ANDS! wrote:Ok well it looks like my problems were more than a battery - but the battery was a problem. There was hardly any electrolytes in it (nearly bone dry), and we got no sparks when we crossed the terminals. Nothing. Slapped the new one in, and we got the starter to go - but as soon as my buddy (a neighbor actually who i have never met until today say me sitting on the bike, testing the "choke" to make sure that wasnt it - he then started throwing mechanical stuff at me, and I said - man just come down and help me, which we did over two hours) unhooked the positive terminal, the bike died. He said that was because the alternator never "engaged" and took over. . .
Hahaha, ignition systems are DC. This means that electricity is generated at the alternator (AC or alternating current) and travels through the rectifier - where it is turned to DC (Direct Current) through a series of diodes. It then heads into the ignition coils, and the power from the ignition coils needs to return to where it came from. This happens through the battery. If it cannot go anywhere (the circuit is broken) you're not going to have ignition anymore.
If you disconnect the battery of a running bike it will most likely die.
This implies the bike was running, and if it was you're sitting pretty. I may be wrong about your particular bike... but I'm positive it's impossible to have an AC ignition system, as they require a stored then released charge (which is impossible with AC because it goes back and forth).
The Solenoid exists so you don't have a giant battery wire running from your battery to your handlebars down to the starter motor.
Basically a small amount of electricity is used in the solenoid to close a circuit capable of transferring large amounts of power.
You press the starter button and it activates a small electromagnet in the solenoid, which pulls (or pushes depending on the type) a plunger that completes the actual starting circuit and allows massive amounts of electricity to hit the starting motor.
It isn't a problem with the solenoid.
All in all, if you can get the bike (which you seem to have indicated) to run it sounds like you're doing fine. Now, if the battery does not hold a charge THEN you have a problem with the alternator. The alternator maintains the charge on the battery.
I'm very hesitant to start ranting without access to the wiring diagram, but it sounds like your neighbour knows very little about bikes.
*edit*
It's also freaking stupid to disconnect the positive cable while the bike is running - this implies the negative is still hooked up. If you tap a naked part of the frame with your screwdriver/wrench you create a "short to ground" and dump all the power of the battery straight through it. You're now holding onto an arc welder... and may blow up the battery. Always disconnect negative first!
Of course I'm generalizing from a single example here, but everyone does that. At least I do.
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