Starter Problems

It could simply be some corrosion. Check all connections in the wiring harness. Look for frayed wires. Unplug and replug the connections several times. If the male ends look corroded you can clean them with a plain old rubber eraser. You can also spray with contact cleaner. The starter button connection could have gunk on it too. Take the switch housing off and spray with some contact cleaner.



Otherwise the solenoid is likely or it could be the starter itself. If there's a local junkyard you can try to get parts from a wrecked bike.

Sounds like the starter button on the throttle is shot or you've got a short somewhere in the circut. Bypass it. Substiture a motor starter push-button switch you can buy at any auto parts store for about three bucks. Wire it directly between the solenoid and battery. Mount it somewhere on the clutch side down by the side panel. Fixed.

You said 'Jump start' I assume you mean you bump started it, then had it not want to go again the next time you tried it. It is possible to have your lights & stuff work, but not enough jam to run the starter.

I had a van that had a 'dead spot' on the starter, like one guy mentioned. That means some of the windings are bad, I think. While I tried to find another starter, I told my daughter (she drove it most of the time) Exactly where to hit it with an axe handle. That usually made the starter work. She thought it was pretty hilarious.

5th post!



The battery "seemed" ok... have you tried a different battery? Checked the connections to the battery? It's sometimes the simplest explanation...

I agree. A battery that's had one cell go down will still light all the lights and stuff, but it won't start the engine. I've been caught out by this one myself.

Ditto. But usually you then have a symptom where the lights dim to nothing when you push the starter button.

Click click out go the lights?

Starter solenoid should be seperate on this bike so testing will be easy.

I found the starter on my V65 had worn through the brushes and one cut the lead wire.

Due to its age you might want to think about going through all the switches-use some good fine sand paper to clean the contacts if you find an issue there.

First two posts seem most likely. Be sure to check all the wiring connections first though, because you could have a loose wire. If not, the starter solenoid is the likely culprit.

If you can get to the starter solenoid, try jumping across it with a large INSULATED screw driver. If the starter turns over, you have a bad solenoid or the switch at the handle bar is bad or a short (or perpetually open) circuit. Hitting the starter while running and it seems to engage almost makes me want to think that there might be one of those evil sidestand switches involved, might want to check on that too. Good luck keeping the aging beast on the road.



BigJames