Topic: Question about getting starter motor out.

[Jayelwin]

So my starter motor doesn't crank at all. Good battery and when I hit the starter button I get a solenoid click and the lights dim like it's drawing a lot of current but nothing turns. I opened the cover to the motor well. I'm wondering what else holds it in and should I and do I need to open the left side covers. And the bike is full of fresh oil. Do I need to drain the oil out to take the stator cover off?

If it requires draining the oil and really taking everything apart I'll just kick the bike this season and work on it in the fall.

[greenjeans]

There's 2 bolts that hold the starter in.  You'll have to remove the covers to get to the wiring.

Check your battery voltage first.  You can also put a big flat blade across the solenoid - if the starter spins, it's the solenoid, if not, could be the starter.

[Jayelwin]

Thanks I'll give the solenoid trick a try. I'm thinking the solenoid is OK because it sounds good. And I clearly get a voltage drop from a current draw.

Luckily the bike kicks on so easily.

And do you have to drain the oil to get the stator cover off? If so then I'll wait until this oil needs changing.

[Airborne 82nd]

Thanks I'll give the solenoid trick a try. I'm thinking the solenoid is OK because it sounds good. And I clearly get a voltage drop from a current draw.

Luckily the bike kicks on so easily.

And do you have to drain the oil to get the stator cover off? If so then I'll wait until this oil needs changing.

How much of a voltage drop have you measured?

[calj737]

Not needed to drain the oil. Remove the left side cover and starter motor cover. Wiring runs back under the stator cover, so it's coming off too.

[754]

Lean bike onto a block on right side, oil will drain out the cover
 I could swear that the trans cover can stay on, might have to unclip wires under sprocket cover. The wires run thru a tunnel. You need to pay attention to sealing where the wires go into the dyno cover on reassembly .

[Jayelwin]

So I opened the Stator cover with the bike leaning over. No oil of any significance came out (thanks). I was able to remove the gearing that links the starter to the stator and then when I hit the start button the motor turned fine. I replaced the gearing which looked to be in good condition - everything lined up and the dowel was smooth and round and the dowel holes were also smooth. When I put it all back together it cranked a few cranks then stopped.

I checked the voltage drop when cranking and it drops from 12.2 volts to 6.0 volts. This is a really steep drop. It's like my battery is bad, yet it's brand spanking new. I checked the fluids all OK and I've left it on the charger until the light turned green many times.

It's on the charger now. (2 amp tender). Lets see what happens.

[David B]

I bet it's the battery.

[Jayelwin]

What's a typical voltage drop during cranking? When this battery was first charged and installed a month ago it could crank for 15-30 seconds at a time no problem. It's a month old.

[calj737]

Max drop should be less than 2v while cranking. May not be the battery, but do check, double-check and triple-check all connections related to the solenoid, ignition switch and battery grounds.

I had a similar issue on my bike. Shop swore it was "that new fangled Li-Ion battery, they're all crap". Turned out it was their crap workmanship. Loose ground on fuse block, loose spade connector on switch. Battery is perfect and charging is perfect now too. And I was seeing 6v while cranking, 13.8 at rest.

[Jayelwin]

After charging for a few hours i get about 2-3 seconds of cranking now. The voltage drop at the battery terminals themselves is now from 12.6v to 7.8v. The 2 seconds of cranking is also pretty lackadaisical too. Instead of a brisk whump-whump-whump I'm getting a gruuurrrrr-gruuuurrrr.

It would suck if somehow I got a bad battery.

The bike runs fine when you kick it and once its running and you disconnect the battery it keeps running fine. 

[calj737]

Sounds like a bad battery

[Jayelwin]

Let see what kind of warranty replacement I can get.

[calj737]

If it's that new should be 100%. If it's a lead acid battery, be sure to properly initialize it when replacing it. Then fully charge it before use.

I prefer AGM or Li-Ion, but many discourage Li-Ions for differing reasons. They do coast more, prefer a special charger, but they're light, vibration resistant, and very stable (in my experience with them).