starter would like to start but ....

[Anonymous]

I have another problem on my bike (gs 1150 1984)



when I push the starter button nothing happens?

the starter would like to start but its like if something hold it in place

So , I jump my 12 volt positive wire on my positve screw of my starter and it would like to turn but...

I removed my starter out of it's place ,remove my battery too and plug the stater directly on it.


SPIN SPIN very well.

I saw on another web site it could be my Bolts starter clutch assembly

my question is:

where are the Bolts starter clutch assembly ????

[2Fast4U]

try turning the motor over by hand using a wrench or socket on the end of the crank.

[SqDancerLynn1]

The starter clutch in On the left side between the rotor & the crankshaft
requires a special tool to remove the rotor to gain access

[Matt K]

has it been sitting for a while? Perhas the pistons are a bit stuck... I'd take it out to the street (provided you don't have a lot of cars around) and get it rollig along in neutral, then hop on and bang it into 2nd gear, to try to break the pistons loose. Another option would be to pull the spark plugs and drop a bit of oil into each cylinder, and let it sit for a while, to try to free them up. I had the same problem with my new (to me) 82 which had been sitting for about a year and a half. Used the push method, and it worked fine.

[Anonymous]

thanx for all your answer

the strange thing in all that is that my bike was running well just before i stopped it .

I was at my father's house and the bike wouldn't start when I was ready to leave.

It was my third run this season with the bike .

I changed my starter relay , I cleaned my starter , and I changed my starter.

I think I have an electrical problem


do you have any suggestions !!

[SqDancerLynn1]

1th check the small wire on the start solinoid When you push the start button you should get 12 volts if you have 12 volts elect is ok-- go to the starter
You have checked the starter so I would remove the stator cover (left side) be carefull of the stator wires. Check & make sure the rotor is tight on the crankshaft. 1150s do come loose sometimes. Check the starter clutch the big gear YOU should only be able to turn it in one direction IF it turns in both directions the bolts are broken---You can also operate the starter to see if the clutch is working with the cover removed

[Redman]

Matrix, You havent mentioned any voltage readings. Have you checked battery voltage? Maybe a charging problem and then battery isnt charged. Even a half dead battery will turn a starter motor that has no load on it.

[gremlin]

check water in the battery, charge for a few hours. then test the electrical system.

one thing about having a old GS. when you get rid of all the electrical problems built in to them, thay run forever.

[jhw84]

Matrix, You havent mentioned any voltage readings. Have you checked battery voltage? Maybe a charging problem and then battery isnt charged. Even a half dead battery will turn a starter motor that has no load on it.

I second that. My 450 will not start unless the voltage is 12.5 or more. Same thing happens: Click, but no turn.

Try putting it all back together and jump starting it off of a car if you dont have a multimeter. If the car battery starts your bike, the bike battery is dying or dead.

[Anonymous]

hi everybody I would like to answer every one of you in this message

I changed my selenoid with a used one it's suppose to be good but I didn't checked the voltage as you mentioned ---- I will

I checked my starter clutch And my big gear is turning in one direction only ( good )

I didn't checked my battery voltage because it's a brand new one from the past year and i charged it every month of the winter

I will check my battery voltage !!!

thanx a lot i'll give you some news

[Anonymous]

OH yes after 5 days of scratching my head I found the problem with your help .

It was my battery 11.25 volts not enough to start the engine

I was sure it shouldn't be this because it was new from last summer .

Now I have to find why my battery come down.

how should test my charging system ?

by running the engine and test the wire of the battery ??!!!!

thanx for your help

[Redman]

Battery will discharge some just sitting for a while. I too had a trickel charger (3/4 amp) that I would put on for a few hours every couple weeks (and sometimes forget to take off - for days and days). I have been surprized at how much better a batterytender charger works.

In the "garage" section of this web site is the "stator papers" and a very detailed troubleshooting flow chart to check charging system. But in general: Check water level in battery, Charge battery with charger to make sure it is charged. Check battery voltage to make sure its charged (like about 12.5 volts). Start bike, rev and hold engine at mid rpms, check charging system voltage acrost the battery, should be over 13 volts like 13.5 to 14 volts (if its no more than the battery was, then the charging system isnt putting out anything, eh).

If charging system not charging, then the stator papers also list ways to check the stator and check the regulator/rectifyer.

But I suspect your problem is just that your battery just needs to be charged more/longer than you might suspect. After charging for a period of time, remove charger, wait about 5 minutes and check battery voltage, should be the 12.5 or maybe a little more. An other possibility is to discharge the battery some by leaving headlight on for half hour or so, then charge back up with charger for several hours, I found this helps with old kinda weak battery thats older than yours.

Tells us more what you find.

Hey, Matrix, Where you at, I mean what City/town state?

[Anonymous]

The greatest accessory you can own is a $30 battery tender. It will keep the battery at maximum capacity when you have the bike parked in the garage. pigtails to the battery so you can quick disconnect to ride. Your battery will always remain at top charge and not be drained dry of fluid that happens when sitting on a conventional charger. I now have them for all my bikes. They never fail to start on the first try no matter how long they have been sitting.

[Anonymous]

i heard this before ( discharge the battery and charge when really empty)

I thought it was only applicable for rechargeable battery like AAA, AA ect...

I will try to discharge my battery if it can't keep his charge.


btw I'm from :

country: Canada
State: quebec
town : Montreal

Better web site I found for help and info : The GS resources

[crc1214]

Montreal eh? Cool. You ever get a chance to check out a band called the Rheostatics? Man I wish current music in the US was like that!
Ever since Nirvana came on the scene we haven't seemed to get our acts together!

Guess that's why I don't own any album's released past about 1987 or so...... except for the Rheostatics of course!

Anyhow, don't deeply discharge the battery and re-charge it. That will severely shorten the life of this type of battery.

There are specific types of batteries that are designed for this type of abuse, I believe actually called "deep discharge" batteries.

They are used in stuff like those little "motorized" cars that little kids drive around in until the battery goes dead, then you just plug them back into a charger.

Motorcycle and car batteries are not designed to take that kind of abuse.

Just have it "load tested" at a local shop. They should do it for free, and you'll be able to tell right away if it's good or bad.

And if you haven't already - Check out the Rheostatics - what music is all (or at least should be) about!

Chad