It won't start !

N

Nigel

New member
Hi all,
I could really do with any help to try and figure out why my bike won't start, I get the click from the starter solenoid but nothing from the starter motor !
I went to start my bike on Saturday and the battery was flat so I replaced it with a new one which I also put on a charger before fitting to make sure it was all good.
When I turn on the ignition the dash comes on as normal and the fuel pump primes when I flick the starter switch. However when I try to start the bike I just get a click from the solenoid but the engine doesn't turn over. The instrument panel then resets itself. I have checked all the fuses in the fuse box and under the battery and all are good. The horn, lights and indicators all work infact everything works but the engine will not turn over. I have swapped the relays about but still nothing. I have checked both sides of the solenoid with a multimeter but can't see a problem and my dealer says they are busy and cannot get the bike booked in for another 5 weeks.
Is there anything I've overlooked?
 
Staedtler

Staedtler

Active member
Not being funny, but are you sure the new battery is good? It sounds like it may not be fully charged either.
Do you have a tender or charger you can hook up to the battery to see how charged it is?
 
edgelett

edgelett

Well-known member
my husband recently had this exact issue with his FTR.
dealer replaced the battery but the battery they replaced it with was also dead. so he got another battery and its been good since.
 
N

Nigel

New member
As I said, I checked the battery voltage after buying and put it on a charger anyway so it was good.
I have now replaced the solenoid for a new one but still the same issue
 
Staedtler

Staedtler

Active member
Nigel said:
As I said, I checked the battery voltage after buying and put it on a charger anyway so it was good.
I have now replaced the solenoid for a new one but still the same issue
Click to expand...
Appreciate you did that due dilligence, some batteries can read good until put under load, then can fade out.
 
MacBayne

MacBayne

Active member
I am gonna call you out. When you talk about battery voltage, what is "good?" How many volts is "good?"
 
N

Nigel

New member
The battery measured 12.6 volts from the store and then (and currently)13.5 once it was on the ctek tender
 
MacBayne

MacBayne

Active member
Nice! We have numbers! I have probably sounded quite rude, so far, and I am. Fifteen years on forums and I almost never see numbers when I try to walk someone through the electrical system.... "It's good," GAHH! Take your test light and GTFO... Numbers solve problems. "It's good," means fuck-all.

First- are we talking Lead-Acid, or Lithium battery?

12.6 for a new lead-acid is pretty good voltage... I am not up on American shipping requirements, but the battery and catalyst must be shipped in separate containers by Canadian standards. 12.6V upon assembly is on the dot.

Is this 13.5V immediately off of charge, or at least 2 hours after? If it's immediately off of charge, that number is useless. Wait at least 90 min. If it is a lithium battery, it is shite.

By now, you have probably taken enough things apart to have access to the + and - of the starter, itself. Touch connections DIRECTLY and MOMENTARILY to a battery and key OFF to see if it turns over... use at least 16 gauge wires. The wires in your house are 14 gauge and most power bars are the same. 14 Gauge is thicker than 16... it's AWG, confusing as frig! 14 gauge is more than acceptable. I do not care if it starts. I do not care about the dash animation, I do not care about fuel pump prime. The key doesn't even need to be on... If you reverse + and - on connection, you will hear an electric motor go "whirrrrrrrrrr." If it is matched, your engine SHOULD turn over. (Look up Starter Bendix and Sprag clutch for more reading... LOL)

All of that said, the simple fact that your dash resets after pressing "Start" tells me that you have developed a false ground... or MOST LIKELY, your battery sucks balls.
 
Breto

Breto

Well-known member
Load test it man…either use a proper load tester which will put it under load for 10 seconds or less. It will tell you straight away what it’s condition is or hook up a multimeter to the terminals and see what it reads when you hit the button. Sounds like it’s a load issue to me. 👍😎
 
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