Electric start problem

[Snowturtle]

I just replaced the starter relay and the solenoid because my electric start didn't work. For the first few times, it worked great, but now all of a sudden, it sticks and won't quit cranking until I disconnect the battery! I lost spark at the same time this problem started so it just cranks and won't start. I took out the starter shaft and checked all gears for wear and everything seems fine. For some reason, the new solenoid won't disengage until power is cut off. Turning off the key doesn't do it, it has to be the battery. What happened?????

Also, where did my spark go? No spark at the points (I dumped the electronic ignition years ago) or plugs and when I test the coil the way my shop manual describes, it has 12 volts coming out of it when not running.

Thanks for any ideas, I'm stumped by both electric problems.

[ARBY]

Is your new solenoid properly shimmed? If not it can cause binding so that it doesn't properly engage the starter or so it doesn't disengage the starter. Are you sure it's wired correctly from the relay and battery?

As far as the spark goes, are you sure the points condenser didn't take a dump?

[Snowturtle]

Thanks for the reply. I got spark back somewhere between bypassing a questionable on/off switch on the handlebars, cleaning all connections on the whole bike, resetting points, and re-recharging the battery. The starter still sticks and will disengage if I kick the solenoid a few times with my boot heel so I like your shim concept. I put the factory spacer back in there but will experiment with changing the angle somehow.