We have ignition! Sort of.

After a lengthy hiatus, I was back in action this weekend and made some major progress on the bike. Maybe 'findings' is a better word than 'progress'. I got the instrument cluster re-installed (was mis-placed for a bit) and the new battery hooked up. Still nothing when I hit the start button but the headlight works (both high and low!) and the indicators light appear to be functional. According to the grainy pdf I found online of a close-match gs450, the red light in the pictures below could be the 'side stand check light and buzzer'. I wasn't able to get it turn off so it is either something else or maybe there a bad switch somewhere. For the first picture, I had the bike in neutral, the clutch in and the side stand up but nothing happened. I put it in gear for the second picture and tried again and still nothing (but was not expecting anything).

Key is in the 'run' position,
bike shifted into gear.

Key is in the 'run' position,
bike in neutral.

So obviously there is a wiring issue with the starter since the starter relay is brand new and the battery is new as well. As a test, I removed the starter and used jumper cables to connect the battery and tap the contact. It spun up so it seems like the starter is not the issue. Next up is to test the switch wires. I have isolated the starter wiring harness so it should be pretty straightforward to diagnose. Once I got the starter re-installed on the bike, I repeated the battery test and the bike turned over. Overall it sounds pretty bad with a loud clunking sound. Not promising but then again this was never supposed to be a quick flip. Each time I put some effort into it I am learning more and making progress so I have to be happy with small victories.

There are still some other lingering issues as well, like these random, loose wires:

Disconnected from something, but what?

I think these two went to the original gas tank.

That's about it for now. If anyone has suggestions about the mystery wires, let me know.