bike won't start

Drevenflow

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So, here is the deal:

This past Thursday I I noticed that when my normal headlights were on, only one headlamp was on. When I went hi-beam, both lamps were on, but only one was HI and the other looked 'regular'.

Went riding today, and the bike started fine. Came home, parked it and tried to start it again, no dice. The tach and digital display all come on. The indicator lights (engine/oil/neutral) all work. Turn signals work. Horn works. Fuel gauge @ full. Temp gauge @ two notches. Headlights DO NOT work. HI or LOW.

Engine won't turn over. And when I do try to start, it almost turns over, then give a certain tone and stops. I dont think the battery is dead but?

Help?

2006 FZ6, 210 miles.
 

ant_mb

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Youre lights are working properly on high and low beam. The headlights won't come on until the bike is running, so I would suspect the battery.
 
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VEGASRIDER

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Make sure your kickstand is up.......it won't start unless it's up. One of the safety measures on the bike. It should start if it's in neutral though. Ant Mb is correct, all of our headlights are like that, unless you do a headlight modification in which many of our members have. There is a specific thread on how to do that too.
 

shaggystyle

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Take the battery in and have it tested. Your gauges draw very little power and they will continue to work for a bit after the battery has drained below the optimal level needed to turn the bike over. If you have an autozone nearby I know they will test it and even charge it for you for free.
 

Drevenflow

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Thanks for all the info. Two questions:

1. ALREADY?!? I've had the bike for a week. How could it be drained already. And...

2. How much of a pain is it to get to the battery?

Thanks again!
 

shaggystyle

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It's not too bad....there are a couple of bolts holding the tank down up by the handlebars. After that the tank just hinges up and there it is, just be careful not to pull too hard when lifting your tank or you'll pull the fuel lines loose and that could get messy. Check out the service manuals hiding somewhere on the forums for more details.
 

ant_mb

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If it's a new bike then take it in for service, if it's used then simply pull the gas tank and you will have access to the battery. It sounds like a classic case of a dead battery to me.
 
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wrightme43

One week old you say.
Well new parts mean new parts. It does not mean good parts. 4th on check the batt. Also check that the neutral light is lit, also check kickstand up, clutch in, red switch on right bar in the run position, also verify key is in the run position and not the hazard mode.

If these all check out then it is either a battery, solinoid, ground, starter, or a switch problem. LOL
Easiest and most likely, battery needs charged or wasnt properly filled when brought into service.
 

jamesfz6

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Same thing happened to me!!!!

When i got mine i drove it for about 30 miles and stopped at a gas station. The bike did exactly as you described, it wouldnt star but all the guages worked. Since i had the thing no more than 30 minutes, i called the dealer and they picked me up. It turns out that the battery went deffective. The tech he wasn't sure why it happened, just that it happens from time to time. They put me in a battery and i was off, no more problem. If you have a battery tester you can test it for volts. The battery is supposed to have 12 volts to start the bike. On my deffective battery it read 12 volts until you hit the start button. Once the start button was hit the battery dropped to 6.5 volts. I would reccomend testing it if you have the right equipment.

If your dealer is far away or you just dont have time to take it down there, see about getting a cheap volt/ohm meter. They run about $10-$20 from any hardware store i have been in.
 

Drevenflow

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Thanks for all in input.

1. I called the dealer and they offered to pick it up. I told them I'd try to remove the battery first and/or jump it with my truck (truck NOT running) to start the bike. Either way, the battery needs to be replaced/recharged.

2. I'll be tyring the mod for the dual headlights soon. I think its silly to have one low lamp as normal and then one low + one hi during HI BEAM. I saw the threads posted and all for the mod. I may use Shaggystyle's method, but I'll keep reading thru all the posts.

3. I will buy the amp-meter. I also live 1/2 block from Pep Boys, maybe they'll do me a solid and charge the battery.
 
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