Starter motor not working? Solving motorcycle starting problems

[@Jack_Meadows]

This was a great help to me, Bob! Through your guidance I was able to diagnose my problem was in fact the starter, and was able to do the job myself. A little difficult as this was on a Helix CN250 scooter (the darn thing was buried good and tight), but was successful. Thanks again.

[@whitedoggarage]

Thankyou, glad to be of service and appreciate the positive comment 👍👍👍.

[@RogerDiotte]

What a man....good man BOB! I had this happen YESTERDAY! Nice man.....Good man!

[@whitedoggarage]

Thankyou, glad to be of help 👍👍👍

[@robedmunds7163]

Brilliant video, for my GS550 various other sources said carbs off, camchain tensioner off, pleased to see my weekend task will be easier than that. Bit of flux on the tab may make the solder flow under the joint a bit better.

[@whitedoggarage]

Glad to be of help and thankyou for watchinhg the video. Goodluck with your repair.

[@ernestobeato8605]

thank you Im having that problem this very moment

[@madgardener5820]

Thank you for the one about the starter motor, it was the first of yours I watched. The brushes were fine but the insulator had fallen apart, that's going to be a mission to find one. Thank you for this one too.

[@whitedoggarage]

Thanks for watching it and good luck finding insulators, you never know there might be some on eBay.

[@philiponsolent7232]

Thanks Bob, a very timely video for me. My starter has failed twice recently, the last time on my way to the annual MOT, hence watching your original video. The second failure was only remedied after I bumped the bike in gear. Armed with your videos, I have no excuse not to fix it. The only thing that surprised me was the lack of availability of the brushes here in the UK, either not in stock or around £50. I finally found one original set for a reasonable price on ebay. I couldn't find any really cheap ones, perhaps my search terms weren't correct. So thanks again for a really useful video, it is what You Tube was made for.

[@whitedoggarage]

Glad to be of help.

[@eddieb3915]

Thanks for the great video! I'm in the middle of wiring hell on a '83 GS1100E project bike here in the States and your video helped me sort out how the starter relay is wired, as well as educating me on how the whole starting system works. Really appreciate the vid. Nice Kat by the way. Once I get my GS1100 engine running properly, I will be installing it in my '82 Katana 1000 project that is missing its original 1000 engine. It's been quite the project, but I am getting there.

[@whitedoggarage]

Thankyou for your kind comments and good luck with your project. 👍👍👍

[@RobertwJahrling]

Thank you from the states

[@whitedoggarage]

Glad to be of help 😀👍👍👍

[@joeyork9891]

Thank you for great video

[@whitedoggarage]

Gald to be of help, thanks for watching the video 👍👍👍

[@snapshot8006]

Aha! My Issue AND my Bike as well !! *Update* My issue was worn out brushs! !and a completely black dirty starter inside and out. ..100,000 miles on this old starter!!..

[@whitedoggarage]

Lovely bikes, glad you found the video useful too.

[@snapshot8006]

@@whitedoggarage same symptoms as your video..uncanny really that it is on the same bike as well..power on both sides of the solonoid..so assuming the lead inside my starter has also broken off...having changed the battery to a new one..cleaned all grounds and connections..I will find out today..

[@whitedoggarage]

@@snapshot8006 Good luck with the repair, could also be worn brushes. This video has a link (I hope) to an earlier one where I did a full check on another GSX starter motor and ended up replacing the brushes - which is the usual repair I do on starter motors. Another viewer had a magnet dislodge in the starter, which was interesting. I have seen that occur in one starter too, but thought it was an unusal event - actually I though the solvent bath I had used to clean it up had been the final straw in loosening the magnet - but maybe not.

[@spirit4341]

thanks for the video one of the best explanations on youtube

[@whitedoggarage]

Thanks, I am glad you found it useful.

[@chrishard7616]

Hi Bob, that's interesting that it failed like that and I kind of expected it would be a weak point that could fail over time 🙂 It did last well though. A nicely presented diagnosis and thanks for mentioning me. I have quite a lot of experience with soldering and when it comes to attaching wires to tabs it is customary to wrap the wire around the tab or pass it through a hole and form a hook etc. to give the joint mechanical strength (I believe this is very important). In this situation you can't do that though, so what I would do is to use some fine copper wire to wind it around the joint and pull it tight prior to soldering. This method is also useful when splicing wires together. A long strand of suitable wire can easily be stripped from some hook up wire for this purpose. I think its called "whipping" like you do with fishing rod loops onto the rod. (You can pre-wind a copper coil like a closed spring on a drill bit for this) Once it's held tightly with the wire whipping then solder it all together. It may also help to use a bit of non corrosive flux to help the solder flow nicely without oxidising. However you don't want the solder flowing too far back up the wire as it reduces flexibility that can cause stress fractures later in life. Great work showing the follow up repair and producing the video. I've just replaced the starter on my Monster 821 as it was pulling way too much current and not cranking the motor very well due to the windings breaking down, mostly when it was hot (I believe, although its hard see any evidence of it). It appeared as though the battery was dying as the voltage would collapse due to the excessive current but the battery was good. One guy had a similar problem and recorded 400 Amps where it should be around 70 Amps!

[@whitedoggarage]

Thanks Chris, that is a good tip on the soldering, which I will keep in mind for future jobs. Never experienced windings breaking down in bike starters, although it is possible, but I have seen it in car and truck starters. Thanks again.

[@TheVictorFour]

Brilliant video just doing mine now, but some idiot has replaced teh starter motor cover bolts with Allen screws and there is no way I can get enough purchase on innermost screw which means airbag and carbs out. Why on earth do people do this?

[@whitedoggarage]

Oh dear! Thanks for watching the video.

[@Fitnessforeverr]

I removed my starter motor cleaned it put it back on and now when i try starting the bike i hear the motor running but bike not tumbling should i just change the whole motor? Because before it was tumbling but the motor sounded loud and damaged and couldn't start the bike.

[@whitedoggarage]

It sounds to me that you have not got the starter's gear properly engaging the starting gear train. That can be because the gear it engages has slipped out of alignment or the gear on the starter is not properly lined up. My preference would be to pull the alternator cover off and see what the gears have done, but you could try pulling the starter motor out and reinserting it first, Hope that helps.

[@markwhalen5300]

4:20 often I use signal injection to test the solinoid (jumping to ground or +Vdc.). I rarely have the advantage if being near both the activation button or switch and the solinoid. Many times my control panel is many feet away from my solinoids. (Boats, cars, industrial machines).

[@whitedoggarage]

Bikes are good like that, everything is so close.

[@tomakafrankconlon3207]

Thanks for the video. I am not bad at mechanical problems but electrical stuff have never been my thing. My bike is slow to turn over. I did some search online and I used a battery pack to test the starter motor . Research said to connect the positive cable from the external battery pack to the starter motor terminal and negative to the starter motors body. The engine turned over great. My question is why connect the positive battery pack cable to the starter motor terminal when the cable from the actual bikes battery to the starter motors terminal is coming from the negative battery terminal?. Any help would be really appreciated. Its driving me crasy.

[@whitedoggarage]

Tom, you did not say what bike you have. My first response is, are you sure the cable from the bike's battery to the starter is coming from the negative battery terminal? All Japanese motorcycles run with negative earth, meaning the power cable will come from the positive side of the battery (via the starter solenoid). Now there are exceptions to the rule of course, British Bikes of old (I say old, but anyone with an electric start will be only about 40 odd years old), ran a positive earth - old Joe Lucas (the then maker of British bike electrics) liked to tell the truth, and current actually flows negative to positive, but the convention became to have the negative as the earth. Modern British bikes, for example the Hinkley Triumphs, run a negative earth, which is the automotive convention. Hope that helps, Bob.

[@tomakafrankconlon3207]

@@whitedoggarage Thanks for the very fast reply. Its a rare 1986 Suzuki Madura. That is why i want to get it running properly. Ok well I explained that in a very bad way. I was mixing up battery neg and pos terminals with the black and red cables to and from the starter solenoid. The postive does indeed feed the starter motor. So I must have an earth problem some where. This bike is becoming a labour of love. Anyways thanks yet again.

[@whitedoggarage]

@@tomakafrankconlon3207 Okay, thanks for getting back to me. It is rare to have an earth problem with the motor as the battery earth is usually connected to a mounting bolt. You could try cleaning the contact surfaces on the leads, both the positive and negative sets.

[@hjorvaringvarsson6525]

9:24 Hi Bob. Wery good video. If I have 13 V on the battery side on the realey but when I press the starterbutton the voltage drops to 5 V could the startermotor be stuck somehow. I have tried to jumpstart the bike with a carbattery bot no movement on the motor. I have tested the starterelay and measure the connection 0.4 ohm. So the voltage drop is not in there. Probably the startermotor stuck. Could that be right. Thanks for a great videos

[@whitedoggarage]

I am thinking that your battery might be failing, although 13 volts is a good value to start with, and a dying one is usually high 10 to just on 12 volts in my experience. I am a bit surprised that the car battery didn't make the starter move, but it can be difficult to get a good connection with the jumper lead ends on the small terminals in motorcycles. Maybe try the jump start again.

[@hjorvaringvarsson6525]

@@whitedoggarage the battery is fine. It was the startermotor magnets that ware loose and got the startermotor stuck. They are just glued in the housing and they get loose in this startermotor. Thank you.

[@whitedoggarage]

@@hjorvaringvarsson6525 I have only seen one starter motor where a magnet has come loose and figured it was a rare event, so have not mentioned it in my videos. Looks like it might be bit more common. I used a permatex steel weld epoxy glue to reattach it. Thankyou for sharing the result, others may benefit from your experience. 👍👍👍

[@bf16172]

Hi. My triumph t595 is cranking but not starting. Solenoid clicks and starter seems to try to turn engine over. Could the solenoid be faulty although i can hear it click? Im also thinking about replacing the starter motor. Any help would be great. Thank you

[@whitedoggarage]

First, make sure the battery in the bike is fully charged. The logical approach then, is to see if the solenoid has voltage on the starter motor side of the cable, when you press the starter button. If it does, then the solenoid is probably doing its job. Next trick is to jump your battery off a bigger battery, like a car battery. If the starter turns at the proper speed, then the solenoid is definitely good and the battery is probably on its way out. If the starter turns at a slow speed or not at all, then the starter is the problem, which you could either check and possibly repair, I have a video for that kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaO8k4RshNCIZrs , or replace. I hope that helps.

[@garnet6665]

My friend i do have suzuki katana 2002 i dont know if is the same problem, but when i press the ignition button doesnt make any noise doesnt start the engine, what could be?

[@whitedoggarage]

Great question, and maybe I should cover more of this solution in another video. For you however, I would look at the following, probably in this order (1) Is your kill switch off? If it is on, Suzuki wiring results in the starter circuit being dead, so no starter noise. (2) Is your battery okay? A near dead battery will usually power the lights, but when the starter button is pushed, the lights go out and no starter noise. (3) Check the fuses, I am not sure what the fuse for the starter circuit is called, maybe labelled ignition or maybe main - perhaps just check them all. One other thing it can be, is the starter solenoid itself. A broken coil or bad conectors can mean the solenoid is not activated when you push the starter button and no starter noise. I would usually look at it using a multimeter measuring resistance accross the coil and whether the coil is getting power, but if you do not have a meter, it is still probably worth tracing the thin wires back from the starter solenoid to their connectors, discconecting them, cleaning the connectors and putting it back together, Connectors can corrode and build up resistance after years of use. I hope this all helps, and thanks again for asking the question, as it may be of help to others.

[@johnappiah2373]

Why does my motorbike automatically goes off and comes back when I hit the frame closer to where the battery is

[@whitedoggarage]

Interesting! There is probably a loose connection in the wiring loom beside the battery. You do not say what type of bike you have, but for most machines the main wiring loom will end in the region of the battery, wiring for the tail lights and flashers will continue to the back of the bike. There will be a lot of connectors and you could go through them looking for a loose one as a start.

[@scottinstrell2795]

Hi nice video , I’ve got a susuki bandit 600 started having issues starting so I tested the battery and the drop test with a multi meter when pressing the start switch and I only got 6v so replaced the battery. This hasn’t solved the issue and I now can hear the starter motor spin but the bike won’t start , would you say it’s the starter motor ? Any advice appreciated Cheers scott ,

[@whitedoggarage]

Scott, you can hear the starter motor spin, but th e bike wont start. I take it that you are hearing a small electric motor noise, not a click, click, ... noise? If that is the case, the starter sounds like it is not engaging the starter mechanism that turns the crank. If that is the case then you will need to look at what is going on under the engine cover in front of the starter and seeing what the mechanism is doing. Hope that helps.

[@scottinstrell2795]

@@whitedoggarage hi Thankyou for replying, quick update I’ve taken the starter motor off and tested it with a charged 12v battery and it doesn’t spin so I’ve gone and ordered a new starter and I hope this sorts it 👍👍

[@whitedoggarage]

@@scottinstrell2795 Okay, that makes more sense, hopefully the new starter solves all your problems.

[@scottinstrell2795]

Hi quick update I’ve now added the new starter and it’s exactly the same do you think there’s a problem inside the crank case? Thanks also for taking the time to reply Cheers scott

[@whitedoggarage]

@@scottinstrell2795 Okay, I am assuming the new starter works when connected, ie you are hearing a wiring electric motor, but the engine is not turning. If that is the case you have a problem with the crank engagement. From memory you only have to pull the cover in front of the starter. Inside you will see a gear train of three gears. A big one on the crank, a small one engaged with that gear and another gear that engages the shaft of the starter. Unlikely, but not impossible that gear is out of alignment. The other alternative is that gear is damaged or worn out.

[@chrishaines3447]

Have same problem but my battery and relay are good and I took starter out and connected to battery and spins with battery but having safe issue just clicking

[@whitedoggarage]

Two things to try there, is the battery still good and is the relay transmitting full current. When the starter motor is free from the motor it will spin easy with a weak battery, because the load of turning the motor will defeat a failing battery, with the relay just clicking. I suggest you put the starter back in the bike and use jumper leads from a car battery to test it. The second fault I have seen, which is mostly in high mileage bikes is that the relay contact on the starter side is partially burnt away. Sufficient contact exists to allow a voltage accross, but the contact is so eroded that not enough current is passing. As the contact point in the relay wears, it starts to spark badly on contact and this in effect burns, more correctly erodes the contact. Hope that helps you to fix your problem. Trying another battery or jumpstarting from a car battery should be what you do first. Worn relay contacts is usually only found in bikes that have big mileages.

[@philgill1808]

I have situation. When I turn on the switch and hit the starter switch, the starter turns over. If it doesn't start and I release the switch, it continues to try to start. I can turn off the switch and even remove the key, and the starter continues to turn over. I have replaced the starter solenoid and the same thing continues to happen. Any clue why this is happening?

[@whitedoggarage]

Interesting! It sounds to me like the starter switch is faulty. Possibly it is gummed up, you could try spraying something like inox or WD40 around the button do that the fluid flows into the switch, or a better diea might be to pull the switch block off the handlebar and give the contacts and springs a good clean. Hope that helps.

[@AlcatrazMeow]

Hi I have a 2018 Ninja 400 I started a new job and the bike is parked at the sun all day, it's extreme heat here in Israel as well. A bit after I started working there, the bike gave me starting problems, pressing the starter would simply sometimes give no response at all (no sound) or a clunking sound, the fuel pump would prime everytime prior. The battery was only 5 months old. Thinking it's the battery I replaced it. It gave me no issues for 1 week, but then again. Sometimes it would start wit no issue, and sometimes it would only start if I pull the clutch while doing so, and sometimes even pulling the clutch will not help and it will only start if I apply throttle (gas) while pressing the starter. And even that would not work all the time. And when it would, the bike would start aburptly with a rough idle. I am thinking this is because of the extreme heat my bike faces all day since I never had this kind of problem, effecting the battery, overcharging it and giving me issues starting as I read online this is a possibility. But I am not sure. I cover it during the day, and if I leave it on until the moment I finish work, the seat would hot as if it was burning as the battery is located below it. So what I do is I take the cover off about an hour before going off making it 'cool'. I took some videos, please watch: First video, this happens sometimes - kzbin.infoj0BnR0ZexCg Second video: kzbin.infoo5y46qIVibc , bike on first try was with a clutch pulled I think, and on the second try when it started I gave it throttle while starting. Both on the videos were on the morning when the engine was cool. Battery is new and giving good readings also on stress test when starting. Like I said, sometimes I could just hit the starter without the clutch pulled nor gas applied and it would start with no issue. I am thinking this could also be a fuel issue, or a spark issue? As I have replaced plugs myself about a year ago, I torequed them hand tight without torque spec because i was afraid to break it as I had no good access. I really don't know and would like your help, I also posted about this in a forum... www.ninja400riders.com/threads/troubleshooting-a-starting-issue-not-the-battery.8439/page-6#post-126440

[@whitedoggarage]

I am not that familiar with your bike, so don't know whether it has a clutch-in requirement for starting as some do, but figure that you have owned the bike for some time so you will know the successful starting procedure. Pretty sure that bike has fuel injection, so normal starting is no throttle push the button, when you add some throttle to the start it upsets the computer and that is why the motor will run rough. Should be fine down the road though. I have watched your videos, but I could not get the volume increase I wanted and there are trucks outside making it hard for me to hear it. I played it several times and I am thinking I am hearing either click click click from the relay or repeated clunks where the starter has engaged the motor but no turning over. From what you have said, I think your problem is most likely that the starter is on its way out or the relay is at fault. Relays can erode their contacts and not transmit enough current to turn the starter and hot weather may play a part in expanding things so the contacts are even more out of reach. The alternative is that the starter is faulty. I do have a video on checking and repairing starter motors kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaO8k4RshNCIZrs which might help you. But I would start with the relay, check the voltages are the same on both the input and out put when you press the starter. A further check is to use a 12 volt trouble light or probe to check the brightness on the input and output (the light gives it a load - the voltmeter is not seeing current. Of course if you had a clamp current meter go for checking the cable current each side of the relay. Once you are satisfied that the relay is not the problem, then the starter motor is the problem and that is where you might find my video kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaO8k4RshNCIZrs on overhauling a starter useful. Incidently I live in the north of Australia and I think many places in this area probably get as hot as Israel - but no snow - and we don't see problems related to just sitting in the sun here other than being too hot to sit on, tyres getting a bit melted, paint blistering or plastics bending. Goodluck.

[@albertlee6423]

My cluster isn’t getting any power when the bike turns on the fuse in the starter solenoid keeps popping is it my starter motor?

[@whitedoggarage]

Good question, it will not be your starter motor as it is just a DC motor powered directly (without a fuse) from the battery. If the fuse is popping in the circuit to the solenoid, then the problem will lie in a short to earth in the wiring system to it. Have a look at the wires between the starter button and the solenoid, is there any obvious breaks or melts in the insulation. There will be two wires to the solenoid, one is the power supply and the other is the earth. If you have a multimeter, set it on resistance, disconnect the two wires from the harness and check resistance from either wire to the negative terminal of the battery. It should be infinite, if it is low then the solenoid has shorted out and should be replaced. Hope that helps.

[@albertlee6423]

@@whitedoggarage I replaced the solenoid still the fuse blew again so it must be a short but no nothing is obvious

[@whitedoggarage]

@@albertlee6423 That makes it hard. Really it becomes an exercise in tracing voltage leakage along the wiring system. However, I would be tempted to open up the starter button handlebar switch and look for a short there possibly to the handlebar.

[@markwhalen5300]

5:40 I have that exact tool. And I can NEVER find it when I need it.

[@whitedoggarage]

I saw a set of three of them one day in a tool shop and thought why not. Over the years they have come in real handy at times.