Starting Issues !!

BIG STEVE · Post by **BIG STEVE** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 12:53 pm

Hi All,
First post for me, and its a mechanical issue !!!! Not a good start

I have read all the posts i could find re the dreaded "rectum frier" so many that i have in fact just bought an R1 one off ebay.

Anyway heres the prob : Bike has always been a good starter until now and when you hit the starter button it whirrs away without starting and then just as it sounds like the battery is about to give up it starts to fire up and then it roars into life with the usual roar through my ART cans and all is well BIG SMILE

I have checked the starter and all is well, battery seems ok, charged it and checked it as best i know how with the old leccy tester.
Plugs have been changed also but after this symptom started as a way of a potential fix.
Will be changing the rectifier for the R1 one as per forum mod instructions (thanks whoever posted that)

So to cut it short, if after i change the "rectum cooker" this persists any ideas ?
I am panicking now that it may turn out to be mechanical rather than electrical.

Any feed back will be greatly appreciated.

Post by **sirch345** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:17 pm

Welcome aboard Steve

I think it still could be the battery, how old is it

Also if not already done check the main cable going to the starter motor where it connects to it, the connection is prone to corroding especially if the bike has been used all year round. But be very careful though as Honda do not supply a new bolt on it's own, you don't want to shear it off

Chris.

BIG STEVE · Post by **BIG STEVE** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:12 pm

Thanks for the welcome and the input.

Battery is new ish ? i replaced it maybe 12 - 18 mnths ago
Starter connection is not mint in fact my nuts (oooh errr

)are fairly rusty but the starter whizzez up fine or appears to ?
Maybe i need to clean that up (carefully) to give it all the power i can.

It just seems odd that when it does fire up the starter, the battery almosts sounds like its gonna give up and then vroooom she fires up.

I think i will do the "rectum" mod` and have a go at the connection on the starter and see where that leaves me.

Will post again hopefully with problem solved or maybe i will need some wise words from you VTR gurus

Fingers crossed

Any more ideas in the meantime "answers on a postcard" please

richard · Post by **richard** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:33 pm

steve,

you say that the ' battery sounds like its gonna give up'...i guess what you mean is that the starter sounds like it is turning slower than normal.

check the resistance from the starter lead to the starter pin - it could have corroded and gone high resistance

when bike switched off - put voltmeter across battery terminals and leave them there and start bike, the voltage should not drop below 9 ish volts.

when bike is running check the voltage across battery - should be 14 +

next time start bike with voltmeter across starter pin on the starter and the -ve terminal on battery, should be 12ish volts or battery voltage

answer to these will reveal the problem, but rectifier has nothing to do with starting - only charging when running.

cheers
richard

tony.wilde1 · Post by **tony.wilde1** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:10 pm

i keep mine on the optimate all the time...then it always starts straight away!i have an alarm which drains it after a few days.no optimate =no start!

VTRgirl · Post by **VTRgirl** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:06 pm

Sounds like exactly what happened with my old Storm. Changed the wreck-you-later-rectum-frier & it seemed to make a little difference, but not much. Had trouble starting in the cold ever since. Always fine through Summer though

Wicky · Post by **Wicky** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:08 pm

"Starter connection is not mint in fact my nuts (oooh errr )are fairly rusty but the starter whizzez up fine or appears to ?
Maybe i need to clean that up (carefully) to give it all the power i can. "

The symptoms you describe what happened to my storm's starter motor - Under the rubber cover the bolt and seal slowly rusted and broke up allowing water into the starter through a hole into the starter casing till it eventually expired. Not much was visble to account for the wheeze of death apart from the crumbly rust, and I assumed starter unit or battery. Now with a 2nd hand starter from a breakers I regularly slap some grease to prevent the problem reoccurring.

Max · Post by **Max** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:43 pm

Hi Big Steve, welcome

Where are you in west Wales ??

I'm between Haverfordwest and Milford Haven

BIG STEVE · Post by **BIG STEVE** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:24 pm

Hi All,
The plot thickens (as does my mood, and the grey cloud in my workshop)
Firstly to Max, i am around the Aberaeron/Lampeter area.

Now down to business....have changed the rectifier started the old girl up and whoo hoo charging at a respectful 14 odd v great says i.....

This afternoon strated her up fine left her to tick over & warm up a bit donned bikey garments hopped on the bike knocked her into gear pulled away from house and she was coffin and spluttering like a bag of sh1t...and finaly dying on me, repeated tha above heartbreaking procedure about 3 times and now as soon as i try to engage a gear ....it cuts out.

Now ....the facts
Starts fine , runs ok till i pick a cog.
I have checked the following as best i know how.
Stand switch
clutch switch
Diode (whatever the duck that does "thanks mr haynes" Richard)
neutral switch (seemed like a good idea)

I am pretty useless as far as electrics go (its all i can do to run a test on the battery)

Any help will be greatly appreciated, cuz i am running out of tools to throw down the garden and my dog isnt talking to me

BIG STEVE · Post by **BIG STEVE** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:37 pm

Replying to my own posts ......sad
Just to say i have had a ickle search for other posts on the same issue and it seams "TEMPEST" had exactly the same problem ?

I will try this bypass gig and see what gives.

But if anyone has any better ideas i would be happy to hear them.

Fed up of fixin waana go ridin !!

Stratman · Post by **Stratman** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:46 pm

Stand/neutral switch can go - the Haynes manual has a section where you can check it with a MultiMeter. I bought one off ebay for about Â£7 and had a fiddle - looked really techy although I hadn't a clue what I was doing really - but it does sound like thats your problem - mine was replaced.

BIG STEVE · Post by **BIG STEVE** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:18 pm

Thanks stratman

I am dyin to get into the workshop and have another go at this stand switch, its all pointing at that as the culprit

But after watchin Wales get shamefuly bitch slapped by the Irish my hearts just not in it

Keep the ideas coming guys, cuz if it aint the stand switch i think im gonna cry.....
You watch now i will fix it and it will snow !!!

Cheers
Steve

Stratman · Post by **Stratman** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:20 pm

The Haynes manual also has a way of "reconnecting" the wires (I think) to isolate this as a problem. Does look like that's the culprit though as you say. It's an easy thing to remove and do a visual check though - could just be a dodgy connection perhaps?