Clicl-click-click-click-click-click…...

[carl1957]

I was out riding yesterday, when after a gas stop, I pressed the starter button, and alI heard was the dreaded click-click-click of a non engaging starter. I then pressed again, and she cranked over and started. the rest of the day, the starter cranked just fine, with no slow turn over or clicks. Has anyone experienced this? Does this phenomenon indicate a latent problem which may get worse the more I ride?

Carl

[peels]

how old is the battery?

Could be a sign of battery going....? or loose connection.

or, starter is dirty. Iv'e seen them rebuilt or just cleaned. Worst-case new starter needed, not difficult to repair.

[vwdoctor]

Other than the obvious, (battery connections) there is an issue with the grease plate coming lose in the starter. If it does it again, I would strongly recommend taking the starter apart and taking a look, (not a bad idea anyway)
Here is how the British are doing it.
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread ... rter-Strip

[carl1957]

Thanks guys for the feedback! The bike has 17K. I should've stated that the battery was new last summer. But I've had problem with Westco's before. Had one that was shorted. Probably check the battery under load, before looking at the starter. I'll let you know what I find.
By the way vwdoctor, the clutch hub spacer is in there silently giving me peace of mind.

[CycleRob]

carl1957,
In my past experiences the most common cause of what you describe, especially 1 year after the battery was replaced, is loosened up battery terminal(s). The reason it happened and then seemed to fix itself is that when it did work again it is because the arcing between contact surfaces created a new, somewhat temporarily welded pathway. If you remove the battery terminals and inspect the mating surfaces you should see the burn marks. It seems this 1 year later click-click-click start failure happens most often when there is no lock washer between the battery bolt washer and battery cable terminal -combined with- softer than usual thin walled lead terminal posts and maybe inadequate installation torque. It is also possible a battery inter-cell connector bar has cracked, but that would most likely fail a battery load test.

I say this because my F800ST battery terminals "developed" a troubling looseness about a year after they were 100 percent properly tightened for an electrical power center addition. The working solution was adding a pair of Stainless Steel Lockwashers and longer battery bolts.

[carl1957]

It appears, that a loose negative battery connection was the issue. The nut was finger loose, could easily turn the cable end on the battery post. Think I'll stop looking. Thanks to cycle rob and the rest for the input. The link illustrating the disassembly of the starter is great!

[AZBMWRIDER]

Having experienced this one time, long ago, I always use self-locking nuts on the battery terminals .

[carl1957]

That's a great idea!