suzuki gt 550 starter problems

[2strokelove]

Just to give you some info on what you thought you did wrong. by using a jumper wire across the solenoid you just made a fuseable link. unless the gauge of wire was thicker than your battery cable. Using a pair of pliers to jump across will not do that because of the solid steel they are made from. The solenoid when activated just pulls a plunger across the contacts to connect your battery cable together. The small wire on the solenoid is coming from your starter button. I would check the cable from the solenoid to the starter. The cable goes down near the chain. I've seen them move a bit and the chain grind it almost in half which will for sure cause your starter to work poorly. Good luck.