Non starter

[graemec]

Hi there, fairly new to doing my own repairs etc. however here goes, `Storm has been laid up for a while, battery is good, can turn the engine by hand, ingnition/starter relay is working, starter motor is running when I take it off the bike and power it from another battery, however when I put the starter back on it won`t turn the engine even when powered independantly, is it due do the starter being gubbed or could be another problem?? Any tips would be much appeciated. GC

[tony.mon]

If it was starting ok before the layup it's the battery.

If it wasn't it's starter somewhere, but before you buy a new starter motor check the main lead that runs from the relay under the seat plastics to the motor itself; they have a habit of corroding at the starter end.

These bikes take a lot of current to turn over; even if the battery is giving 12v plus there may well not be enough current, and under load voltage drops to 8 or 9. That won't turn it over.

Can't tell from your post, but will it turn over with jump leads connected and the original battery in place? Connection to a car bat is ok.
If so, batt at fault, if not, starter or main cable.

[sirch345]

Was the bike running and starting on the starter button before it was laid up

If it was I'd be inclined to try another starter motor. I'm not sure where you are exactly, but may be someone close by could let you borrow a good spare one to try. You are sure the battery you tried (the one in the bike and the independent power supply) are up to the job

Chris.

PS. Welcome to the forum by the way

**EDIT** Tony must have been writing the same time as me
Reading his post made me think about the way I was thinking. I assumed (may be wrongly) you were going direct to the starter motor live (+) terminal with the independent power supply and not using jump leads to the bikes existing battery terminals.

[graemec]

Yep, tried it six ways from sunday, jump leads from car battery to bike battery, jump leads straight from car battery to starter, effectivley bypassing the bike altogether, no joy, but when I take the starter off the bike and attach jump leads to it (the starter) from the car it whirrrrrs away quite happily. Begining to think it must me the starter not being able to handle the load from the engine. Thanks for getting back to me

[bluestoesonnose]

I think I'd be pulling the starter apart and giving it a good clean, checking the bearings and installing some new bushes whilst I was in there, then I'd be working my way back, new lead (make one it's easy) I've pulled all the leads apart on my bike, cleaned all the connections and given them all a coat of DC4 just to make sure they don't corrode again. it'd be worth doing the same with the starter circuit on your bike as it could be something simple. If all that fails then it's new battery time...

[tony.mon]

If the starter won't turn the engine over with a good battery (jump leads from a car) attached then it's the starter.

But then again, it may be the starter lead.
They often corrode, at the point where it joins the ring terminal at the starter end.

Just for the sake of it, try adding a secondary bit of wire, 30 amp cooker cable works well, running parallel to the starter lead.
Then try a jump lead from a car type solution.

If all ok, then it's the lead.
If no joy, it's the motor.

[graemec]

Cheers Tony, tried to get the starter to turn whilst on the bike by attaching the jump leads to the terminal on the starter and earthing the negative lead, with the starter lead totally disconnected, no joy, but when I do this with the starter off the bike it runs no bother, begining to think that the starter is just past it. Cheers GC

[tony.mon]

Looks that way.
Pull it apart, clean the grooves between the commutator rings and see if the brushes are worn to the point where they're just about touching the contact surfaces, but not being pushed fairly hard against it.
If so, replace brushes.
Get the wires connected the right way round when installing brushes though, or it'll run backwards!

Good luck getting the long bolts undone....

If you need to buy a 2nd hand one, you can search ebag for one, but also the SP1 motor is identical except the end cap, which you can swap over from your one easily. It's the housing end where the mounting bolts going through that you'll need to swap.

[Hoppo]

Shot in the dark - anything to do with the idler gear do you think?
When my sons storm had a starter problem I found that these seem to be the same starter - CBR900 RR Fireblade CBR600 CB550 . If anyone knows they are not please let me know & i'll take them off my list!
His prob turned out to be corroded terminal.

[Wicky]

I recall fireblade/blackbird ones being the same - not sure on the others. You should be able to pick one up for £20 – £50 from ebay

[tony.mon]

Shot in the dark - anything to do with the idler gear do you think?

Ah, I see what you mean.
The idler gear set consists of two gears pressed together, and under the high torque of an engine start one slips against the other, meaning that although the motor turns, no rotation reaches the sprag clutch.

But I've never know this to happen without a horrible screeching noise when trying to start the engine, and this hasn't been mentioned in the posts so far.

Best way to check is to remove the alternator cover and look inside when the starter is operated- you can see if the larger outer gear is turning, but the sprag clutch doesn't move.
Mind you ears, though- that screech is loud if you have your head down there!

[graemec]

Just to complicate it further folks, will the starter motor from a 2007 CBR6 RR be compatible with my 2000 `Storm, pardon my ignorance
GC