Author |
Message |
Mattmcc00
| Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2010 - 06:59 pm: |
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Hi all, Rode my bike in the rain to work today. At the end of my day, the bike wouldn't start. Turned the key, it auto-checked), then check engine light went out, and i pulled the clutch and hit the starter..... bike made a repetitive loud clicking sound, like a machine gun of clicks. I turned off the key and repeated the process 3 times same results. I sat on the bike and swayed it back and forth as i thumbed the starter and it started right up as normal??? Not sure what is going on here. |
Etennuly
| Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2010 - 07:07 pm: |
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Check your battery terminals. They can seem tight, but if you can grab them with your hand and make them move they are too loose. |
Froggy
| Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2010 - 07:26 pm: |
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Your battery is dead/on the way out - Or - You have a bad connection (Bad ground, battery terminal, etc). |
Dennis_c
| Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2010 - 07:32 pm: |
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+ 1 on Froggy |
Blasterd
| Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2010 - 10:18 pm: |
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+1 again Froggy, sounds like the ground issue or just loose cables for sure. |
Pnw_uly
| Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2010 - 11:18 pm: |
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Matt - If the cables are loose, throw on some "star" washers - - cheap insurance against being stranded. . . Yeah, Froggy recommended it to me a few months ago... Paul |
Rays
| Posted on Wednesday, August 04, 2010 - 12:40 am: |
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I agree that the first place to look is the battery or battery connections. However, I couldn't help notice that you said you pulled the clutch in to start. Were you in gear and relying on the clutch interlock to provide the ground to the start relay? When you ended up rocking it did you end up in neutral or did you pull the clutch multiple times in this sequence? While this is a completely off the wall possibility, it remains a possibility - I had an intermittent starting issue (sounds just like a jackhammer) that eventually ended up being the neutral switch being slightly resistive. It would be entirely possible for the clutch interlock switch to cause the same issue so if you have exhausted the battery and connections try putting the bike in neutral instead of using the clutch interlock. |
Etennuly
| Posted on Wednesday, August 04, 2010 - 11:04 am: |
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Rays is right, and if you are starting it cold in gear, it will take a fair amount more battery power to do so as the starter will have to overcome the clutch's cold grip. Just try pushing it in gear with the clutch in when it is cold, compared to being in neutral. You will see the load that is being added to the start circuit. |
Swampy
| Posted on Wednesday, August 04, 2010 - 05:43 pm: |
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I am having a problem with mine starting. I cleaned the engine ground and it fixed it for a while, then I started having problems with the neutral light, and it would only start by pulling the clutch. I am thinking the grounds under the flyscreen need cleaning now. |
Mattmcc00
| Posted on Thursday, August 05, 2010 - 09:41 am: |
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Regarding the clutch pulling... I rode Japanese bikes for a long time, which can't start unless the clutch is pulled even if in neutral, and so I just got used to pulling-in the clutch on start-up. My bike is always in neutral when I shut her down, unless parked in a hill. This is not the first time I have bad ground symptoms. They all manifest themselves during heavy rains?? Wonder what that means?? |
Hotredjohn
| Posted on Thursday, August 05, 2010 - 12:44 pm: |
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Like others I had problems with starting and drained battery. I re-worked my battery connections making a pigtail to attach the accessories and that has worked great ever since. Still have to check the connections every once and a while to make sure they are tight. |
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