Won't start

[CoffeeRider]

  Went to start her up this morning to take her in for inspection, pressed the start button and nothing. The battery has been on a Battery Tender, and checks out good. There was no click or any noise. Checked lights and horn and all were normal. I just had Larry Buck rebuild the J box so the relays are new. Could this be a bad start button? Last fall there were a few times when I had to press it really hard to get a start.

[Outback_Jon]

Went to start her up this morning to take her in for inspection, pressed the start button and nothing. The battery has been on a Battery Tender, and checks out good. There was no click or any noise. Checked lights and horn and all were normal. I just had Larry Buck rebuild the J box so the relays are new. Could this be a bad start button? Last fall there were a few times when I had to press it really hard to get a start.

Side stand switch?  Clutch switch?  Neutral switch?

Occasionally my bike won't start when in neutral unless I pull the clutch in.

[jim_de_hunter]

Engine kill switch in the "off" position got me more than once.

[Summit670]

If needed, you can disassemble the start button and there are a few contacts under there which can be sanded so they are shiny again.

The starter button rotates on plastic tabs so it can't take a whole lot of abuse.  Can't replace just the button.  Looking at the whole assembly if button is broke.  Used switch assemblies on ebay might be an option, otherwise you will have one new assy and one old one on the other bar.   

[MAN OF BLUES]

Went to start her up this morning to take her in for inspection, pressed the start button and nothing. The battery has been on a Battery Tender, and checks out good. There was no click or any noise. Checked lights and horn and all were normal. I just had Larry Buck rebuild the J box so the relays are new. Could this be a bad start button? Last fall there were a few times when I had to press it really hard to get a start.

remove the battery cables, scrub them clean, and the batery teminal, and also the other end of the ground cable at the engine....re-assemble and tell us what occurs.
Battery tender usage causes a small invisible resistive layer at the terminal inerface over time. this must be scraped off to get metal to metal contact.
Also the starter switch button internals can be disassembled, and the bronze inner "hat shaped" contact, and associated current carrying spring ends, scrubbed on sand paper to remove oxidation, and re-assemble. Use extreme caution in disassembly, and cover the whole area below the handlebars, over the tank gap, using a towel to prevent parts loss in the "cavern". I have re-habs at least a dozen of these switches, they work the same as a horn button...(hint hint...)

[CoffeeRider]

I have tried all of your suggestions and a friend told me that he thinks the starter relay is not working. I had Larry Buck rebuild it last November and I am going to send it back to him to check out. Either a bad relay or a bad solder joint.

[George R. Young]

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=565.0

[Daytona_Mike]

I have tried all of your suggestions and a friend told me that he thinks the starter relay is not working. I had Larry Buck rebuild it last November and I am going to send it back to him to check out. Either a bad relay or a bad solder joint.

Larry Buck rebuilt your J-Box which does have a 'Starter Circuit Relay' inside the J-Box  but that is not your Starter Relay.
Your Starter Relay is next to the J-box and it is  round with 2 large power  cables attached and 2 small wires.
You most likely do not have ground on  the BK/Y (Black with yellow stripe). That wire has to be grounded through either your neutral switch or  the clutch lever pulled in.
If you do  have ground on that  BK/Y wire now you can look for 12volts when you push the starter button on the other small wire.
Lets us know what you find. 
Also, when you turn the key on and  then you push the starter button, does the headlight come on?

[JDM]

I have tried all of your suggestions and a friend told me that he thinks the starter relay is not working. I had Larry Buck rebuild it last November and I am going to send it back to him to check out. Either a bad relay or a bad solder joint.

You can check the starter relay by pulling up the rubber cover to expose the two large wire connections on the relay and making sure the bike is in neutral. Take a screwdriver and touch the two large wire contacts on the starter relay. This should bypass the starter relay and allow the starter to turn over. If the starter engages, then make sure all the wires are clean and tight on the relay. Be very careful that you do not engage the starter too long as this can build up heat in the screwdriver tip. Make sure the 30 amp fuse is in good working order and is making good contact in the J-Box. HTH JD

[JDM]

 CoffeeRider, so what was causing your bike not to start?

[MAN OF BLUES]

 

[CoffeeRider]

Right now I am waiting to get my Jbox back from Larry Buck who tested it out OK before I try the other suggestions.

[JDM]

Right now I am waiting to get my Jbox back from Larry Buck who tested it out OK before I try the other suggestions.

You should be able to check the starter relay with out the J-box if the battery is connected, by going through the check procedure as I described.

[CoffeeRider]

  Got the Jbox back today from Larry (thanks, Larry) and put it in, then took JDM's suggestion and used the screw driver to short across the terminals and low and behold, it cranked. Then I tried it with the starter button and it cranked. Buttoned every thing up and rolled her outside, gave her some enrichment and hit the button and she started right up. Tried it again and it worked again, so I let her run for 20 minutes to put some juice back in the battery. I guess the starter solenoid was just tempermental and I am glad to say that my Interstate AGM battery is fine. Thanks to all of you for your help and suggestions which is what makes this site so great!

[JDM]

Got the Jbox back today from Larry (thanks, Larry) and put it in, then took JDM's suggestion and used the screw driver to short across the terminals and low and behold, it cranked. Then I tried it with the starter button and it cranked. Buttoned every thing up and rolled her outside, gave her some enrichment and hit the button and she started right up. Tried it again and it worked again, so I let her run for 20 minutes to put some juice back in the battery. I guess the starter solenoid was just tempermental and I am glad to say that my Interstate AGM battery is fine. Thanks to all of you for your help and suggestions which is what makes this site so great!

Good to know it is all working.

[timmerz]

The two times this has happened to me, it was the actual ignition (key) switch the first time, and the clutch switch the second....

[CoffeeRider]

Now I am experiencing a new problem with starting. Sometimes when I go to start, it will only start if I put it in gear and hold the clutch in. What should I be looking for?

[Jet86]

sounds like the clutch switch, spray it with wd40 while working the clutch., also there is only one small screw holding the switch so just check it out.

[cmoore]

Yea, clean the clutch switch really good. I was having the same symptoms and cleaning that switch has helped. You may have to replace it. I took mine off to clean it and sprayed the heck out of it with contact cleaner. So far so good but I still may have to replace it.

[CoffeeRider]

Finally had to bite the bullet and take it to the dealer who did diagnose the clutch switch as being bad as well as the contacts on the starter button needing to be cleaned. He did that work along with an oil change, coolant change and inspection for $243. I don't think that was too bad.