked up. It should read NC or OL, or above 1Mohm. Then with the meter still hooked up, put a 9V across the other two terminals. It should click and the meter should go down to 1ohm or so. Don't leave the battery connected longer than it takes to read the meter.

If both of those work, then by process of elimination you've pretty much ruled it down to a wiring fault (not very likely at all) or the clutch switch. You can use the schematics to test the wires. Just put the multimeter on both sides of the wire. You should get somewhere on the order of 1 ohm every couple of feet of wire. Say every 3-4 feet. It all depends on the size and type of wire. But, for instance, if you're getting 100ohms for a 3 foot wire, you have problems.