QuestionHi Jan,
First of all thank you for making yourself available here. Please be aware that if I can be of any help in the future -that means as long as I will thesaurize my experience as a CBXer- I will be pleased to help.
Last summer I bought a very tired CBX in Sicily, southern Italy, and, although the bike doesn't look to be in a too bad condition, i.e. given the area we could assert it virtually suffered no humidity, it refuses to start.
I tried to put a brand new battery I am sure about, I streamed a new positive copper wire to the solenoid relay, but all the result is an extremely weak starter motor being hardly able to make the engine revolve. Something seems to be absorbing most of the battery power.
I checked the bike's main circuits with the key turned on and the main switch turned on, by using a multimeter -a device incorporating voltmeter, amperometer, ohmmeter etc.- but when no defective ground is noticeable.
Do you think the starter motor itself or the alternator could absorb and waste most of a reliable battery power ?
Thanks beforehand for your kind reply.
Marcello
AnswerHi Marcello,
Yes it is quite common for the starter brushes to get too short and waste large amounts of battery power. If the rest of the circuit (solenoid and connections) are known good, then the next logical step is the starter motor itself. Check the voltage on the terminal of the starter during cranking. It should drop no more than 2V during operation. If it drops more, you could have a faulty solenoid. You can bypass the solenoid but be careful as there are large currents that flow in a starter motor circuit. If the voltage is correct it probably is the starter. You can replace the brushes but this is quite an involved repair, perhaps easier to source a starter on Ebay and replace yours. Good luck, Jan
