Help My bike wont start

Zion Moto

Paint & Restorations

Common electronic system questions

My bike is getting harder and harder to start in the cold mornings, lights are dim try first a bad battery will give u false reading on other parts
When i go to start my bike i hear a clicking noise and nothing happens.
My electronics system is playing up, my light bulbs break easy or my battery goes dead.

My bike is getting harder and harder to start in the cold mornings, light are dim.

NOTE flat battery is the most common error. Use a multi meter to check its voltage which should be at around 12volts.

Batteries have a limited life span normally a few years. If u notice your bike is hard to start in the mourning's, perhaps your lights dim significantly when your blinkers are on or even RPM's drop when u turn your headlight on it may be time to do some work on the battery.

Using these methods u may be able to get allot more use out of most batteries

Disconnect the battery and clean the contact terminals ( the two metal things above + and - ) and the wire that connect it using either steel wool, wire brush or sandpaper.

Check the battery has proper amount of fluid in it. If not take off the plugs and pour in some distilled/de mineralized water,u may need to do this on a infrequent basis as the lvl will drop due to heat and evaporation. A sudden drop (normaly noticible within days) in battery fluid may indicate overcharging and a fualty Rectifier.

Charge your battery with a car charger for a few hours a healthy one will indicate 12 volts on the multi meter

motorcycle battery

Battery

When i go to start my bike i hear a clicking noise and nothing happens.

The clicking noise u are hearing is your starter relay. Most often located on the RHS under the rider seat.

This is the part that connects your battery to your starter motor to turn over the engine and start your bike when u push the start button.

This means u don't have enough charge in your battery. You should either charge your battery, jump start from your car or u can also try cleaning the battery terminals.

If this is a long term problem check your battery fluid level if it is low you may have a bad rectifier.

Also u can bypass the starter relay by connecting the two terminals ( the two bolt and nut parts in the photo) this will sometime be enough to start your engine in an emergency and could be used to figure out if your starter relay is broken.

stater relay

Starter relay

My electronics system is playing up, my light bulbs break easy and my battery goes dead

When your rectifier burns out/fails u will have to much voltage going into your electronics system, resulting in light bulbs and fuses burning out quickly. Your battery will get progressively worse on startup only, u might be able to smell sulfuric acid or see it steam as it keeps boiling under the excessive voltage it will eventually loose its battery fluid to evaporation.

To check it u will need a multitmeter (available for $10 from any electronics store or Kmart) Connect the multi meter to your battery terminals + to + and - to -. Set it to 20 Volts DC.

Bike not running	Somewhere in between 11.6 to 12.8 volts
Bike while running	up to 14.6 volts approxiamtly

If your bike is putting out something like 15 volts or even high 14 it may be time for a new rectifier.

The Rectifier is responsible for taking the variable AC voltage your bikes flywheel makes and turing it into a DC voltage your bike can use. It is often located RHS rear of your bike, may sometimes have cooling fins or can sometimes be a fist sized black box.

motorbike rectifyer

Rectifier