Motorcycle won't start

Hi, I have a 1998 Honda VFR and the engine won't start up. I can turn on the bike and the fuel injection works but when I press the ignition switch the bike completely turns off but turns back on when I let go of the switch. I got a fully charged new battery and a new starter but those did not work. I was wondering if anyone would be able to help?

 

If you mean start button, and not getting the starter relay to click, then time to check the relay and fuses.

 

The fuse that drives the Fi light on the dash is NOT the same fuse as powers the fuel pump. Check the fuel pump fuse.

If by pressing the ignition switch you mean that when you press the starter switch on right hand switchgear all the electrics go off then come back on when you release the starter then most likely a bad connection battery or starter solenoid or on the earth lead from the battery to the frame or the earth lead from the frame.

Do you have a voltmeter/ multimeter ?

 

Hi Ryan and Welcome to the MadHouse

When you get time you may want to update your forum profile to include an approximate location - city/state is ample so it appears alongside your posts and if you need help you might find someone living nearby is willing to swing by and offer advice or even pick up a wrench if you have a well stocked beer fridge.

Please tell us a bit about your bikes/riding history and add a photo of your VFR (click the Upload a file link and follow prompts),

As for the bike not starting - I think we need a bit more information to offer any sensible advice from the other side of the planet. Was the bike running fine and this is a recent fault? If not when was it last serviced and how old is the fuel. When you turn the ignition key on can you hear the fuel pump priming?

When you press the starter can you hear a slight click or nothing? It may be that new starter or relay is jammed/defective.

Check the safety interlocks are not preventing the bike starting - Cycle the kill switch. Then sit astride the bike raise the side stand make sure the bike is in neutral and pull in the clutch before trying the starter.

If this fails check if the headlight lights dim noticeably when you press the starter.

After that it is probably time to drag out a multimeter and consider The Drill testing.

But first do the obvious get your battery load tested, check for blown fuses and make sure battery, starter and earth leads are tight.

Good luck - let us know how you get on.


SkiMad

 

Ok I had time today to test out my battery. I tried my lead acid battery I got in November and with everything off the volts were at 11.4 and when I pressed the starter the volts dropped down to 4.3 and the bike died. I thought it was an battery issue so I got a new agm battery on Tuesday and then it hooked that up with everything off the volts were at 11.99 and when I pressed the starter the volts dropped to 0. I am wondering if I just got bad luck with the batteries I got or is something else wrong other then the battery. For SkiMad, the bike stopped working in November and the fuel is also that old. Yes when I turn the key and press the killswitch the fuel injection primes and I hear a click when I try to start it but then the whole bike just dies. I will check for blown fuses and consider the drill testing, thanks.

 

Fully Charge the battery and try again. With Fuel Injection those quoted battery volts are marginal so it is doubtful it will ever start.

Sadly "new" batteries can be quite old and delivered in states ranging from fully charged (which they should) to almost drained with the supplier expecting you to fujlly charge it PRIOR to use. Prices in a supermarket may be cheap but they typically just stick things on the shelf and leave it up to you to read and follow instructions on the box. A responsible motorbike dealership will load test each battery and charge it prior to installation. This means extra staff time so the item costs more for the same item. Personally I only buy from the local Honda dealership who see my VFR as their baby.

This link will tell you all you will ever need to know about batteries and proper maintenance.

https://www.whitedogbatteries.com/


That click" means the starter circuits are energising but the battery is not supplying sufficient power to turn the engine over in addition to running the fuel injection pump.

Hopefully the bike will fire up with a fully charged battery.

If the engine fires up but runs rough - then old fuel may need draining/replacing with some higher octane 98 rather than typical 95 unleaded. Living in a ski resort means my VFR is stored for several months over winter. Before winter I run the fuel low and then fill (to the max) with 98 Octane. Even if it deteriorates a bit over winter this ensures there is ample octane in the fuel for my bikes to fire up in spring. After that I revert to standard 95 Octane.

Good luck


SkiMad

 

As SkiMad states above- your battery does not have the Amperage to turn the engine over.

Measured Voltage does not give a quality measurment of Cold Cranking Amperage. That is what a "Load Test" does, it measures the "Amperage under Load" of the battery.

When you hit the starter button and the voltage dropped to 0/ or 4 volts that my friend is a bad sign for your battery.
But before you throw the "new" battery away charge it - out of the bike, then take it to an auto parts retailer like Autozone and have it "load tested".

The good news is that if it is a battery problem, (which sounds likely) it is a simple and relatively inexpensive repair.

Keep us posted.

 

Thank you both for your help I bought a charger yesterday and let it charge but of course today it decided to rain all day so tommorow I'll definitely test it out and let you know how it goes.

 

Ok so I charged my battery overnight and got it load lested at auto zone. They said its a good battery so I went to try to start my bike. With everything off the volts are at 12.90 and when I press the start engine the volts dropped down to 6.90 again. Someone suggested I should try a good branded battery so I will look into that. If anyone has suggestions for a good battery or another solution I would greatly appreciate it.

 

I have found these two batteries that both have been recommended for the 5th gen.

https://www.amazon.com/MotoBatt-MBTX12U-Factory-Activated-QuadFlex/dp/B003YMRH70
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DCXIJJG?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=navm_ftr_fullsite&th=1

 

If you have 12.9 and passed a load test, it should at least crank over. Time to start looking elsewhere, in my opinion.

 

If battery tested good on load and volts stated are measured across the battery terminals low voltage reading when turning starter would point to excessive current being drawn by starter motor.

Get some good quality jump leads connect to a car battery and see if bike starts.

 

But if you decide to boot the electricity by using cables to a motor car - make sure the engine is not running.

 

Agreed! Do not jump the battery with a running car ot truck. It will be fine to jump from a non-running vehichle or just a stand alone battery.

And no sense in purchasing another battery if the one you have passed the load test.

 

try testing the starter out of the bike. maybe something jammed up in the engine making it difficult to turn and drawing alot of amps ?

could it be a jammed-up stater clutch ?

 

Thanks for all the help I have tested the starter relay and it is getting power from the battery even when the voltage goes down. The relay is one I bought off amazon that says it was made for my bike if that changes anything. I opened up the start switch and that is all good.The next thing I am going to do is find the starter motor and see if it is grounded or blocked by anything. I also tried to jumpstart my bike but the starter just clicks like it always does and the engine doesn't crank over.

 

Bad ground to frame.

 

more things to test......

you could also check for free engine rotation by pushing in gear or by popping off the right side access cover and turning the crank with a socket

an engine can lock up overnight if a fuel leak through the carb is going in to a cylinder, causing hydro-lock. if so, pull the plugs and turn the crank to force fluid out.

.

 

Bad ground to frame would mean no circuit and so no current draw.

This has symptoms of either a faulty starter short circuitinh or a starter trying to turn a locked/ sized engine.

Agree with Sqirrelman next step is to remove cover and check if engine turns.