Valkyrie new b - help plz !

[Catsalesman]

Bought a 97 tourer from a guy going thru divorce. He had it at cycle shop and they determined alternator was bad and also Petcock was leaking. I took it home and started several times to move around and ran excellent. I installed new alt and petcock and now it will not start.  When turn key on starter will engage and then nothing else. I am charging battery, but all lights look good. Checked fuses and they all are good as well.

Any tips or ideas would truly be appreciated. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Your battery may be giving up the ghost. Try jumper cables from your vehicle without it running. If that doesn't do it I would check all the connections with your new alternator.

[old2soon]

Check the battery ground at the battery and at the frame. RIDE SAFE.

[Catsalesman]

Hooked up battery cables and now I get buzzing sound from the relay-fuse area when pushing starter button. Can feel it by touch, but starter is not spinning.

[3W-lonerider]

you have a bad battery. you can hook jumper cables to that battery all day long but sounds like it has a bad cell. just went threw this with my nefews 4 wheeler. he was convinced it was the starter solenoid. we took the cables off the battery that was in it and hooked them straight to another battery. it started right up.

[Catsalesman]

I hooked to another battery and it is doing the same thing. Buzz from relay area is all. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

I hooked to another battery and it is doing the same thing. Buzz from relay area is all.  

Oh is it not turning over ? Sorry just read your other replies. Sounds like the relay or the connection to it. Some have had corrosion with it and fried them.

[Catsalesman]

Correct it is not turning over.  Have checked all connections. Front light goes off as supposed when the starter switch is pushed. 

[BonS]

The starter switch on the handlebars, when pressed, will kill the headlight. In addition, this same switch passes power to a starter relay, located underneath the right cover, that supplies voltage to the starter motor. First, I'd put a meter across the battery to see that it holds 12 volts or better while the starter button is pressed. If it does that I'd take a good look at the starter relay to see if any of the wiring is burned. This is an issue that comes up from time to time.

[Thunderbolt]

Take the plugs out and hit the starter button but only outside not in your garage.  A cylinder or more may be hydrolocked full of gas. 

[John Schmidt]

When you say it's not turning over, do you mean the engine actually isn't rotating? If so, you might want to pull the plugs to see if any cylinder is full of raw gas. Reason I say this is because you mentioned the petcock was leaking. Don't continue to try starting it until you pull the plugs and check for hydrolock. It might just save you some dollars....many dollars.

Terry, you beat me to it. Great minds think alike! 

[HayHauler]

Terry and John beat me to it.  Pull those plugs and get it out of the garage before you turn it over.
If gas shoots out of the cylinders, you have a severe fuel leak and need to address that first.
Good luck,
Hay
Jimmyt

[Catsalesman]

Okay, so I went back out and it started like it has in the past. Let it run for 10 mins and started it 5 times. Waited a couple mins and nothing again when I hit the starter. relay ?

[The emperor has no clothes]

Okay, so I went back out and it started like it has in the past. Let it run for 10 mins and started it 5 times. Waited a couple mins and nothing again when I hit the starter. relay ?

I'm wondering now if it's just the starter switch. They get dirty and make bad connection.

[R J]

I think it is time to do a maintenance on the handlebar starter switch.

There is a writeup on how to do it in Shop-Talk,   not hard to do, but be careful, you can and might break one of the plastic slides.    You will see what I'm talking about when ya get it open.

Also find this little connection under the right side cover in the small black boot.

If it is starting to look like this, order the part # in the picture.   This replacement is actually for a older model Gold Wing.     1 wire has to be moved in the new terminal to match your old burned one.



This is what you have to purchase.



This is a generic parts list for the Valkyrie.    Keep it handy.

http://www.jkozloski.com/generic_parts.htm

Right column, next to last on the bottom, explains this burned connection.

Also, if you have driving lights on the bike, make SURE THEY are triggered by a relay.

These pictures were of my bike.   My son thought I put the relay in, I thought he did, so it got fried.     Thank God it was in the shop when it failed to start.   So we did some meter chasing.

[BF]

Okay, so I went back out and it started like it has in the past. Let it run for 10 mins and started it 5 times. Waited a couple mins and nothing again when I hit the starter. relay ?

I'm wondering now if it's just the starter switch. They get dirty and make bad connection.

Ditto.  Starter switch can be intermittent.  Starter switch needing to be cleaned is not an uncommon occurrence.

Here's a how-to...

http://www.rattlebars.com/mtz/starter.html

You might want to bookmark this page (click on the "Chet's Valkyrie Page" drop down menu for all kinds of how-to's and other good stuff).....

http://www.rattlebars.com/mtz/valkyrie.html

And since you're new, here's a couple more links that you might want to bookmark also....

Valkyrie Maintenance Guide byCarl Kulow

http://www.rattlebars.com/valkfaq/valkmaintenanceguide.html

ShopTalk

http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/

[Skinhead]

My starter relay is intermittent, some times no crank.  Use a screw driver to jump across the two thick cables on the starter relay (ONLY AFTER YOU ARE CERTAIN YOU DON'T HAVE A HYDROLOCK CONDITION), If jumping the relay causes it to crank over, replace the relay.

[Catsalesman]

Thanks for all the help, as it appears the relay is bad. I jumped across it and the bike cranked as it was supposed too. Now I need to find one.

[indybobm]

Jumping across the relay does not mean the relay is bad. It has to get a signal from the starter button on the right handlebar to engage. If it turns over when you jump the relay, it means the relay is probably good. Still looks like the stater button needs maintenance.

[Catsalesman]

I cleaned the starter button and  it looked great and had no  corrosion on the contacts. I did maintenance as requested on this page. 

[Catsalesman]

Okay, so several hours in to this now and thanks for all the suggestions.

The confusing thing is I can turn main power on and hit starter and get one click in the relay area. Hit the starter again and nothing. Turn off main power and back on again, hit starter and it clicks once again. Checked all connections and appear to be good. Hooked and unhooked battery cable and hit starter and it fired up. Let it run 10 mins or so and turned it off and now back to the single click. Also jumped across relay and it spins over fine, but it will not start when doing so.

Any other ideas ?

[Ricky-D]

A better and more thorough investigation of the connections is called for.

The main inference from what has transpired would indicate a bad battery.

Of course, there are many false indications that may imply the battery

is still good, but so far, nothing positively indicates the battery is good.

And I'll repeat one more time:

A better and more thorough investigation of the connections is called for.

***

[Gryphon Rider]

Either you have a bad battery, or your charging system isn't doing its job.  Here's what to do:
1.  Put a full charge on the battery using a REAL automatic battery charger, not a Battery Tender style maintainer.
2.  When the charger says you have a full charge, take the charger off and let it sit for 2-3 hours to dissipate the surface charge and get an accurate reading of battery voltage.
3.  Measure the voltage across the battery terminals with a voltmeter.  It should read 12.7-12.8V.  Less than this indicates a weak battery.
4.  Start the bike and measure the battery voltage with the engine at 2000-2500 RPM.  If the charging system is working, it should read more than 13.4, probably more like 13.8-14.3V.
5.  After running for a few minutes at 2000 RPM or more (or go for a short ride to accomplish this), shut off the engine, and wait 2-3 hours for the battery's surface charge to dissipate.  Alternately, you could turn the key back on so the headlight is on, wait 5 minutes, then turn off the key and wait another five minutes, which will also dissipate the surface charge.  Measure the battery voltage again, looking for 12.7-12.8V.

If the battery isn't giving you at least the expected 12.7-12.8V, either get it tested, or if it's old, just replace it, giving the new battery a full charge before installing it in the bike.

If the alternator isn't giving you at least 13.4V at 2000-2500 RPM, start looking for a bad connection in your charging system, or consider that your new alternator might be faulty.  You say you checked all the connections.  Did you disconnect, clean (e.g. with sandpaper), and reconnect them?  Especially the alternator and battery ground connections to the engine/transmission?

[BonS]

If and when everything else electrical is checked out and appears okay then it could be the starter itself. I haven't heard anyone here mention worn out starter brushes but they will cause intermittent starting issues that you describe. A quick and easy test is to hold the starter button and tap (whack) the starter with a screwdriver handle or some such. If it's the motor brushes then oftentimes the starter will begin to work temporarily. If this does work then it's time to replace the starter motor brushes. I seen this and done this on many a car over the years.

[Catsalesman]

Forgot to mention battery is new. Did clean all connections and now think I have a short in the stop sensor, as I can move it and get it to start repeatedly.  I did charge battery and was 100% in less than hour and when running the new alt was putting out 14v. 

[Bone]

Do you have a picture of the flag pole bracket on the right side of the handle bars ?
Must be well built

[Catsalesman]

Do you have a picture of the flag pole bracket on the right side of the handle bars ?
Must be well built

Go big or go home, right ? 

[John Schmidt]

How tall is that flag pole and how deep did you bury the anchor for it?

[Catsalesman]

How tall is that flag pole and how deep did you bury the anchor for it?

http://t.harborfreight.com/20-ft-telescoping-flag-pole-kit-95600.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

It's been a while, but I think it is about 12 to 16" in the ground. The pole is awesome and has held up great. 

[Ricky-D]

Forgot to mention battery is new. Did clean all connections and now think I have a short in the stop sensor, as I can move it and get it to start repeatedly.  I did charge battery and was 100% in less than hour and when running the new alt was putting out 14v. 

It would seem that all must understand what you're talking about.

I don't.

Wonder if you would be a little more defining about this thing you call the stop sensor.

***

[pancho]

I would "clean" the battery connections again,,, scrape the connectors to provide a fresh surface.

If the bike reliably starts when jumping the terminals on the relay,, then you have narrowed it down to the relay, the switch or the connections between the two.

[Gryphon Rider]

Forgot to mention battery is new. Did clean all connections and now think I have a short in the stop sensor, as I can move it and get it to start repeatedly.  I did charge battery and was 100% in less than hour and when running the new alt was putting out 14v.  

It would seem that all must understand what you're talking about.

I don't.

Wonder if you would be a little more defining about this thing you call the stop sensor.

***

I'm guessing by "stop sensor" he means kill switch, and by "short" he means poor continuity.

[twdurdentwd]

Simple Stacy here.....are connections on battery terminals TIGHT?

[Woton]

Hope you are on the way to determining the problem, if not there already...

Wiser minds than mine are helping you toward that end...

Menatime, here's some good news - Pearl Green/Pearl Ivory is the FASTEST color combination!!

 

[DK]

Kill switch malfunctioning?

[Oss]

How about some easier faults

Is the neutral (green) light on ?  Bike wont start if not in neutral when kickstand down

Kill switch on or off?   Tighten the terminals down on the battery all the way?

tip over switch fault?


Gman's bike died a couple of years ago as the tip over sensor went south,

Best of luck