'85 VF700S clicks but not turning over

I have a 1985 VF700S that clicks when the start button is pushed but that's it. Where to begin the troubleshooting?? Thanks.

 

Check Battery voltage, should be above 12.9v. If you can, jump it off of a car.
Then move on to more serious issues.

 

Check your kill switch on the side stand and the stop start button............Those are the first to look.
They seem to get stuck if you not clean them often.

 

Classic !! It's a battery in a low state of charge.:tongue:

You need to throw a 1-amp charger on it for 10-12 hours, then try again.

 

The battery was reading 12.7. I have it on a charger that will maintain it once fully charged. I'll check on it tomorrow hopefully that's all it was. Thanks!

 

The battery has been fully charged and on a trickle charger for a few days now and still just clicks. Think it's the relay?

 

Test relay by using pliers to jump the 2 large terminals, which should kick the starter motor into action if the battery is good.

 

I don't really understand how to do that...but I'm pretty sure it's the starter at this point. Last week when I tried to start it it turned over several times and probably would have started with one more try but that's when the relay just started to click. It's either not getting power to the starter or the starter is frozen.

 

Still sounds like a low voltage issue. You can try jumping it off a NON running car to see if it will turn over.

 

Old Bike, check all the connections from the battery to the starter for corrosion. Especially the grounds. 12.7 volts is almost fully charged. Sounds like power is not getting to the starter or the starter is drawing an awfull lot of juice.

How old is the battery? An old battery can produce full voltage for a short time but it might not have enough reserve amperage to crank the starter. Jumping from a car (not Running) battery will tell you if it is the battery as Madmanx said.

I forgot one thing. You said you had a Charger / Maintainer hooked up. If you checked the battery right after you disconnected the charger you will get a false reading, Usually close to what the charger puts out. Float charge voltage is about 13.3v. Wait one to two hours after charging to get a true battery reading. It takes that long for the charge to be fully absorbed in all the plates. If you have bad plates the voltage drop quickly in that time.

Sealed AGM batteries are fully charged at 13.0v
Regullar batteries. (the kind you fill) are fully charged at 12.6/12.7v per the Yuasa Tech Manual. Check it out at yuasabatteries.com

 

Ok thanks. I'll get back to it and see what comes out the other end.

 

Tried jump starting it with my truck. Still nothing just the relay click. The battery is producing enough power. The relay clicks. The starter is getting power. But it's not cranking the motor. Pretty sure it's the starter. I've ordered a new one. Should be here this week.

 

Seems you're a bit hasty there, Bunky, as you can TEST the starter motor using a jumper cable on the large external terminal where the fat wire is attached.

And the starter relay can be tested by shorting across its 2 large terminals if the battery is OK.

 

It was the starter. Replaced it yesterday and it's good to go. Thanks for your help!

 

Glad you got it sorted out and giving an update to the thread.

I shouldn't argue with Yuasa, but I believe that technically, your standard lead/acid batteries can and should hold a minimum of 2.1V per cell, and often can hold 2.2v per cell. So with 6 cells, you should actually be getting a minimum reading of 12.6V, and it would not be out of the norm to have up to 13.2V on a so-called 12v battery.

So while its true that 12.6 to 12.7 is fully charged, depending if you're a half full or half empty glass type of person, you could say its not fully charged.

I should go now. Yuasa just called and they're offering me a job.

 

That scientifik technical shit is for weenies; i just wanna ride !

Nothing's FULLY charged until it explodes, dammit :behindsofa: i don't think !