HELP! New batt, turn the key, no headlights, no start.

[Colonel Nikolai]

It reached 37ºF today so I decided to start up my '96 Tiger and '96 Sprint. The Tiger started up just fine. Then I tried the Sprint. Turn the key, headlights come on, press the starter, the headlights go OFF (never seen that before) a little click and silence. Turn the ignition off again, on again. Lights don't even flicker. No click.

I check the fuses, all 100%. I take a BRAND NEW battery and put it in. This time I get a much quieter click and still no headlights. Silence. On again, off again. Not even a click. Mind you it started and ran fine in November. No hint of trouble back then.

I figure I either killed the starter relay switch, the ignition switch or fried the starter itself.

Any ideas?

[Mustang]

with a  jumper cable hooked to battery , attach the positive cable to the starter motor directly at the wire terminal on starter , it should spin the engine , that will rule out stater motor , next test would be to jump 12 volt power to starter relay and it should engage stater motor . actually try applying 12 volts directly to starter relay first . starter motor spins the first test would be not necessary

my bet is shorted headlight relay or dirty contacts on starter switch
or a stuck relay in the sidestand switch circuit

and for the really dumb stuff ...........the kill switch isn't on is it ?

[oxnsox]

I'd check some earths Nik. If battery is New and fuses are OK it's got to be a bad connection somewhere... given that the lights and the start relay seem 'soft' and don't like it when you want to use the power I'd look first at the neg battery connection to the frame... and on from there.
Bad contacts on the start switch can cause issues too as it controls the relay circuits

[Colonel Nikolai]

Thanks you guys!

Its in storage across town and I'm at home now. I have a spare car battery, I'll that that and some jumper cables and try it out tomorrow. The Sprint has never had a single problem since I got it in pieces and put it back together (previous owner hit a 200 lbs buck at 50 mph) in 2006: and absolute champ for 25k or more. It now has 42k on it. I guess my string of good luck had to end somewhere!

I'll report back what I find.

[Colonel Nikolai]

You know I've done that with the kill switch before: had it off by accident and the bike won't start. But the engine still turns over. So it can't be that, right? The white markings around the kill switch are all gone and I have to look at a picture to know if it's in the wrong position, but I think it was OK.

[iansoady]

As far as I remember the engine on my 04 doesn't turn over with the kill switch off. But then I never use the dratted thing.

[Yukon]

My engine does not turn either with the kill switch in the off position - 2006

[cosmo]

Every time I had a vehicle that would click and turn off when I hit the starter had a bad connection at the battery. Loosen, clean and reassemble. Use grease to prevent corrosion.

Cosmo

[Colonel Nikolai]

This is a '96 Sprint. Same engine (and same frame?) as the Tiger. I know for sure the engine turns over with the the kill switch off because I let someone else ride it once and when he parked it he flicked the kill switch off (I never do) and when I turned the engine over it wouldn't start, no matter how hard I tried until I reversed the switch.

Or am I crazy?

It won't do any harm to grease the connections of the battery, that's for sure.

[Mustang]

This is a '96 Sprint. Same engine (and same frame?) as the Tiger. I know for sure the engine turns over with the the kill switch off because ..................

95 tiger kill switch on nothing happens
96 tiger kill switch on  nothing happens
two  98 tigers kill switch on nothing happens
2002 Bonneville   kill switch on nothing happens
just tried all 5

so if the sprint is turning the starter motor with the kill switch on I would be suspect of a bad relay for starter circuit that has finally gone tits up or someone has modified something before you became owner ................

get out the multimeter and a wiring diagram and start checking

[Colonel Nikolai]

:shock:

Mustang, now you have me really worried! Either I misremember the earlier incident (2 summers ago) or the Sprint is set up completely wacky. I suppose it's possible: The rear shock on the Sprint is completely not original and I did have one mechanic decide that my carburetor needles and jets were "aftermarket", so some tweaking has occurred.

I'll have to break out the wiring diagram for sure. Not just the Sprint, but my own wiring diagram might be in order :oops:

[Colonel Nikolai]

Mustang you just made me remember one thing from when I got the bike in pieces from the previous owner: there was a relay that was bad in the wiring harness under the instrument cluster. I cannot for the life of me remember which one it was, but it might have been the headlight relay. The bike was so new to me then that I didn't know what was "normal" for it, so I don't remember the symptoms very clearly, but I remember this relay was bad and there was another short in the wiring harness that I had to track down, too and until I fixed those two things the bike wouldn't start. Similar deal.

Thanks for the help.

[Bixxer Bob]

Every time I had a vehicle that would click and turn off when I hit the starter had a bad connection at the battery. Loosen, clean and reassemble. Use grease to prevent corrosion.

Cosmo

I had this.  Rode up to the shop where I bought my 2005, had coffee and a bit crack (chat) went to start it, click,,, nothing.  I'd put the battery back in and not tightened the screws properly in my haste.  A quick tweak with a 10mm spanner and we were back in business... :oops:  :oops:  :oops:

[Colonel Nikolai]

Well, I went over to where I'm storing the Sprint: in a friend's second garage where he keeps furniture (pictured). Cold and wet!

I tried greasing the contacts on the new battery. I was going to try to jump the starter relay as Mustang suggested when I realized I didn't have the clearance with the clips I had to make it happen. To do it right I'd need to fashion heavy probes with thicker gauge wire I could hook to a battery: there is less than an inch of space between the battery box and the starter relay.

On a hunch I brought with me a small AC-powered car charger that had a 55 amp "start" setting. A split-second touching of its big clips together at this setting produced quite a spark. I hooked these to the new battery I put into the Sprint. I turned the key. Headlights and dashboard lights went on. But the RPMs on the tach went to 7000 (!?!?!) and stayed there. I touched the start button. The bike turned over maybe 1/3 of a rev (I heard a spark plug go "pop"!). All the lights dimmed, including the overhead light in the garage :shock: Turned the key off. Turned it on again and touched the start button again: this time I heard what sounded like the sprag clutch spinning. A quiet, fast 'tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick...' in the center of the motor. I quickly let off the button.

I think I'm going to leave this for warmer weather where I can take off most of the body panels to get at the electricals better with these heavy probes. Spend an afternoon testing relays and such.

[Bixxer Bob]

CN,  put it in 6th gear and try turning the engine over using the back wheel - just to make sure nothing's jammed.  I'm not liking the sprag clutch noise either.... :shock: