No start, no clicks

[DatBoi69YOLO]

I had to replace the alternator last week. It quit on me while riding but I managed to get enough jumps out of my portable battery pack to get myself on a hill before the spark went out and I coasted home.

Alternator is replaced, but now i have a different problem: when I push the ignition button my lights dim but there is no cranking.

Also, the telltale click of the starter relay does not take place when I try to start the bike.

So far, I have:
- Pulled the starter motor & tested it. It turned, no problem, when supplied with battery voltage.
- pulled the starter relay & tested it. It clicks and works fine.

Therefore the problem must be sowhere else. But if it’s the ignition switch, then why do the lights dim when it’s pressed?

I’ll update here when I figure it out but if you guys have any ideas then they would be much appreciated

[Chrisj CMA]

Kill switch?  If not that could be the start button needing service but the timing is suspect

[Willow]

Side stand switch?  Of course that possibility can be eliminated by putting the bike into neutral and pressing the starter button.

[gordonv]

What style bike is it, Std/T or IS?

Sounds like classic starter button. Search is your friend.

Battery, what/which battery? Get you known working car, and with the engine off try to jump start.

Alternators do go, but so do other things, like the exciter wire and the dog bone main fuse.

I would need to look at the wire diagram to see if the main fuse is gone, can the bike be started, or no power to the relay?

I'm kind of confused, not that we really need to know, but how did you get the bike home? If the alternator wasn't working, and the battery was dead so the bike wont run, how can you jump start it multiple times? Once the jump pack is off the battery, there is no power to run the spark plugs.

If you know your battery isn't charging, then pull the head light fuse. I drove my bike about 100 miles with a dead alternator and the lights/radio off. No issue with the battery low voltage. Replaced alternator and started the bike up.

[DatBoi69YOLO]

What style bike is it, Std/T or IS?

Sounds like classic starter button. Search is your friend.

Battery, what/which battery? Get you known working car, and with the engine off try to jump start.

Alternators do go, but so do other things, like the exciter wire and the dog bone main fuse.

I would need to look at the wire diagram to see if the main fuse is gone, can the bike be started, or no power to the relay?

I'm kind of confused, not that we really need to know, but how did you get the bike home? If the alternator wasn't working, and the battery was dead so the bike wont run, how can you jump start it multiple times? Once the jump pack is off the battery, there is no power to run the spark plugs.

If you know your battery isn't charging, then pull the head light fuse. I drove my bike about 100 miles with a dead alternator and the lights/radio off. No issue with the battery low voltage. Replaced alternator and started the bike up.

How I got the bike home is a valid question. Here’s the story:

1. Bike won’t start in the parking lot. I figure it was the July heat and jump it with the power pack, trusting that with airflow + alternator, it’ll cool & charge somewhat.

2. Made it halfway home, died again at a stoplight. I rolled it to do a different parking lot and called the girlfriend.

3. Girlfriend shows up in the Lincoln. Together we go to Autozone and get a new battery bc the other one was old anyway — at this point in time I figured it was just a bad battery.

4. Put the new battery in and ride the bike home, no problem.

It’s now the next day and i believe the problem is solved.

5. Hop on the bike and go get a haircut

6. Seem to be losing power, hear a misfire, bike shuts off again. I figure it’s just because the battery isn’t charging due to a bad alternator.

7. Get out my portable battery pack, jump it, and go home

8. I make it like half a mile, dies again

9. Repeat this 2 or 3 times

10. On the final try I’m almost home free. I take the jump pack, attach it to the battery, and put the seat on over top, so that I can squeeze as much juice out of the jump pack as possible. Start the bike, jump on, and gingerly ride in a squatting position, hovering over the seat, because I’m afraid of shocking my balls if I sit down in the wrong spot and disturb the battery pack’s clamps under my seat.

11. I make it to a hill near my house before the bike shuts off, but by this time I’m golden: I just coast right into my garage using gravitational potential energy.

12. Hop on the girlfriend’s ninja and go to my haircut on time.

—————-

After the above took place, I figured it was time for maintenance because the alternator obviously wasn’t charging. So here is what I did:

1. Replace alternator. The old one was disgusting, dead bugs, funk, and carbon from the previous owner, so it’s no wonder it wasn’t working 100%

2. Perform some other maintenance while the bike is down. That included:
 - replacing air filter
 - new brake pads, front and rear
 - new tires
 - new radiator hose

3. Got a new battery because I think I killed the Autozone one. New battery is a Duraboost Activated V-Twin battery that the Cycle Gear store had listed as compatible w the Valkyrie.

———-

Now, some facts:

1. When everything is hooked up and you try to start the bike normally the  lights dim and thats it when the button is press— no relay clicks or anything.

2. If you take out the starter button and connect it to the battery, it works no problem.

3. If you take out the starter relay and test it w the battery, it works and clicks happily.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten at this point!

[DatBoi69YOLO]

What style bike is it, Std/T or IS?

2000 Honda Valkyrie Tourer

[DatBoi69YOLO]

update: pulled the engine kill switch + starter switch combo. Engine could not get the engine kill switch to show continuity when closed; disassembled it, cleaned it a bit, and now it works.

I bet that's it. I also bet that since it went, the starter switch isn't far behind so I ordered a new assembly.

In the meantime, I bet that if I put this back on the bike and fire it up, she'll run.

Standby...

[Challenger]

The new switch is a good idea, but there are tutorials on here that show you how to clean and repair the originals. I've done several and all are still working after many years. Just do a search for starter switch.

[Chrisj CMA]

update: pulled the engine kill switch + starter switch combo. Engine could not get the engine kill switch to show continuity when closed; disassembled it, cleaned it a bit, and now it works.

I bet that's it. I also bet that since it went, the starter switch isn't far behind so I ordered a new assembly.

In the meantime, I bet that if I put this back on the bike and fire it up, she'll run.

Standby...

Here’s the thing. Years back I had a reason to replace that whole assembly. About a month after installing the new switch assembly it stopped working. I had to do the start button maintenance and it’s been fine ever since. Fix your old one. The new one can do the same thing.

[DatBoi69YOLO]

update: pulled the engine kill switch + starter switch combo. Engine could not get the engine kill switch to show continuity when closed; disassembled it, cleaned it a bit, and now it works.

I bet that's it. I also bet that since it went, the starter switch isn't far behind so I ordered a new assembly.

In the meantime, I bet that if I put this back on the bike and fire it up, she'll run.

Standby...

Here’s the thing. Years back I had a reason to replace that whole assembly. About a month after installing the new switch assembly it stopped working. I had to do the start button maintenance and it’s been fine ever since. Fix your old one. The new one can go the same thing b

It didn’t work. All I did was maintenance on the kill switch.

Maybe it’s the start button, which I didn’t touch.
You got a link to the start button maintenance? Or do I just give it some tlc?

[Chrisj CMA]

Starter button maintenance is in shoptalk

[DatBoi69YOLO]

Starter button maintenance is in shoptalk

That wasn’t it, still no click.

I seem to remember- when you turn the key on this bike, the fuel pump makes a happy little sound right? Does that happen every time or just sometimes?

Cuz I got no happy fuel pump sound.

[Challenger]

No electric or any other fuel pump on a Valkyrie unless you have an after market auxiliary fuel tank. Is the headlight good and bright. If not check the ground strap at the engine block.

[gordonv]

The IS model shunt power through a relay to the start, that is why I was asking model.

Std/Tours can melt the start button to the point they won't work. Start button wouldn't have caused your running issues, but the alt/battery could (low/no voltage).

Now the rest of your story makes more sense. Not enough power to start the bike, but with the jump pack was able to start, and then drive a short distance on the almost fully drained battery. Then again and again. Then running of the jump back the rest of the way.

First, stop buying things. Test first.

Alt, you should get the bike running, then test the voltage. At the battery, running, should be higher than battery voltage not running. Not? Then test whats coming from the alternator. That main fuse blown will not charge the battery. If you change the alt, it still won't.

The starter switch, turns off the lights so it has more power for starting the bike. If the contacts aren't working right, then cleaning them well can make the switch work again. There is a how-to somewhere to add a relay to it, like the IS model, so there is less power going through that button. Why some go and others have 100Ks on them, is unknown. I say learn how to start your bike with a push start, really hard to do when cold.

Your 1st replacement battery, even if low, should charge up. Plus if wouldn't have been fully charged when you bought it, you need to "properly" charge a new battery before using it. Hard to do on the road when you need to replace it.

One reason why I now ride with a volt meter on my bike, which I check every few minutes, just like the instrument cluster. That's why I noticed my dead alt before it became an issue ridding, and pulled my light fuse.

Already mentioned, gravity feed fuel. If you hear a buzzing, check for aftermarket additions. No fuel filter too, only a strainer in the tank.

[DatBoi69YOLO]

Got the bike running and I will definitely do what you suggest below.
And I will save the parts I ordered — when they get here — for the day when I actually need them.

But what you’re probably wondering is: what was the problem? I can tell you it was mind-numbingly simple but not obvious, and that nothing except the alternator was ever actually broken.

I’ll tell you, but do you want to try to guess it?

The IS model shunt power through a relay to the start, that is why I was asking model.

Std/Tours can melt the start button to the point they won't work. Start button wouldn't have caused your running issues, but the alt/battery could (low/no voltage).

Now the rest of your story makes more sense. Not enough power to start the bike, but with the jump pack was able to start, and then drive a short distance on the almost fully drained battery. Then again and again. Then running of the jump back the rest of the way.

First, stop buying things. Test first.

Alt, you should get the bike running, then test the voltage. At the battery, running, should be higher than battery voltage not running. Not? Then test whats coming from the alternator. That main fuse blown will not charge the battery. If you change the alt, it still won't.

The starter switch, turns off the lights so it has more power for starting the bike. If the contacts aren't working right, then cleaning them well can make the switch work again. There is a how-to somewhere to add a relay to it, like the IS model, so there is less power going through that button. Why some go and others have 100Ks on them, is unknown. I say learn how to start your bike with a push start, really hard to do when cold.

Your 1st replacement battery, even if low, should charge up. Plus if wouldn't have been fully charged when you bought it, you need to "properly" charge a new battery before using it. Hard to do on the road when you need to replace it.

One reason why I now ride with a volt meter on my bike, which I check every few minutes, just like the instrument cluster. That's why I noticed my dead alt before it became an issue ridding, and pulled my light fuse.

Already mentioned, gravity feed fuel. If you hear a buzzing, check for aftermarket additions. No fuel filter too, only a strainer in the tank.

[gordonv]

But what you’re probably wondering is: what was the problem? I can tell you it was mind-numbingly simple but not obvious, and that nothing except the alternator was ever actually broken.

I was not even going to try, then read again you saying "mind-numbingly simple but not obvious". There could be some many different things that where simple.

But;

Kill switch?

[DatBoi69YOLO]

Kill switch?

Close. It was the bank angle sensor.

You see, I had removed the center panel to be able to get at the alternator and starter motor. When I tried to start the bike, the bank sensor though it was upside down and wouldn’t allow ignition. As soon as I put it back into place, things fired right up.

[Chrisj CMA]

Kill switch?

Close. It was the bank angle sensor.

You see, I had removed the center panel to be able to get at the alternator and starter motor. When I tried to start the bike, the bank sensor though it was upside down and wouldn’t allow ignition. As soon as I put it back into place, things fired right up.

For future reference.  You don’t need to remove the center cover to get all the extra room removing it gives you for alternator work. Just unbolt it and pop it loose from its grommet and you have the same extra room as if it were removed. No messing with the lock or the tip sensor.