QuestionQUESTION: hi - my battery is fully charged i press the starter button and it tries to crank over but doesnt - if i take a spark plug cable off and hold it slightly above the spark plug it will crank- any idea what will cause that? i brought it into the mechanic twice they keep saying its the battery we replaced the battery and it still does the same thing
ANSWER: Will it crank over ok if you boost the battery with jumpers? (if jumping from a car battery, make sure the car is turned off or you will 'cook' your motorcycle battery).
I had a similar problem this summer with my bike not starting very well. It cranked over slowly and sometimes not at all. My charging system tested ok and I put a new battery in my bike. Turned out that my starter was worn out. I swapped my starter for a newer starter with less usage, and it cranks over like crazy now.
Another thing to check is your main fuse and solenoid. Also check your regular fuses and wiring. Be sure all the wiring is tight. Take apart all the connectors, clean them and re-connect.
Hope this helps?
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QUESTION: thank you so much for getting back to me - i put a new battery in and still get the same problem - u are prob rite that its the starter or something else - i just thought it was strange the only way to start it is to hold the spark plug cable off the top of the plug a little to get it to crank over
AnswerI would take a look for any shorts or grounds in any of the wiring (the starter could be shorting out against itself too). Also, I would take the coil(s) off and give them a test too. You will need to refer to your manual for exact specs on testing the coil.
