Suddenly my bike won't start!

[Capo79]

Hi guys!

If someone has an idea of what might be the cause of this, I'd really appreciate to hear from you...

I wanted to try out the testing facility earlier tonight where I'm going to have my final test tomorrow morning (hopefully I will get my motor cycle license tomorrow). What happened was that going around one of the cones, I lost balance and had to put my left leg down. Of course, that was where one of the cones was positioned. Hence, I lost the bike. Thankfully, there was no scratches.

Anyway, my friend that came with me ran over to the bike and killed the engine with the kill switch. When I tried to start it again, it suddenly seems that the battery is flat! I obviously reset the kill switch, turned the key, instruments seem fine, but nothing. The starter engine turns maybe one or two times, and then it's just dead. A few times I also heard a clicking sound, just like what a relay sounds like from under the fuel tank.

The bike is a 2005 model and I bought it a couple of weeks ago. There's been no indication of the battery being worn out as the bike has started just fine every time.

It might be worth to mention that the bike still runs smoothly, and that there's no problem push-starting it.

Anyone with a qualified guess is welcome to post it

 

[reiobard]

sounds like the tip over sensor, disconnect the battery for 15 mins and re-connect, should reset the system. If the bike senses that it tips over it shuts off the fuel pump to stop fires from happening in a crash situation./

 

[Capo79]

It might be worth knowing that I just had to lay down the bike at virtually 0 km/h and that the bike didn't hit the ground hard at all... I just can't imagine that this would cause such a problem

 

[Capo79]

sounds like the tip over sensor, disconnect the battery for 15 mins and re-connect, should reset the system. If the bike senses that it tips over it shuts off the fuel pump to stop fires from happening in a crash situation./

Hmmm... But wouldn't that indicate that I shouldn't be able to start the bike at all?? I was able to start it by pushing it, and it runs smoothly...

But I'll try to disconnect the battery! :thumbup:

 

[wrightme43]

The battery may just need charged or this just may of been the day it decided to die, or one of the plates may of been failing and the fall just pushed it over the edge.

 

[reiobard]

Hmmm... But wouldn't that indicate that I shouldn't be able to start the bike at all?? I was able to start it by pushing it, and it runs smoothly...

But I'll try to disconnect the battery! :thumbup:

Very strange, do you get any error codes when you start the bike? also you might have knocked one of the battery terminals loose, check if they are tight.

 

[Lt_Red]

Prolly the sensor, just switch the bike off and wait 10 mins if it still doesnt start check:

1. Battery
2. Sidestand cutoff switch (the wire is exposed and can break)
3. Dodgy connections to kill switch

 

[Capo79]

I just tried to disconnect the battery, but that didn't do any good. But I think I know what this is. That relay sound I mentioned, is really not that. It's a short circuit some where. The battery got quite warm when I tried it now, and the ticking sound got either worse or disappeared when I nudged some of the wires. And you can't really say that it's a spacious environment under the tank....

I think I'll just leave it with that for now and make a phone call to my closest Yamaha dealer in the morning Hopefully they can repair whatever that has gone wrong without breaking my bank account

 

[wrightme43]

did the battery go from cold to warm?
Or was it warm from the engine?

 

[Capo79]

did the battery go from cold to warm?
Or was it warm from the engine?

From cold to warm. The bike hasn't been running for the last few hours and it's not even 46 degrees outside.........

 

[Sawblade]

Do you have a hill nearby? Try push starting it.

 

[Fred]

Check your battery terminals and cable connections. Check the connections at the starter too.

As odd as it sounds, I've seen one other case where a guy dropped a bike and the impact somehow loosened a starter cable.

Also, I believe the starter relay is under the left side pod. Did the pod get hit at all? Either way, pull it off and check that the starter relay isn't visibly damaged.

You can also short across the two large terminals of the starter relay using a screwdriver that you don't much like. Do this only with the bike in neutral or on the centerstand. You should get a big spark and the starter will run.

Did I mention the big spark? Wear eye protection and possibly gloves.

 

[Capo79]

Thanks for all the tips!

My driving test ended successfully, and I now have the licence:rockon:

I drove the bike to work today, which took me about 20 minutes. I tried the starter again when I arrived, and now it suddenly works. It seems that the battery had discharged for some reason, and I guess it has to do with the bike falling over.

At least, everything had a happy ending!

 

[necrotimus]

If you were stalling a lot and running it at low rpms in a parking lot situation its possible the batter was dead.

 

[04fizzer]

If you were stalling a lot and running it at low rpms in a parking lot situation its possible the batter was dead.

Exactly. Low RPM's combined with multiple restarts will kill a battery without giving it a chance to recharge, especially if it's warm enough for the fan to turn on.