bike wont start, now no electronics

So on sunday i decided to replace my clutch myself on my 97 vfr750f. I got all the parts and started working on it. ran into some problem getting the clutch cover off but otherwise no problem disassembling. When i go to put the new plates in, one of the steel plates was the wrong size, so i had to leave everything in except the oil and wait for the new plate to arrive. I went ahead and installed an alarm system at the same time. The new steel plate came today and I put it in. added oil, about 3.1~3.2 quarts, but i noticed the oil was nowhere near the top of the clutch cover if thats significant. after i close everything up i go to start it to see if its working. I get one loud click from either the battery or the stator i think. nothing else. bike wont start. assuming a dead battery i take it in to recharge. at about 80% of battery i try to start it up again, but nothing. I hit the starter one more time and then all the lights go dark. I couldnt get any of the electronics back and all the fuses seem ok. I've put the battery back on the tender, but if anyone has any clues as to what might have happened i would appreciate the help. Only thing i could possible imagine is maybe a short from the intense heat and humidity we've been struck with recently. also i started storing the bike outside rather than an open air garage (hence the alarm) if that is significant.

Thanks

 

check your starter relay along with the fuses again all of them. recheck your alarm wiring to see if something is grounding out.

 

THERE have been posts here about the starter clutch dragging against the side cover after similar work......but suspect the alarm first.

 

the only thing that changed, electrically, is the alarm you installed. Troubleshooting 101 - go back to what you did last. You have a ground somewhere and it drained your battery flat.

 

Can you turn the engine over by hand?

 

ok so thank you for all the recommendations. I checked the fuses and then discovered something very strange, which definately changes my initial problem. Turns out electrics werent dead. I went out today after a good charge and hit the starter. Same problem: one click, no start, electrics go. but then i fiddled with the red (+) cable and the electrics come back. SO... I'm not sure what hat means. after googling a bit it seems that it could be several things: bad connections though not the most likely. bad solonoid, but that seems random, and grounding cable is loose or off. How can i check these? I will clean the connections right now and post if anything changes... back in a few

 

ok, update, i have cleaned those connections really well, i can see the copper clearly. still only one loud click and thats it. no loss of electrics. also, squirrelman, i dont hear any kind of drag along with the click which i would think would happen should the starter clutch be dragging. any suggestions?

thanks

 

New battery....or jump it from a not-running auto battery and try again.

Your symptoms suggest low voltage.

Use a voltmeter to check your battery voltage: if it's not almost 12.6 after charging, it's time to replace.

 

Thats disappointing, mainly because it is probably indicative of my R/R being fried already... ill have a multimeter with the battery later tonight. Will update when i know more

 

Can you?

It does not take much to prevent the engine from turning over. You really need to verify it will turn over by hand.I was trouble shooting a starting system problem a few months back on an engine that had just been running only to find out the clutch cover had been changed out just before the starter issue came up.The clutch cover was the problem and you did just have yours apart.

 

Im reading 13.7 volts off the battery, so it is most likely not the problem surprisingly.
Toe Cutter, thanks for the heads up, could you go into more detail about what was the problem so I know what to look for and how to fix it? I assume by hand start you mean to pop start it?
I'm going to run some tests on the starter relay and solenoid in the morning. I will post the results here.

 

I don't want to hijack your thread, but I'm on here looking for answers for a similar problem...
I just picked up an 85 that wouldn't run unless the choke was wide open. Today I took out and cleaned carbs & replaced ALL fuel lines and filter. Reinstalled everything and tested starter before adding fuel: starter running very strong. Added fuel 20 mins later: pressed start button to prime carbs and starter was turning. pressed start button again to prime carbs some more: nothing but the headlight dimming!
All connections seem good, main fuse is good, everything seemed good and I even had a fresh beer...since when does adding (premium) gas make a perfectly good starter not start?
Anyway, looking forward to reading about how you solve your problem

 

Gmillion$
......have you checked your battery voltage??

If you're going to be owning a motorcyle you need a battery charger, 1 amp max, and if you're owning a Honda you'll need a volt/ohm meter too.

 

FIXT :wink:

 

Thanks guys, I'm off to the battery charger store. I bet you guys must get tired of telling douchebags who cant get their bike started to check their battery voltage, eh? I went through 20 pages of threads looking for electrical problems, and check voltage was always the first response...

I'm still a little puzzled though, I just bought this battery yesterday (from a proper motorcycle shop), and buddy said it was 100% charged and ready (I called in the morning, so he had it charging all day). It also seemed weird to me that the starter never slowed down (like how it sounds with a dying car battery). But maybe there's a "threshold voltage" or something?
Thanks again.

 

Ale: I can tell you it was my bike Toe was talking about and I replace a spacer wrong. It would do exactly what yours did. Have you tried putting a socket on the cam with the cover on and turning? This spelled out my problem (or at least the area) right away.

 

supertex, could you explain in more detail the process youre referring to (turning the motor over i assume) or at least point me to your source? I've scanned my repair manual and the interwebz and i can't find a great explanation.

 

ok status update: voltmeter says over 12.7 volts are passing through the solenoid. I put the voltmeter on the in from battery and out to starter motor comnnectors and the reading was around 12.8 without starter pressed and around 0.13 with starter depressed indicating enough voltage is passing through the solenoid when startering. I hooked up a working car battery to the motorcycle battery terminals and i heard a new noise. it sounds like a very very slow starting. like something is turning but nowhere near fast enough and not enough to start the engine. Next i tried to push start it at around 15-20 mph and it did NOT start. best i could say was that it was refusing to turn over. i experienced a very turbulent ride with no engine start at all. is it possible i messed with the starter clutch by accident? any and all suggestions would really be appreciated.
thank you

 

ok so i cought toe cutter for a moment on the chat and he was very helpful in pointing out that I'm a complete noob. refer to the starter clutch and gears diagram in your maintenance manual for the explanation as i explain it (i wouldnt be able to figure it out if it wasnt sitting right in front of me as we discussed it)
when i took my clutch cover off the shaft going through the starter reduction gear came off with the cover and the washer (or spacer) fell into the oil below. being a simple person i assumed the spacer was located between the cover and the reduction gear since it seems like that is what you would want a buffer between, HOWEVER it belongs BEHIND the reduction gear. obviously a bit harder to get to but very important since it could cause the system to lock up. i am concerned with possible damage done to the starter clutch at the moment, but essentially the spacer was placed wrong and did not allow it to turn properly. I will go back it (ugh...oil change again) and move that one washer and check for damage. I will post the result (hopefully joyfully) as soon as it is done.

 

RESOLUTION:

The washer was indeed just in the wrong place. moved it to the other side of the gear and it started right up. checked the gears and i didnt notice any undue wear, though im sure my brand new clutch had quite a workout with that failed popstart.

a hassle no doubt, but i doubt a shop would have figured out the washer and instaed would have just replaced the starter clutch.

I will note this issue with the washer in the clutch change thread, but if its mentioned in the wiki maybe one of the editors should change it. the washer fell out twice when i was changing the clutch first time around.

Thanks again for all the help.