Starter Button Problem

Willie · Aug 9, 2010

In the past 4 weeks I have had 3 issues with the starter button. First time

Turned on bike, everything fired up like it should, all the lights, needles over to the right and back. Push the starter and no kick. Tried couple more times and finally it kicked. This was sometime in July

Fast forward to this past Saturday. Bike sitting all week since the previous weekend. Key in ignition, turn on, all things go as normal, needles to the right and back. Hit starter, a hum, a yellow lit in the section with temp time and temp gauge turns on. In the middle of the LCD that stays on after you shut the bike off. Push again a catch no start. Push couple more times and finally it starts.

Rode all weekend putting some 600 miles on. Many stops ...on treasure hunt... and no repeats for the rest of the weekend.

I will be heading for UT in September and shipping bike to Salt Lake on 8.23. Bought this bike used and according to the sheet I have igniton switch has been replaced.

Any thoughts

Willie

FJRBluesman · Aug 9, 2010

Could be: Ignition switch, kick stand relay switch, coorsion of starter button, or...

LagerHead · Aug 9, 2010

FJRBluesman said:
Could be: Ignition switch, kick stand relay switch, coorsion of starter button, or...

Starter itself? Possibly bushing on starter? I haven't looked at the FJR's starter, so I'm basing that GUESS on car starter problems.

Panman · Aug 9, 2010

Just had to dive into my 07, bike not starting when cold at first thought battery as it would start with a 50 amp boost but it check out good, but the guys at the battery store let me buy a new battery and try it out. Still a no go, now the bike sits with all the plastic off as we decided to check all the spiders for kicks (all good). A phone call from North Carolina and at Jeff sugestion we check the voltage where the power goes into the relay and out, guess what bad relay. I would work hot but not even a chance cold.

So brought the battery back this morning and waiting for the shops to open tomorrow to try and find a relay.

escapefjrtist · Aug 10, 2010

Check everything out including the starter relay. Item #4 is what Panman is referring to.

--G

markjenn · Aug 10, 2010

If the battery is at all suspect, you start electrical troubleshooting by replacing it as they are cheap and tend to be the most likely thing to have problems. I've seen a lot of strange problems like this end up just being a bad battery.

- Mark

Queensland Ken · Aug 10, 2010

markjenn said:
If the battery is at all suspect, you start electrical troubleshooting by replacing it as they are cheap and tend to be the most likely thing to have problems. I've seen a lot of strange problems like this end up just being a bad battery.
- Mark

Just went through that very problem with batteries.

Here's my link on the Aussie Forum https://www.forum.fjr13.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2599

You just have to make sure you get a good battery and not some "import"

Cheers

Ken

3dogs · Aug 10, 2010

markjenn said:
If the battery is at all suspect, you start electrical troubleshooting by replacing it as they are cheap and tend to be the most likely thing to have problems. I've seen a lot of strange problems like this end up just being a bad battery. - Mark

Replacing the battery every time something electrical goes awry seems to be the default fix on this forum and others. I work with lots of service managers at various dealerships and when writing my book on motorcycle electrical systems I did some research on battery replacement. In general when a customer purchased a battery from a dealership, installed it and returned their old battery (for a core credit of a few dollars) over 80% of the used batteries tested good. Usually the dealers recycle the old core batteries but I asked if they could be charged and tested first for my research.

Replacing a battery is not “cheap” as they still cost around $100 and you have to remove the old one and install the new battery. Instead of blindly replacing the battery why not charge and test it first—a novel ideal.

Testing is simple and takes less time than replacement. Here are steps for battery testing.

1. First charge the battery using one of the many “smart” chargers on the market. (you should own one of these anyway as using it regularly will make your battery last longer)

2. Connect a voltmeter directly to the battery.

3. Disable the ECU/fuel/ignition system so the engine can’t start (find and remove the fuel pump, injector or ECU fuse)

4. Crank the engine over for 5 seconds while watching the voltmeter.

5. Battery voltage will drop while the engine is cranking – this is normal. Battery voltage should not drop below 10 volts. If voltage drops below 10 volts the battery is probably bad.

6. If battery voltage does NOT drop below 10 volts the battery is NOT the cause of an electrical problem and if you replace it you’re an ***** and you are out $100.

There is a entire chapter on batteries and how to test them in my book. Motorcycle Electrical Systems Troubleshooting and Repair

vabrzn · Aug 10, 2010

I had a similar problem on my 07 and it turned out the connections on the starter relay were corroded. I cleaned the connections and all is well. Good luck!

wfooshee · Aug 10, 2010

I had a bad starter last summer. Didn't do the no kick or click, but it would not turn over when warm.

New battery didn't help, so I have two batteries, and exchange them every coupla/three months or so on the bike.

Putting an alternator tester on the starter circuit to measure current draw gave some illumination: pegged my 160-amp gauge! No-load (starter on the bench) was still over 80 amps!

This one sounds like a relay, though. Way to test is when it happens (no crank) short the relay contacts (under the upper right fairing, behind the battery, with some rubber boots on the big contacts) with an old screwdriver and see if it cranks. Screwdriver-crank, button-no-crank is a bad relay.

markjenn · Aug 10, 2010

3dogs said:
Replacing a battery is not “cheap” as they still cost around $100 and you have to remove the old one and install the new battery. Instead of blindly replacing the battery why not charge and test it first—a novel ideal.

First, lose the attitude.

I'm not saying it is always the battery and if battery is known to be good or has been recently replaced, then it wouldn't be my first thing to check. But I can count several times when electrical weird problems have turned out to be completely and totally fixed by replacing it. And I've had many instances where a battery is tested and "checks out" fine and then ends up being the problem. Frankly, I don't trust "battery testers" further than I can throw them. Most dealers don't have a good load tester anyway and very few home mechanics have one.

So you're faced with taking the bike to the dealership (perhaps having to trailer it), starting a service diagnosis order process that is going to cost at least the cost of a battery, and usually dealing with total numskulls on electrical systems vs. ordering a new battery off ebay that can be at your door in three days for $60 and that you're probably going to have to replace in the near future anyway. I'll take a flyer on the latter. No, it won't always solve the problem, but a lot of times it will.

- Mark

Queensland Ken · Aug 10, 2010

I thought there was something very serious with my bike "draining power" when starting.

The battery was over the course of 3-4 weeks had symptoms of dying.

I had also just bought a smart cteck motocycle charger as well.

Ordered a new battery from people advertising on Ebay and the net, but rang them to order and purchased it.

Finally my bike didn't want to start, bingo had my new spare.

Fitted the new one and nothing, just was cranking, info display off and relays chattering.

Spent 2 days pulling the bike apart and checking everything, found nothing.

Finally went to a battery supplier, not a motorcycle dealer, and he check my "new" and old batteries.

They can check the CCA rating of batteries and provide you documentation.

My "new " battery was fine but had a CCA rating of only 68, a cheep import.

All batteries are not the same, stick with the OEM specifications.

Some say they are a direct replacement, wrong, 13 or 18 mm too wide.

And your gurenteed that you will not get the proper CCA rating with a cheep battery.

Ps I'm a electrician by trade.

Cheers

markjenn · Aug 10, 2010

Queensland Ken said:
All batteries are not the same, stick with the OEM specifications. And your gurenteed that you will not get the proper CCA rating with a cheep battery.

I agree, get one that is an exact fit - whether you go aftermarket or a dealer battery, this is not hard. All the web sites have detailed specs.

I disagree wtih the assertion that cheaper batteries, as a rule, aren't as good. My experience is that there is virtually no correlation between battery price and battery quality. On other forums, there have been people in the industry that say most batteires are made in a very small number of factories with the same exact internals - the only that differentiates a Yuasa and a Powermaster is slight variations in case styling and labeling. I've had cheap ones go 10+ years without problems and Yuasa's fail within a few months. And vice-versa. I currently own seven bikes and they all have Ebay batteries in them and I've had no problems whatsoever. YMMV.

- Mark

3dogs · Aug 11, 2010

Frankly, I don't trust "battery testers" further than I can throw them. Most dealers don't have a good load tester anyway and very few home mechanics have one.

The "battery tester" I suggested using consists of a voltmeter, the bike’s starter motor and the human brain. If you don't trust these tools then you should replace the battery (whether it's good or bad) then take your bike to the dealer to have them fix what's wrong.

My goal in posting the steps for testing batteries was to save other riders the unnecessary cost of replacing a good battery with a newer good battery.

wfooshee · Aug 11, 2010

^^^^^^ Assumes the starter motor is good. That was not the case in my troubles last summer.

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