mobythree
Here is a wiring diagram I did for the '97-'98. It includes wire colours & keyswitch terminal numbers and is laid out a bit better than the original.
With your bike all power should be going to the battery as DC. If you have power to crank the starter then the rest of the electrical system should have power from the battery no matter what the AC wires from the stator are doing.
First place I'd look would be to listen if the power relay under the seat is clicking in when you turn the key on & off. If this relay is not pulling in you only get power to the start button & part of the keyswitch that pulls the power relay in. Note the keyswitch has an OFF and two ON positions. Try both as I can't remember the exact way they are set up, and yours might have been connected up differently since new anyway.
If the relay is not pulling in, use a multimeter (post if you need help with one of these) to check for 12V on both sides of the fuse. Fuses can sometimes look OK but still be fractured (not blown) inside.
If the fuse is OK check for 12V at all times on the red wire at the back of the keyswitch. If this is not OK you have a broken wire between the fuse & the keyswitch. The most likely place to see a broken wire is where they get flexed between the frame & the handlebar tripple clamps.
If you have 12V on the red wire, check for 12V on the white wire when the ignition is in the on position. Remember to checkboth ON positions! If you can't get 12V on the white wire either the contact in the keyswitch is not connecting or the keyswitch is plugged into the harness wrong. The plugs on it are all seperate, but the keyswitch terminals are numbered.
If you can get 12V on the white wire at the key, check for 12V on the white wire at the power relay. If none there the white wire is broken.
If OK but the relay still doesn't click it is possible it is not grounded properly, however it is unlikely as it shares its ground with the starter relay and you say this works OK. Use ohms on your multimeter to check the brown wire on the relay is connected to ground. If not it is likely the main ground connection under the tank just behind the coil is not connected to the frame.
If the relay ground is OK the relay must be stuffed.
