bike won't start!

[superfly]

guys,
I have a dilema and need some imput here. Yesterday went to start the bike and at first it just clicked and then nothing. I thought strange so I took the seat off and checked the battery terminals. One side was a bit loose, but not real loose. I tighten the screws on the terminals. Hit the start button again and it sounded as if the battery was too weak to start it and then started up. Rode for 30 min or so no problems. ( By the way the battery is brand new yuasa 2 days old) Today Get ready to ride and go out to start her up and all I can get is the click click. Go through all the connections to starter and battery everything is tight. I did a search regarding the EHC and don't really find anything of real value regarding my situation. Question would be does this sound like the normal EHC problems or should I be looking at the starter possibly? Problem is bike week is practically here I already have my condo reserved and paid and I would imagine it will be hard to get it fixed in time. I'm not a wrench with great knowledge. Just enough to get me into trouble. LOL. I would greatly appreciate some imput, which may at least steer me in the right direction. IF it is EHC can is there an after market one, which can alleviate the prblems that big dog seems to have with the factory one? thanks

 

[KnotSo]

First of all I would put a battery tender on it, and put it on whenever you are not riding it.

 

[woodbutcher]

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A BATTERY TENDER, GET ONE !!!!!!!! if you are not on the bike, the tender should be even if the battery is brand new. must have at least 12.4 volts to crank and it doesn't take much to lose enough to keep it from cranking. hope this helps. :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs:

 

[Cephus]

Superfly, I had the same problem when I bought my bike last year. The guy I bought the bike from told me he had put a new battery in the bike, which he did. But I think the bike sat and the battery lost its charge over time. I bought a new Yuasa battery, and when it arrived I checked the battery and it was not at "full" charge. I put in on the battery tender and let it sit overnight. Put it in the next day and the bike fired right up, and I have had no problems since. Your battery may be new, but the manufactuerer recommends charging the battery prior to installation. I'm not a wrencher either so I hope I am right on this.

 

[superfly]

I should have said that. I always have the tender on it. Even though it is brand new.

 

[narow37]

Check this out Superfly.

http://www.bigdogbiker.com/forums/technical/2901-starter-click-click-click.html

 

[reloaderbmg]

s/fly. pm. me with where you are in orlando , may be i can help!
you need to be in daytona next week end!

 

[Gas Man]

narow hit on what I was thinking... especially you salt air boys

and what Sul said is a good idea to check if you are having a charging problem.. here's a pic of what he is talking about. Silver box to the left of the pic... the black dot on the top is the reset. It will always wiggle a little but if it truely clicks... it was popped

 

[superfly]

gas,
good point made. i went out and checked the black button. At first i didn't think i had one, but it was on the bottom for some reason. I was able to feel around and push it in. I heard the click. So now the question is why did this happen? What do I need to be looking at as to why this happened? Is this the 40 amp fuse that was being talked about? Any idea what this part costs?

thanks again

 

[P8RIOT]

Superfly, this circuit breaker is IN LINE with where they are putting the 40 amp fuse. In fact, the service bulletin is to REPLACE the circuit breaker with the fuse, because the fuse is much faster acting.

 

[superfly]

p8riot,
thanks, now my dog is out of warranty. Is bd still doing the recall on bikes out of warranty? I would imagine if I want to get her up and running before bike week it would be impossible to get this in to bd and have them fix it in time. I can see me coming out of pocket if i want it back up and running

 

[P8RIOT]

I'd just keep an eye on the circuit breaker for the time being, superfly.

(1) It could have been a one-time anomoly, in which case you can just check it occasionally to ensure it doesn't pop again and leave you stranded.

(2) It could be an over-sensitive circuit breaker, which could be replaced at a later time.

(3) It really could be popping because of over-amping, in which case you have a serious problem elsewhere that better be diagnosed expediciously. Look carefully to see if there was any other damage, like melting of the insulation on any of the in-line wires.

My recommendation - ride it a little more as-is, but keep an eye on the circuit breaker. If it pops again, then get serious about identifying the problem - and have it replaced with the fuse, which is much faster acting. (40 amps can do a lot of damage in the 1-2 seconds it takes for a circuit breaker to pop.)

A good dealer, working with Big Dog, would probably put the fuse in at not cost to you - but dealers do vary.

 

[superfly]

ok, well i should have made one of my earlier statements more clear. after noticing the breaker popped and pushing it back in the bike still won't start. It does the same thing as before I pushed the reset button. click, click

 

[P8RIOT]

ok, well i should have made one of my earlier statements more clear. after noticing the breaker popped and pushing it back in the bike still won't start. It does the same thing as before I pushed the reset button. click, click

Just pushing in the CB won't correct a low battery - just allow the battery to recharge, after the bike is running.

If the battery is fully charged and the voltage is over 12.4, and it still goes clikck-click, you have another issue to troubleshoot.

 

[narow37]

If your battery is good(fully charged) and you get the click click. that really sounds like the starter solenoid. I would check that if you can get to it easy enough. EASY CHECK.

 

[superfly]

i don't have a volt meter to really know, but the battery is fully charged has been on trickle. I believe i have other problems to troubleshoot. My guess is vr, starter or ehc, but I don't know shit about electrical systems. thanks for your help.

 

[P8RIOT]

A coupla more observations-

(1) A bad Voltage Regulator will not directly cause the bike to fail to start - it might cause the battery to not charge properly once the bike is running, which LATER will make it impossible to start.

(2) The EHC is a mystery to most people, and as such is blamed for a lot of simpler problems - lots of troubleshooting to do before even suspecting the EHC is bad.

(3) Stop by an auto parts store and buy a little cheap insurance - you can get a simple multi-meter ("multi" implying the ability to measure volts, ohms, and amps) for $10. I recommend you look for one that is "auto-ranging," meaning you don't have to set any switches to get it to indicate the right voltage range or polarity. An autoranging multi-meter might be a little more expensive. I bought a cheap and tiny one that I carry in my tool bag.

(4) Corrosion at the connectors is a very common reason for voltage drop. It is often seen as white powder, hiding between the connectors and the battery post, as well as other connections downstream from the battery. It is pretty straightforward to disconnect, clean, and reinstall connectors to ensure this is not the problem. All the contact points should be shiny metal.

Just a few more thoughts, superfly - good luck - keep us informed - lotsa help around here.

 

[superfly]

i did plan on getting a meter today. Sounds like i need to check the starter solenoid next. I did check all the cables for corrosion and to make sure they were tight. I will keep you all posted. thanks again.

 

[narow37]

i did plan on getting a meter today. Sounds like i need to check the starter solenoid next. I did check all the cables for corrosion and to make sure they were tight. I will keep you all posted. thanks again.

GOOD LUCK! :2thumbs::2thumbs:

 

[P8RIOT]

Patience and persistence, superfly - you'll track it down! :up: