Hey all, I am befuddled by this latest development. I got the fuel tank patched, and for the past couple weeks all was well. Today I went out and rode around here in Greenville, SC and had no problems with multiple short hops. When I got back to the campground my RV is parked at, I pulled up to the office to check in and shut it down. I came back out and hopped on and turned the key ... and got nothing. The alt light illuminated faintly and that's it. I flipped the kill-switch back and forth and it makes a little whine sound when it is in the "off" positions, but nothing else. The battery has plenty of juice, and there are no loose connections that I can find anywhere. Anybody have any thoughts on a troubleshooting course of action?

Many thanks in advance,

Paddy

Starter relay, my guess. Heat can send a weak one into a hissy fit. 
Make absolutely certain that your grounds are perfect, too.

Check the earth connection from the battery at the gearbox end. Corrosion here can cause this problem.

Ground connection is good, with no corrosion. Battery connections are good also and battery condition is good, though not GREAT after all the start attempts, but it is still showing 12+ volts on the multi tester. I would like to pull the relay and check it out, is there any trick to removing the "magic box" under the seat? I don't have a repair manual with me, and would prefer not to eft it up by making ham-fisted attempts at its removal.

Thanks again!

Turn the ignition on engage first gear and rock the bike backwards and forwards against the gears, clutch in then hit the start button.
If it starts, then your starter motor brushes either need renewal or cleaning.

Thanks for the input everyone. The relay was a red herring. I pulled it and opened it up and it looks perfectly fine. Both contact open fully, and spring closed and open again without a hitch. I didn't even need to clean it, it literally looks new. Maybe it is (?!?!)

Anyway, I was turning the key off and on and working the kill switch with some wd40 and suddenly it lit up. As soon as I hit the start button, the same thing happened and it hasn't come back around since. Is it possible that the ignition switch and/or the kill switch are cooked/corroded/dirty? Could that be causing the issue?

PS: I tried the rock & roll in first thing—even though I figured it was moot. But, best to try it all I suppose.

Well, I've thrown in the towel for the day. I ended up bypassing the ignition switch and it didn't change the result, so I have ruled that switch out as a possible issue. Maybe it is the ignition relay itself? I am about at the end of my comfort level, and without shop space and possessing only rudimentary tools ... I am thinking it might need to go to the Doctor. Ugh.

If this and that powered by the LSR (headlight, horn, flashers) functions,
it's likely that the problem is in the kill switch or this circuit.

Hey Inge, thanks for the input. The headlights do come on when switched, although I haven't tried the turn signals/horn/etc. I'll do that tomorrow morning. Is it possible to bypass the kill switch to test it?

At the RHS switch connector under the tank you find a green wire which is the
kill switch input, and a green/yellow wire which is output.

You could try and bridge these two with the connector still connected and see
if it makes any difference at the warning lights in the instruments.

Here is a link, with a how to dismantle RHS switch assy for cleaning.

I will try the disassembly and cleaning tomorrow ... fingers crossed!

YESSSSSSS!!! I got to work on the kill-switch at lunch and ... lo and behold ... lots of corrosion and gunk! I tested it by jumping the terminals in the switch and it came to life! A good hour of cleaning and degreasing, then some fresh dialectic ointment, reassembled and ... VIOLA!

So now the sun is shining, there is a bike night gathering at a local joint, and I am gonna take the old girl out for a night on the town!

Thanks to everyone who piped in, this forum has proven itself to be worth every penny of admission ... and then some!


Cheers, y'all!

SWEET! 
Doncha love cracking a puzzler?

TOTALLY! The most satisfying thing in the world is exorcizing gremlins! And there is nothing better for putting one in touch with a new mount than diving into issues like this. As the old song says:
"Getting to know you, getting to know all about you ..."