Motorcycle Repair: 85 honda vt 700 c, honda vt, honda shadow

Question
Hi bill i have a 85 honda shadow vt 700c that wont start whaen i hit the start button there is a slow clicking noise from the magnetic starter under the seat, sometimes it stops clicking while im holding the button sometimes it doesn't do anything at all. there is plenty of charge on the battery so i know thats not it. is the problem a bad magnetic starter or is it the main starter or something else? thx for the help.

Answer
Cliff, clicking at the solenoid is generally a sign of low voltage. If the battery is more than 2 years old, it may have voltage but not enought current to turn the motor over.

You can jump the two big solenoid posts with a screwdriver to bypass the solenoid function. If it turns over, then you have a bad solenoid. If it doesn't then you have either a battery problem or the starter motor needs attention.

Keep a volt meter on the battery while you are cranking it. If the voltage drops below 10 volts during cranking, then you need a new battery.

Bill Silver