[eviltwin415]

ok, i posted last week about my issue. the bike won't start, tries to turn over for one second on the first attempt, then every subsequent attempt is the whirring or clicking coming from the unit under the left side cover which i'm assuming is the starter. there's no drain (i tested the amps to see if anything was coming off it), and the battery is registering 12.17 volts (which i think is expected for a 3 week old battery.

you guys think its solenoid or starter?

if any of you are in the San Francisco area, i believe there's a place in SOMA that will rebuild it for me but i don't remember the name. it has "Rite" in it though for what it's worth....

should i just disconnect that unit and mess with it? how much is a new starter?

 

[ohiorider]

I posted this note a long while back, and asked some of the knowledgeable guys on the forum to validate. Mikeinva said it looked accurate to him, and he also suggested testing a questionable battery on a load tester, which apparently shows how the battery responds when it has a heavy load applied, ie a starter motor cranking a cold engine, vs simply measuring it in a no-load condition.

In your case, you need to reference the first column (12v) and the 3rd column, percentage charge. If this chart is in fact valid, 12.17v would indicate a low battery issue.

Keep in mind, electrical issues are not my forte! I'm posting this data so someone on the forum (like Mike or others knowledgeable about batteries) can use it as a reference point and hopefully respond to it.

Approximate charge ----- Relative acid density
12.65 V 6.3 V 100% 1.265
12.45 V 6.2 V 75% 1.225
12.24 V 6.1 V 50% 1.190
12.06 V 6.0 V 25% 1.155
11.89 V 6.0 V 0% 1.120

Bob

 

[mikeinva]

Make sure its not in gear .You can jump the 2 big nuts on the solenoid (the thing under the left side cover) . The starter is in front the motor.when you jump those 2 nuts it should spin over.IF it does try jumping from the one of those big nuts that the battery wire is hooked to and the little wire on that solenoid if it turns over then the starter and solenoid are ok .IF it doesnt turn over ether the starter is bad or you have a wire thats not good or a bad ground or starter is bad.

 

[Calliway]

The battery stuff is pretty much correct BUT a sulfated battery can show a good voltage but have no amps. The sulfates on the battery can hold surface charge but the plates have nothing stored amperage wise. 12.17 volts is a dead battery btw. 12.6 volts is fully charged. If you have an AGM battery it will be about 12.7 to 12.8. 05+ Triumphs use AGM batteries and not standard lead acid.

A load test draws half the rated amp capacity of the battery so in this case you would need to use a carbon pile load tester and set it to draw 80 amps for 15 seconds and the voltage of the battery shouldn't drop below 9 volts. The battery should recover to at least 12.4 volts or 75% charged in about 30 seconds to a minute. A Bonnie starter draws about 70-90 amps.

Also make sure your terminals are clean. When you bolt up your leads the lead should shine almost like silver dinnerware. If the lead is dull then you can have a problem.

 

[eviltwin415]

battery after all?

ok, Rite Way is the name of the place.... i'm a complete novice and instead of pulling the starter i pulled the solenoid (felt kinda dumb then), but they said the battery was weak and i took it to cycle gear and they agreed to give me a new battery, i actually upgraded and paid the difference. if that doesn't work i'll go by the rapist, uh, i mean dealer and buy a new solenoid.....

can you test the solenoid to see if its good?

 

[ohiorider]

Good stuff, Mike and Calliway. I've already cut and pasted it into a Word doc, and filed it in my Triumph folder. I need all the good electrical data I can accumulate, for the day when I hit the starter, and nothing happens.

Bob

 

[Thruxton]

test the solenoid

The solenoid is only a relay.
Push the start button on the handlebars and it activates the solenoid (relay) which then sends full battery power to the starter.
To test the solenoid.
MAKE SURE THE BIKE IS IN NEUTRAL; Then
Access the solenoid under the side cover and, with a heavy wire, bridge the two heavy wires together, that by-passes the solenoid.
If the started then operates normally it’s the solenoid, if not, it’s the starter or the battery.
The ignition does not have to be on to do this test.

 

[biker7]

Thruxton nailed the solenoid check...but that relay doesn't fail often and you are hearing some audible clicking. 12.17V is a bit low static voltage...sounds like a starter to me. Do you wash the bike often OP or ride it a lot in the rain? You want to go through all the connections and check for corrosion. Undo everything and retighten. Corrosion can add major resistance and power drain. If you want to know your answer...put the bike in neutral and jump the starter directly as Mike suggested. If it spins...your issue is between the starter and the battery.
Cheers,
George

 

[sweatmachine]

I'm 99.9% certain your starter is not the problem.

 

[biker7]

Only one way to find out...jump it with a decent battery in neutral.

George

 

[Calliway]

Just whatever you do, don't hit your starter with a scredriver or hammer. I am pretty sure the Triumph starter is a permanent magnet type. That means the magnets are glued to the case on the inside so when you tap tap tap it breaks the glue bond and the magnets fall off. Then you got real problems.

 

[sweatmachine]

Just whatever you do, don't hit your starter with a scredriver or hammer. I am pretty sure the Triumph starter is a permanent magnet type. That means the magnets are glued to the case on the inside so when you tap tap tap it breaks the glue bond and the magnets fall off. Then you got real problems.

if you want to laugh, or cry, look at the price of a new starter from Bikebandit.

 

[Calliway]

Holy crap...... definatley a PM starter.

If you do the math that starter is worth 10% the cost of a new bike.

"Can I buy a new starter?"

"Sure it comes with a complimentary kick in the balls"

:kick: