So my brother picked up an 83 Nighthawk 650.. This bike had been sitting for at least 6 years. It had dogfood in the airbox (from rats making thier nests), and gas from 6 years ago in the carbs and tank. So we dipped the carbs, new battery, built a new airfilter from the old frame, new plugs, changed the oil and axle oil, and replaced the brake fluid and pads. It runs great, and looks like it is almost brand new (not bad for $400). The problem is that it won't start unless it is jumped. Even with a fresh fully charged battery it only turns over a couple times. If you spray starting fluid it will usually start up. But once it is running it is fine. I checked the battery and it is at 14V when running. The lights are not weak and everything seems fine once it is running. I check the battery after it is off and it 12.5V. I rode it for over an hour today and checked the battery afterward and it was fine. It seems like the starter is eating more juice than it should.
The starter solenoid is new by the P.O. I pulled the starter off and tried starting it, it runs the battery down pretty quick. If you wait a couple minutes between starts it seems to have the same amount of juice. I am boggled. Could it be a bad starter? I checked all the wires and they are not frayed and look good. Any ideas?
