Starter Issue

[3fan4life]

My "New to Me" Valk has a starter issue.

This is occurring on cold starts, at the moment warm starts aren't an issue.

It will begin turning over the engine and then just STOP.

If I bump the starter button several times it will begin to turn the engine over again.

This bike is an 01 Interstate with 12k mi, so it has spent alot of time just sitting.

Before I got it last month it hadn't been ridden in over a year.

I know that he starter can be removed and taken apart for service but I have NO idea which part would need servicing.

The really odd thing is that when it does this the trip meter resets itself.

[Michvalk]

First thing I would suspect is hydrolock. Common problem with bikes that have sat a lot. Gummed up carbs will let a small amount of fuel through into a cylinder and stop the motor dead. This can break a bunch of stuff in the motor, and is a pain to fix. The next time that happens, Don't keep hitting the start button. Pull the plugs, (all of them), then give the motor a spin. If this is the case, fuel will shoot out of the plug holes. (Make sure your are clear of the garage and stuff). If that is not it, next would be the battery. (In my mind) You can look up hydrolock on the tech board by going to the top of the tech page to the search box and enter Hydrolock, and read thousands of pages on the issue

[The emperor has no clothes]

I don't know, it sounds more like an electrical issue to me. Seems like the trip meter is resetting because of a short or bad ground maybe.

[indybobm]

I think it is probably electrical because of the trip odometer resetting.
Sounds like you are getting closer to finding the cause of the 'miss' in your other post.

[gordonv]

I feel it is a bad battery. Low voltage. Starter drains the battery while being used to the point it wont cycle any more, and the voltage is so low the trip odo is reset.

I would start by taking a known good battery (your daily driver, NOT running) and jumper it to your bike. See how it performs then.

[Gryphon Rider]

Likely sources of problem:
1. Battery
2. Start button requires maintenance (see shop talk page).
3. Electrical connections between battery, starter relay, starter, and chassis ground.