New battery, still won't start

frankfong · January 4th, 2011, 08:07 PM

1) Yesterday, my Ninja fired right up.
2) Today, it wouldn't turn over.
3) The solenoid clicks.
4) I bought a new battery.
5) It still won't start. Solenoid still clicks.
6) Main fuse is good.
7) Now the headlight won't turn on.

I have checked all the other posts I could find anything that worked and I am at my wits end.
Would a bad solenoid cause the headlight not turn on?
Any suggestions?

kkim · January 4th, 2011, 08:49 PM

did you charge the new battery before use?

try jump starting the bike from a car.

frankfong · January 4th, 2011, 09:06 PM

Yep, I hooked it up to a new "microcomputer controlled conditioner charger" that indicated it was 100% charged so I don't think it is the battery.

kkim · January 4th, 2011, 09:42 PM

try jump starting it.

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_to_...ike_from_a_car

FrugalNinja250 · January 5th, 2011, 07:24 AM

The headlight won't turn on until the RPMs from cranking trigger the relay. If you can't crank the engine then it won't come on.

It sounds like you have a bad connection somewhere. Check where the negative wire from the battery connects to the chassis, and check where the positive wire connects to the starter.

If you can get a voltmeter, even a cheapie $10 model will work, you can measure the voltage between the positive terminal of the battery and the engine block. It should show the same as when you measure between the two battery terminals. If not, then you've got a wiring/connector problem to chase down.

frankfong · January 11th, 2011, 07:05 PM

Okay, here is my fix in case someone else runs into this problem.

I was able to bump start my ninja but it would not start again once I turned it off. I removed the starter which was a simple job and took about 10 minutes. Remove the lower fairing, unbolt the two bolts holding the starter, used a hammer and a tap to dislodge it, unplug harness from starter relay/solenoid, and wiggle the starter out. To test it, I used jumper cables connected to a fully charged battery. Nothing happened - told me the starter was bad.

Bought a used starter from a cycle dismantler, reversed the process, and back on the road in an hour.

The moral of the story is that a clicking starter relay/solenoid means it's good and the starter is bad.

Alex · January 11th, 2011, 08:31 PM

mrlmd · January 12th, 2011, 08:40 AM

You could have just bypassed the relay and attached heavy battery cables to the starter contact and see if it turned over, instead of taking the whole thing out and then testing it.
A clicking starter relay/solenoid usually means a discharged battery - not enough current to turn over the starter, not a bad starter.
Glad you got it running but you got it figured out by luck rather than logic.

frankfong · January 12th, 2011, 09:04 AM

I thought it was a bad battery also so I took it down to the local dealership to have it tested. They said it had about 20% life left. Besides, it was the original battery from 2004 (7 years old) so it was time to change it out.

I also connected booster cables from the lead at the starter relay to the starter and it could not get the starter to spin. It is very difficult to connect a booster cable directly to the starter. It is a very tight squeeze and I had to wiggle it a bit to get it out.

As for your comment on luck versus logic, logic was exhausted so luck had to kick in.

It is funny how I got more Monday morning quarterback comments AFTER I solved my own problem than when I was trying to figure it out. That's why I am passing on my own experience to the next guy/gal who can use it.

mrlmd · January 12th, 2011, 10:08 AM

Which lead at the starter relay are you talking about? The in or out? The problem still could have been the relay but you wouldn't know that. Did you check first (with a meter) to see if the relay was even operating correctly before pulling out the starter?
What I was saying was to go directly to the starter from a good battery (bypassing or omitting the relay) and see if the starter turns over. That would have told you if the starter was good or not, without taking it out. You managed to take it out successfully, so it's no big deal but one poster on here managed to destroy a perfectly good starter removing it and the attached positive lead to it.
You have to start at the beginning and go through all the steps in a logical order to figure out a problem. In this case, starting at the battery and its connections, checking the relay, checking the starter.
But like I said, glad you got it running. And these are not "Monday morning quarterbacks", these are other members trying to help you with a problem by offering suggestions. If you feel that way, then don't ask for any more advice, maybe you won't be so lucky next time.

January 4th, 2011, 08:07 PM	#1
frankfong ninjette.org member Name: Frank Location: SoCal Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Ninja 250 Posts: 14	New battery, still won't start 1) Yesterday, my Ninja fired right up. 2) Today, it wouldn't turn over. 3) The solenoid clicks. 4) I bought a new battery. 5) It still won't start. Solenoid still clicks. 6) Main fuse is good. 7) Now the headlight won't turn on. I have checked all the other posts I could find anything that worked and I am at my wits end. Would a bad solenoid cause the headlight not turn on? Any suggestions?

January 11th, 2011, 07:05 PM	#6
frankfong ninjette.org member Name: Frank Location: SoCal Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Ninja 250 Posts: 14	The starter fix Okay, here is my fix in case someone else runs into this problem. I was able to bump start my ninja but it would not start again once I turned it off. I removed the starter which was a simple job and took about 10 minutes. Remove the lower fairing, unbolt the two bolts holding the starter, used a hammer and a tap to dislodge it, unplug harness from starter relay/solenoid, and wiggle the starter out. To test it, I used jumper cables connected to a fully charged battery. Nothing happened - told me the starter was bad. Bought a used starter from a cycle dismantler, reversed the process, and back on the road in an hour. The moral of the story is that a clicking starter relay/solenoid means it's good and the starter is bad.

January 11th, 2011, 08:31 PM	#7
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	__________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

January 12th, 2011, 09:04 AM	#9
frankfong ninjette.org member Name: Frank Location: SoCal Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Ninja 250 Posts: 14	Thanks, but I disagree... I thought it was a bad battery also so I took it down to the local dealership to have it tested. They said it had about 20% life left. Besides, it was the original battery from 2004 (7 years old) so it was time to change it out. I also connected booster cables from the lead at the starter relay to the starter and it could not get the starter to spin. It is very difficult to connect a booster cable directly to the starter. It is a very tight squeeze and I had to wiggle it a bit to get it out. As for your comment on luck versus logic, logic was exhausted so luck had to kick in. It is funny how I got more Monday morning quarterback comments AFTER I solved my own problem than when I was trying to figure it out. That's why I am passing on my own experience to the next guy/gal who can use it.

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January 4th, 2011, 08:49 PM	#2
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	did you charge the new battery before use? try jump starting the bike from a car.

January 4th, 2011, 09:06 PM	#3
frankfong ninjette.org member Name: Frank Location: SoCal Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Ninja 250 Posts: 14	Yep, I hooked it up to a new "microcomputer controlled conditioner charger" that indicated it was 100% charged so I don't think it is the battery.

January 4th, 2011, 09:42 PM	#4
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	try jump starting it. http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_to_...ike_from_a_car

January 5th, 2011, 07:24 AM	#5
FrugalNinja250 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Frugal Location: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Join Date: Mar 2010 Motorcycle(s): Several Posts: A lot.	The headlight won't turn on until the RPMs from cranking trigger the relay. If you can't crank the engine then it won't come on. It sounds like you have a bad connection somewhere. Check where the negative wire from the battery connects to the chassis, and check where the positive wire connects to the starter. If you can get a voltmeter, even a cheapie $10 model will work, you can measure the voltage between the positive terminal of the battery and the engine block. It should show the same as when you measure between the two battery terminals. If not, then you've got a wiring/connector problem to chase down.

January 12th, 2011, 08:40 AM	#8
mrlmd ninjette.org sage Name: Marc Location: Crawfordville, Florida Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Suzuki S50, 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250F, 1990 Honda PC800, 2000 Yamaha TW200 Posts: 848	You could have just bypassed the relay and attached heavy battery cables to the starter contact and see if it turned over, instead of taking the whole thing out and then testing it. A clicking starter relay/solenoid usually means a discharged battery - not enough current to turn over the starter, not a bad starter. Glad you got it running but you got it figured out by luck rather than logic.

January 12th, 2011, 10:08 AM	#10
mrlmd ninjette.org sage Name: Marc Location: Crawfordville, Florida Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Suzuki S50, 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250F, 1990 Honda PC800, 2000 Yamaha TW200 Posts: 848	Which lead at the starter relay are you talking about? The in or out? The problem still could have been the relay but you wouldn't know that. Did you check first (with a meter) to see if the relay was even operating correctly before pulling out the starter? What I was saying was to go directly to the starter from a good battery (bypassing or omitting the relay) and see if the starter turns over. That would have told you if the starter was good or not, without taking it out. You managed to take it out successfully, so it's no big deal but one poster on here managed to destroy a perfectly good starter removing it and the attached positive lead to it. You have to start at the beginning and go through all the steps in a logical order to figure out a problem. In this case, starting at the battery and its connections, checking the relay, checking the starter. But like I said, glad you got it running. And these are not "Monday morning quarterbacks", these are other members trying to help you with a problem by offering suggestions. If you feel that way, then don't ask for any more advice, maybe you won't be so lucky next time.