Hitchcocks Forum

Hi all, I have recently bought a 2007 Electra X, which was running and started.
Unfortunately I now have no spark starter turns over fine, I have purchased a new battery as I suspected the old one was the original. But still no spark, side stand and clutch switches test ok. I've had the seat off and cleaned checked all connections, green tci unit fitted in 2012 (date written on it).
Starter turns over when I short across terminals, all fuses are ok. Neutral light is on and kill switch off.
One thing I did notice this morning was that when I pressed the started there was nothing - but if I rocked the kill switch the starter was intermittent so I suspect a faulty kill switch. ( ive taken it apart and cleaned/checked for any obvious problems but it all seems ok) question is would the kill switch allow the starter to turn but no spark to be supplied?
Any advice welcome, thank you.

question is would the kill switch allow the starter to turn but no spark to be supplied? Any advice welcome, thank you.


Yes, as I have found out and made myself look an idiot, and oh how my wife laughed.

Well if you've managed to get it started after 'playing' with the kill switch :- Then that's your culprit. Luckily Enfields are that simple. Although i'm jelous it took me a few weeks to sort out my 'none starting' issue (dodgy connections).

The clutch switch is only in the starter circuit and not ignition so that can't be the culprit.The kill switch should not have any effect on the starter motor only the ignition circuit. I don't think the side stand switch is connected to the green tci but if you pull apart the green wire at the connector in front of the battery that will take it out of the equation completely. I should change the spark plug before going any further though.

Lee B, I agree. It is worth checking electrical continuity first with any problems, and just hope it isn't a fault in the "rat's nest" inside the headlight housing.
In their "wisdom" Enfield appear to connect, connector blocks AFTER they have inserted the wiring from place to place, which sometimes means removing a connector block before you can remove what ever is on the other end of it.
(I used the end of a trimmed plastic wire tie to do that, which just pushes the locking strip out of the way enough to free each wire from the block one at a time.)

I tried a new spark plug, still no spark. I had to rock kill switch on and off to get the starter to turn but it never started. Which made me think the switch internals were faulty. Tried disconnecting the side stand - still no spark....

Your description has holes in it that make what is going on hard to work out, for starters why are you shorting across the solonoid, when you fiddle with the kill switch, sometimes works,what works, does the bike start or does the starter engage.Kill switch does not prevent the motor from cranking, just stops it from starting. At this stage one thing I think is a possible solonoid failure but that is only one of the issues, sounds like you have at least 2 problems Next one is to pull the tank and see if you have any power at the coil whit the ignition on. As has also been said try a new plug, ignition on plug on the side of the motor and crank it over and see if there is any sign of spark, then let us know so we can advise further

Hi Norm, thanks,starter switch will turn over engine. (Sometimes when pressing the starter button nothing happens which is when I flick the kill switch on/off on/off whilst holding in the start button, then the starter jumps into life and turns engine over)
I've tried pulling the plug and holding it on engine block whilst turning engine over and there is no spark, i have tried old plug (which was working fine) and a new plug both gapped correct.
When It was turning over and I flicked the kill switch there was a brief flicker of a spark. ( that happened once this morning, now I can't get any spark)

I had a similar problem with my electra x. I checked all the normal things ie conections etc. What I did find was that one of the connectors in the tci plug wasnt quite pushed aĺl the way into the connector body and was making an intermittent connection. Also if you can trim a centimetre or so off the end of the ht lead, mine had a small amount t of corrosion just back from the end of the lead and that was another reason for mins not starting

Something doesn't sound right, things are happening which shouldn't be and if it isn't logical it is either supernatural or an earth fault. There is a bad earth to something I should think.