Having problems with my new Ninja - click from starter relay - but battery checks out

[Baz]

On my new '06 Ninja 500.

Went to start it last night and it started and ran, but died after I gave it a little throttle. Figured it wasn't warmed up enough. Then when I pressed the starter button again, I just got a single click from the starter relay.

So this morning I began troubleshooting. Charged the battery and got 96% as soon as I attached the charging cables. I tried another charger and it read 90%. Then I jump started from my Volvo and got only the click from the relay.

I tested the battery under load and got 12.4 volts. So I don't think we're dealing with a battery problem here.

Next, I tried to jump the starter relay and got nothing. So I removed and bench tested it and according to the procedure laid out in my Haynes manual, it passed. Got 0 ohms when hooked up to the battery with test leads to terminals.

Kill switch is in proper position. Green neutral light on dash. I even put it in gear and nudged the crank just to make sure it wasn't a stuck flywheel or something mechanical.

I guess the next step would be go to the starter.

Any ideas, guys?

This bike is in great condition and always started right up with no choke. I'm a little bummed right now.

Click.

[porsche4life]

Cdi box? I had a Honda that had some bad solder joints in the cdi. It would have some weird starting issues like that.

[908/930]

Can you reach the starter solinoid to bypass the relay, does it spin properly? Kick stand safety switch?

[Baz]

Thanks for the replies and input!

I decided to push it while in gear again to turn over the engine. After doing this a couple times she turned over with the start button as normal!

Took a little while to get it running smooth again but now things are all back to normal.

I re-tried 3 times just to make sure and each time it starts right up!

So maybe a "dead spot" in the starter?

I guess a starter R&R might be in order in the near future. There's a good shop here in town - I will ask.

Interesting that it starts better with no choke on.

[McLovin]

I had the same issue with my last Ducati.
I feared the worst, but it turned out to be a bad ground on the frame.
(I think it was the main ground from the battery to the frame, I don’t know if the starter also has a big ground to the frame, that wouldn’t really makes sense but it’s been a while).
I’d have to take that ground off, sand it, spray it with some DeOxIt every couple of years.

[McLovin]

Long way of saying take apart, inspect and clean up all your ground connections.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by McLovin

Long way of saying take apart, inspect and clean up all your ground connections.

Always good advice!

Thanks, Mac!

[greglepore]

Originally Posted by McLovin

I had the same issue with my last Ducati.
I feared the worst, but it turned out to be a bad ground on the frame.
(I think it was the main ground from the battery to the frame, I don’t know if the starter also has a big ground to the frame, that wouldn’t really makes sense but it’s been a while).
I’d have to take that ground off, sand it, spray it with some DeOxIt every couple of years.

My suspicion as well.

[Baz]

Followup on the situation. The problem went away and then came back and I finally got a little time last night to continue troubleshooting.

After replacing the starter relay - with no improvement - I went through the wire connections from battery to starter. They actually looked OK.

But when I removed the battery and went to check on the electrolyte levels each chamber made a little sucking sound when I removed the cap. I shined a flashlight into them and the level looked a little low so I went ahead and added some water plus a little leftover battery acid from another battery I had purchased. Then left it on the charger overnight on low amperage. This morning I installed the battery and now the bike starts right up - every time.

So I think all along it had to be the battery. Even though it showed "charged" on the battery charger - and even though when I jump started the bike from my Volvo - and those didn't make a difference - I still think it was the battery all along.

Let me share my reasoning. When I first went to start the bike the starter engaged and the engine turned over very slowly - too slow to start. Next try and I get the click at the relay. What I think was happening was the battery had enough power for that first little boost of energy and then it was gone for any subsequent attempts.

What threw me off was the starter not engaging even when I jump started it. I still don't know what happened there. If the battery was the problem, surely jump starting should have worked.

I called the guy I bought the bike from and he said the battery was only about a year old.

We'll see what happens. Maybe it just needed that little bit of water added.

I have no problem getting another battery if need be.

I also added a little battery tender loom so I can plug in my tender very easily. I bought a 6 pack of them and so far have them on 2 of my bikes.







This looks like corrosion on the positive post but it actually just fiber washers. The posts were clean as a whistle. I sprayed everything with CRC electrical cleaner anyway.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I'm having problems with my Ninja too. His katana skills are rusty and he can't hit the broad side of a barn with a shuriken. Monkey rolls, forget it.

[pwd72s]

Do they make AGM motorcycle batteries?

[rfuerst911sc]

Baz as others have stated check/clean and add dielectric grease to all ground points . Check ground cables for corrosion creep , that's the corrosion that starts at the connection point and creeps up the wire strands under the insulation . It causes higher resistance and it doesn't take much to cause issues .

Checking the battery with a meter is much different than load testing . Pull the battery and take to your local FLAPS and have it load tested . If it passes load test you at least can eliminate the battery as the source of the issue . Do bikes still have back up kick starters these days ?

[Baz]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Do they make AGM motorcycle batteries?

Yes they do and I ordered one yesterday. Should get here this week.

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Baz as others have stated check/clean and add dielectric grease to all ground points . Check ground cables for corrosion creep , that's the corrosion that starts at the connection point and creeps up the wire strands under the insulation . It causes higher resistance and it doesn't take much to cause issues .

Checking the battery with a meter is much different than load testing . Pull the battery and take to your local FLAPS and have it load tested . If it passes load test you at least can eliminate the battery as the source of the issue . Do bikes still have back up kick starters these days ?

Thanks for the info, Rick. I concluded it was the battery all along and have a new one coming. I think the old one just needed more electrolyte. I did go through all the cables as well and did not detect any corrosion. This bike has been dry stored it's entire life and it's evident once you start looking at things very closely, as one does while troubleshooting a mechanical issue.

This bike doesn't not have a kick start in addition to the electric start, but my Chinese Hawk 250 does.

Here she is yesterday after I got her started......