Starter issues

[XS_issues]

Hey,

So after getting my xs400 up and running a couple of weeks ago after winter storage everything was working great. Except this morning I went to start it and noticed I had left the starter switch in the on position for about a week. So I charged the battery for a couple hours and came back to start it but when I hit the start button absolutely nothing happened, complete silence.

When I flip the starter switch I can hear a click under the seat and I checked the wiring and fuses and everything looks fine. I'm guessing I blew out my starter relay and need to replace it but I figured I would check with you all first since I've never worked with any of the wiring on a bike before.

Any help or suggestions are much appreciated.

 

[bcware]

If the relay is clicking it's probably fine. Mine doesn't have an electric start, but my friend's '74 honda cb360 starter relay will "click" when the starter is pushed if the battery is too weak.

How many volts is your battery sitting at after you charge it? If it's perfect it should be something like 12.8V or 12.9V; once you hit around 12.3V or lower there may be a problem (again, assuming you just fully charged it). I think around 11.4V is fully discharged.

 

[XS_issues]

No, maybe I didn't explain we'll enough. When I push the starter button nothing happens, no clicking, dead silence. When I toggle the starter switch between off and run I can hear a faint click below the seat. The battery is charged just fine.

 

[bcware]

By starter switch do you actually mean kill switch?

When I have starter trouble the first thing I do is disconnect the grounds and other cables; inspect them and clean them. Clean up any debris and dirt, etc.

If this fails I will usually remove the starter and connect it to the battery with heavy gauge wire to manually check that it is functioning.

If the motor is not operating I will disassemble it and inspect the internals for damage or wear before giving it a good cleaning.

I'd only start doing this is you are absolutely certain that your battery is good, no fuses are blown, etc.

Since I don't have an electric start on my xs400 I am not familiar with any possible safety devices built in to the motorcycle. Sometimes there are clutch or side stand relays that may prevent the starter from functioning. It is worth while to check these first if you have them.