butch said:
Assuming that the stand is up
'98s have the "suicide stand", so there is no issue with the side-stand kill switch, in any case......
1) kill switch in "off" position
2) kill switch has bad contacts
3) bad fuse
4) bad ignition coil
5) fouled plugs
6) FI unit not working correctly for fuel/air ratio
7) battery is too low to run FI unit
8) fuel filter is clogged, not allowing fuel to the engine
9) the list can go on...and on...and on.....
A bad stator or regulator will not effect the bike from starting when you have a charged battery. Those two items only effect the recharging of the battery. The first thing to do is to establish if it is a fuel or spark issue, then work from there. If it has both, then it is a fuel/air ratio.....or weak spark. I've seen wrong plugs cause starting problems. It's very difficult to establish a cure for the problem with so little information. The very first thing I'd do is check the plugs. I'd pull them to see if they are fouled, maybe replace them for good measure (checking to have correct gap), check for a healthy spark, and if you have a good spark, it's a fuel delivery problem.