Solenoid clicks, all connections good

[johnWK]

Hey all, I’m back already.

So the other day while giving my friend riding lessons, he let the clutch slip out and the bike died. No big deal, only now the bike won’t start. I can hear and feel the solenoid click, but the engine won’t crank. Headlight, oil, and neutral light all come on, and the headlight turns off when starter is pressed. I put a new battery on, and tested the connections.

The battery, both leads on the solenoid, and the nut on the starter all light up right at 12v when the starter is pressed. Put new plugs in today for good measure. All the fuses up front are intact, and all but one read 12v. I’m including a picture of the one that reads 0.1v. My GW is naked, the only electrical draws are my headlights, turn signals, and starter, so I’m not sure if this fuse is important. It’s the second terminal to the last on the left, black wire.

My only other thought is the fact that I put an LED headlight on a month ago and pinched a wire in the headlight, which melted a wire and now my left turn signal isn’t getting power.

Not sure what to do next, any help would be appreciated!

[johnWK]

Update: took a closer look at a wiring diagram and it would seem as if that fuse controls my turn signals, which would explain the low voltage.

In more important news, I got her to start. On the center stand, the rear wheel will not turn while in gear. After much effort in the driveway I was able to get the engine to turn over, and lo and behold with some effort she came to life upon pressing the starter. After getting only a click from the solenoid, I heard the starter motor struggling to engage, and then after getting the wheel to turn one more time she fired up. Took her for a lap around the block, and she was purring like a kitten.

Got back to the garage, turned it off, and immediately tried to start it again. No dice. Heard the starter motor struggling again, and after a few seconds I'm back to just a click from the solenoid. Again, the wheel won't turn without some serious elbow grease while on flat pavement, and I can't turn it at all while on center stand.

Guessing now my problem is not electrical. Hydro lock? Again, any help would be appreciated.

[virgilmobile]

If you drove it into the shop..shut it off and immediately it wouldn't crank..it won't be hydrolocked...
Either the starter is pu-pu or a bad battery/connection to it.
Use your voltmeter...attach to the FRAME for the ground...Probe the STUD on the starter..not the wire...Push the start button...It should show near battery volts and crank up...
If it's very low volts...move your probe to the starter solenoid battery connection...Measure there...then direct to the battery post...Test measure when you attempt to start the engine...
If all the measurements are low..move the ground to the battery post and retest...A corroded ground lug is a common problem...
If the volts are ok on the starter...Pull it and rebuild it.

[johnWK]

All ground tests seem to check out...12.5v at the starter stud from ground. Put the bike in 5th gear and the back tire will spin easily on flat ground, still with some resistance on center stand. Guessing that's probably normal. She nearly started back up when I rolled her down the driveway in 5th.

At this point all signs are pointing to my starter motor being out of commission, no?

[RBGERSON]

yEP.........................

[virgilmobile]

Same answer here.
Yup.12 volts on the starter stud to the frame...starter not turning...bad starter.
You can handle that...right?

[johnWK]

Spent some time under the bike staring at the bolts connecting it to the engine...only see 2 so far and only 1 that seems like it might be kind of a b#$@! to get to. Is it possible/advisable to get that thing off there without taking off the left valve covers and brake pedal? Looked through the How-to articles and didn't see one for this particular job.

I'm at work right now so I don't have time to go diving in the forum search engine but if anyone has a link to a thread showing how to get that thing off I'd greatly appreciate it.

[johnWK]

And by brake I of course meant shifter...

Anyway, I took off the shifter and was able to get the starter off in a relatively short amount of time after work. That little 8mm bolt behind the exhaust could not be placed in a more frustrating location for someone with a relatively small toolbox.

Found WingAdmin's thread about restoring the starter, gonna give it a shot. I'll let you all know the results.

Thanks again for helping a rookie mechanic with troubleshooting.

[johnWK]

Inside of the starter looked exactly like the pictures in WingAdmin's rebuild thread, which is to say, not great. My brushes were worn down even more than his. Looked into replacing them but decided just to grab a fresh starter after some time shopping around.

Bolted it on and connected it this morning...pressed the start button and she immediately cranked over and fired up.

Thanks again. Learned a lot in the process and ended up with a new battery, solenoid, multimeter, and starter motor- in that order

Would've saved a little coin if the multimeter came first, but hey, now I've got a fresh battery and solenoid I won't have to worry about for a while. I hope

[virgilmobile]

See...I figured you'd get it done.
Good job.