86 Starting Problems.

[shwtrwiggy]

New member here. Greetings everyone!
Had the bike for 7 years now. Bought it with 5K on it it now has 9K on it.
Just replaced battery and starter solenoid. Solenoid is still clicking while trying to start and
headlight/instruments are very dim without starter being engaged.
Seems like battery power is being choked down for some reason.

Could not find anything in my book.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Many Thanks!

[Ratchet_72]

Did you buy a sealed battery or one with the seperate acid pack.  If you bought sealed you have no idea how long it was sitting on the shelf (thanks Kim). 
What do you consider "just" replaced battery and solenoid? Because it sounds like battery problems.
Do you have a multimeter to check voltage? If not you really need one if you're gonna trouble-shoot a 20+ year old cycle.
Multimeters are even more handy for checking continuity in the system.
Get back to us.

[shwtrwiggy]

Many thanks for the quick note.
The battery had the separate acid packs and was bought 4 months ago.
The solenoid was replaced this morning.
I will buy a meter and check it this weekend.

[Marsh White]

To back up Jason - it sounds exactly like a battery problem.  Also - did you charge up the battery after you added the acid to it?  And keep it charged during the 4 months since then?  When you add the acid - it typically only gets to about a 70 - 80% charge.  It is usually best to top it off with a charger immediately.

It could be just dead or low - or it could be a bad battery alltogether.

Solenoid sounds just fine - the clicking means it's working.