Why does it do this?

[xfootdoc]

On occasion when I try to start the trike (05 wing with 09 MT conversion) the darn thing won't start. It "clicks" then nothing. It happened the other day which prompts this posting. The lights,horn,radio, blinkers all work as normal. Cut off switch not on.The bike was not in gear, having been parked in 1st. The ignition fuse was OK. After rolling the trike several feet backwards and retrying to start it it turned right over. This has happened several times in the past while on trips and freaked me out. Question...is this something electrical or is the starter motor not meshing? Not sure what to check...if anything. Otherwise the trike runs like a Swiss watch. Thanks ..........Alan

 

[rhino 2]

Check the battery, And the tightness of the battery terminals.
Especially the neg. terminal.

 

[Gorilla]

Check the battery, And the tightness of the battery terminals.
Especially the neg. terminal.

Also check for corrosion on the terminals. And have the battery load checked it might be getting weak.

 

[xfootdoc]

I forgot to mention that I keep the trike on a battery charger when not in use and the cables are tight without corrosion.

 

[Marty]

Also check for play in starter shaft bushings if they are worn it can cause the starter gear to jam into its ring gear

 

[Ol' Grey]

Sounds like the starter........Had a '69 Triumph Spitfire sports car many years ago and the guy I bought it from told me that if it wouldn't start with the key and only gave a click, to put it in 2nd gear and push the car forward about 3 ft.

Thankfully, the car was small and light enough to push by myself whenever needed and it always started right up after doing as he said. Car got hit and totaled out so never did sort out the problem, but was thinking that the starter brushes were sticking at a bad spot randomly when turning the car off, then giving the no-start deal on the next fire-up attempt........

 

[champsman97045]

when you back up and park , in reverse , you probably still have torque on the starter gear causeing it to hang up , release the pressure and it will come out , I have seen this happen to a friends honda on several occasions

 

[Mick]

Try cleaning the starter switch to begin with. Check the battery cables for tightness also. But knowing the wing its probably one of the 2 starter relays over by the battery. You can check the cables on them to see if they need cleaning or tightening if your lucky. If not you'll need to replace them.
starterrelays Photo Gallery by fred harmon at pbase.com

 

[jim peacock]

Did you have it on a trickle charger or a battery maintanier?
If you had it on a trickle charger you more the likely have burnt the battery up.
A trickle charger is fine for a car battrey but not a motorcycle battery.

 

[John Luciano]

Caution if you have any plans to change out the starter ,have it done. Removal and replacement is tricky. There is a small gear for the stater reverse that can be broken very easily.. The battery may check good with lights and horn but still be bad. Try a jump with a good battery.

 

[xfootdoc]

Thanks everybody. Just to be clear. the trickle charger I use is designed for motorcycle batteries.

 

[John Luciano]

Just to also be perfectly clear a dead battery is a dead battery. If the battery is more than 3 years old it could have a weak cell. You can charge it all day long and it will never have enough power ( amps ) to turn it over. Put a meter on it and hit the start button if it drops below 11volts it is a goner.

 

[adaptolife]

Got the same issue. On mine, its a bad start button. I put a button on my starter, which works fine.