Starter troubles - Page 2

blaine · 01-31-2013, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by supersquid

I've noticed that the lights are working alright while I'm riding but even my neutral light won't come on if the bike is electrically turned on but the motor isn't running. The starter won't even make a noise when I press the button. Is that because of a lack of charge or is it a good idea to fix the battery problem before even considering a blown starter?

Everything indicates a bad/discharged battery.The bike will run fine with a bad battery once it's running & the charging system is working properly.Highly unlikely that's there anything wrong with your starter.

:cool:

**jonathan180iq** · 01-31-2013, 03:26 PM

The lights are working fine while you're riding because the stator is spinning at speed and producing plenty of juice to power all of your systems. The light will not come on while the motor is not spinning because your battery doesn't have enough juice to power those things. The starter motor is not turning over because the battery does not have enough umph to do it.

The battery on these things, and most bikes out there, is essentially only used to crank the bike and as a low-output back up.

Moral of the story.... You need to check the battery.

Want to poor-man test it? Hook up some jumper cables to a NON-RUNNING vehicle and boost the bike off. I will bet $$ that the starter turns the bike over no problem and she'll fire right up. If you hit the starter button and nothing happens, then you need to check corrosion on the button itself before you start to assume that the starter is bad. I wouldn't even start to worry about the starter unless you hit the button and start to hear a grinding or a high-pitched whine or some other form of malady coming from the starter motor itself. They're pretty tough little machines.

Long story short, there are only a couple of common problems on these bikes and the starter does not fall into that category. The battery, on the other hand, does. As do the corrosion/buildup prone control buttons. So look there first.

Like everyone said, though... It's your battery.

JWR · 01-31-2013, 03:50 PM

Very important.

Every battery must have an overnight charge when bought new.
A new battery will start and work but it will have no life span.

If this is not done a battery will die between 3 months to a year.

mrlmd1 · 01-31-2013, 03:57 PM

Also make sure you check the battery connections - that they are clean and free of corrosion and are on tightly. A dirty or loose connection at the battery can cause the problem too.
If you jump the bike (from a non-running car) and start it and rev it up to 2500-3500 rpm and measure the voltage at the battery terminals with a voltmeter, you should get 13.5-14.5 V and then you know your charging system is working as it should.
Most problems are very simple to solve and yours is most likely a dead battery so you have to start there first before getting into all kinds of exotic things.

01-31-2013, 03:26 PM	#12
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	Re: Starter troubles The lights are working fine while you're riding because the stator is spinning at speed and producing plenty of juice to power all of your systems. The light will not come on while the motor is not spinning because your battery doesn't have enough juice to power those things. The starter motor is not turning over because the battery does not have enough umph to do it. The battery on these things, and most bikes out there, is essentially only used to crank the bike and as a low-output back up. Moral of the story.... You need to check the battery. Want to poor-man test it? Hook up some jumper cables to a NON-RUNNING vehicle and boost the bike off. I will bet $$ that the starter turns the bike over no problem and she'll fire right up. If you hit the starter button and nothing happens, then you need to check corrosion on the button itself before you start to assume that the starter is bad. I wouldn't even start to worry about the starter unless you hit the button and start to hear a grinding or a high-pitched whine or some other form of malady coming from the starter motor itself. They're pretty tough little machines. Long story short, there are only a couple of common problems on these bikes and the starter does not fall into that category. The battery, on the other hand, does. As do the corrosion/buildup prone control buttons. So look there first. Like everyone said, though... It's your battery.
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01-31-2013, 03:50 PM	#13
JWR Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Louisville, TN Posts: 1,413	Re: Starter troubles Very important. Every battery must have an overnight charge when bought new. A new battery will start and work but it will have no life span. If this is not done a battery will die between 3 months to a year. __________________ Jerry Truth is there are lots of great bikes available and not nearly as many good riders out there riding them... "A man's got to know his limitations..." Login or Register to Remove Ads
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01-31-2013, 03:57 PM	#14
mrlmd1 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Crawfordville, Florida Posts: 2,853	Re: Starter troubles Also make sure you check the battery connections - that they are clean and free of corrosion and are on tightly. A dirty or loose connection at the battery can cause the problem too. If you jump the bike (from a non-running car) and start it and rev it up to 2500-3500 rpm and measure the voltage at the battery terminals with a voltmeter, you should get 13.5-14.5 V and then you know your charging system is working as it should. Most problems are very simple to solve and yours is most likely a dead battery so you have to start there first before getting into all kinds of exotic things.
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