Starting Problem

[michael816]

OK so one day just out of the blue I try to go to work and push the starter button, hear the click of the the relay, but nothing happens!!! No this isn't a bad dream, its my unfortunate reality and I am clueless as to how to fix it.

I have tested the relay and it is working, the battery has a nice charge more than normal, all the cables look fine and I'm sure there is a good ground. One more thing every now and then when I push the button it almost turns over, I heard the stater motor start but then it quits immediately. Then for a few hours afterward it doesn't engage at all.

I am really puzzled about all this, any suggestions? I'll bet I need to buy a new starter although there is NO reason why this one should have broken. By the way I'm getting good at push starting it myself, a little embarrassing but effective.

Thanks for any help!!

[chef1366]

Pull off battery connections and clean them and reinstall with dielectric grease. Pull the battery ground off the crankcase and clean it with some fine sandpaper and reinstall with dielectric grease. Do the same with the connections on the solenoid and starter. Still no go pull the starter and clean the contats.
Are you sure the battery and charging system is good? A battery can appear good until under load. Try jumping off a car battery without the car running.

[michael816]

I did almost exactly that. I took off the connections, sanded them, put WD-40 on them (I don't have any dielectric grease), then put them back on making sure they were good and tight. I haven't taken the starter cover off (the screws are stuck) but I will work more on that tomorrow.

I haven't tried another battery, I will tomorrow but I don't think that will help. This battery was working great and is relatively new.

[txironhead]

Starter brushes do wear out, and they can go without any warning. The good news is it's really easy to rebuild a starter and you can get the parts you need cheap at www.stockers.com. I've used them before, very knowledgeable, friendly and I got exactly the right parts every time. They even sell rebuilt starters at a reasonable rate.

You can check the starter by hooking up a jumper cable directly from your positive terminal to the terminal on the bike. If it turns over, you've got a bad switch or wiring. If it doesn't, time to rebuild the starter. Make sure you inspect the armature (main part that spins) where the brushes contact it. If it's just black and/or dirty, a little cleaning with an emery brush will bring it back. If it's worn badly, out-of-round or rounded you need a new armature or rebuilt starter. Some people have had success turning them on a lathe to re-true them, but I don't have a lathe.

[arveejay]

May have leaked gas into cylinder and locked under pressure. Remove spark plugs and while on center stand see if turning rear wheel while in gear is possible. Then reinstallplugs and try it again. Also you can take starter apart, clean, lube bushings and lube and assemble if it's just the starter hanging up.

[txironhead]

If he's able to push start it it's not hydrolocked. That was my first idea too.

[twistedwankel]

When I was at odds what was wrong with my bike's electrical charging system I took it to AutoZone and they put their 12VDC tester on it. Of course I had to take the seat and airbox off for them to attach their clips.

They quickly confirmed that it wasn't my battery and was in fact my stator/charging system.

This is a quick FREE service for anything 12VDC.

Since you can still ride your bike there you can get it tested. Leave your bike running so they can test it.

[arveejay]

If he's able to push start it it's not hydrolocked. That was my first idea too.

OK, I missed that.