Electric Start

[malex]

gday

My electric start hasnt worked ever since i bought the bike second hand and now im trying to get it working.

I was told the reason for the elec start not working was because of a flat battery but i checked the battery with a multimeter and its fuly charged.

The starter motor underneath the motor is completely loose and not bolted onto anything so its basically sitting freely attatched by only wires...

anybody got any thoughts?

 

[sean01]

does the starter motor work when using the starter button?
could be a number of things....solenoid, wiring harness, starter switch....fuse..or the starter motor itself if it does nothing

 

[malex]

yeah nothing at all happens when you push start button

what should i check first?

 

[sean01]

the fuse, then the solenoid...i think there is a trigger wire you can test with a test light when you hold the starter button on

 

[headsmess]

if the start motor isnt attached to anything, ie the engine...it wont have any earth...no earth, no go!

unless it has 2 wires, which is bloody rare....

but yep...

battery...china batteries may appear charged but have no cranking amps... get a real one...
switch could be corroded.
solenoid could be fried.
motor could be fried.

if the motor doesnt turn over when you hook it directly to a GOOD battery... well, there lies the problem...

broken wires? blown fuse? etc etc etc...

 

[creole]

some require the brake to be held in to start.

Check under your brake lever for the relay switch, if it has two wires on it, then you need to press the brake leaver.

And yeah, a flat battery can put out 12volts, but wont have the amps to crank the starter.

 

[malex]

is the starter motor supposed to be attatched to the bike with bolts?
anyone know how the elec starter system works?

 

[thump*140]

some require the brake to be held in to start.

Check under your brake lever for the relay switch, if it has two wires on it, then you need to press the brake leaver.
.

You can also bypass the relay switch if you have one... simply join the two wires under the brake lever (some bikes also have one on the clutch lever on some manual bikes with E-start). Joining the wires closes the circuit, and allows the starter to be engaged without the need to pull the brake in.

is the starter motor supposed to be attatched to the bike with bolts?
anyone know how the elec starter system works?

Yes the starter needs to be physically bolted to the engine. A: For it to Earth properly and conduct and electrical current, and B: electric starters, even little ones do generate a lot of torque, and need to be solidly mounted.

The simplest way to describe the workings of an electrical starter, is that they are full of magnets and coiled wire. An electrical current is passed through them when the starter button is engaged, which generates electricity through the wire coils against the field of the magnets, which in turn rotates the inner workings and shaft of the starter. The starter has a gear on the end of it, which engages another gear mounted elsewhere in the motor, usually directly to the flywheel, or by chain drive to the flywheel. This in turn rotates the motor, theoretically fast enough to allow the motor to fire...