machine gun rattle from starter relay

[super@]

I have charged my battery on a trickle for the last week to make sure it was fully charged(as I thought I had a recharging issue), then put it in the bike checked the voltage with the bike off and it was 11.5. Then put the keys in the ignition and hit the start button aand all i got was a woodpecker/machine gun rattle noise from the side of the bike, on closer inspection and looking at my haynes it says the offending item is the starter relay.

Anyone got any clues, is it

loose wires
knackered starter relay
kanckered starter
kanckered rectifier
kanckered battery
kanckered solinoid
kanckered alternator

or all or a mix of the above

Any help gratefully accepted as its a bit chilly out there to go through everything

Cheers
Super@

[futter]

It sounds like what happens when the battery doesn't have enough grutn to turn the starter.

But I may well be wrong!

[Steve T]

After being on a trickle charger I'd say either the trickle charger isn't working properly or yer battery is dead - at 11.5 volts there isn't enough juice to turn the starter.
Pop the battery back onto the charger and do a voltage check with it (the charger) switched on. I'd expect to see around 14.5 volts if the charger is working properly. If it's not then its U/S. If it is, then yer battery is past it's best - time for a new one.
To eliminate the starter as a source of your problem, try jump starting the machine from a good battery. If it fires up - starter OK
With the bike running, check the voltage at the battery - about 14 volts again, this time from the regulator / rectifier. If it's a lot more than that, then the reg/rec is U/S.
If the reg/rec is U/S, your battery may well be shot as well - a U/S reg/rec will boil a battery.

Hope this helps.

Just my ramblings.

Steve T

[super@]

I only had the new battery on 8 months before I started losing charge. Maybe it was a duff battery or maybe I have a problem elsewhere

[BobA]

The voltage gives hints at a battery which is no good.

Although a battery may show 12v, it could still be damaged and unable to provide enough current to not only turn the engine over, but provide sufficient power to everything else while it is turning the engine over.

The clicking solenoid is a pretty clear indication that there is not enough power getting to it. This is most likely due to the battery, but you should not discount a loose, dirty, or bad connection to the terminals on the battery, frame, or starter motor.

Batteries are funny things, and I've seen some on bikes I've owned die after a few months, mostly because they have been allowed to drain to nothing in between use by alarms and immobilisers. One of the best investments any biker will tell you to make is to buy an Optimate or similar as these outperform cheap chargers and do have the ability to sometimes rescue deeply discharged batteries.

If you can get some jump leads onto the bike battery, from a car, and it starts, this is pretty much proving it's your bike battery!

It may also be a good idea to check that the rec/reg on your bike is not faulty and killing the battery due to overcharging.




Good Luck


Bob

[super@]

Right I am looking for a new battery for starters but unfortunaley i can get one shipped from Uk as the acid is corrosive so unable to post. That means double the price.

Anyway can anyone confirm that the battery is YTX14-BS as some sites quote a YTX12

Cheers
Super@

[BobA]

If it saves you a lot of money, you COULD have the battery sent from the UK WITHOUT the acid pack, nothing wrong with that. Just buy the acid pack from a local bike shop out there.

Can't confirm the battery type without knowing what Africa Twin model you have!

[super@]

If it saves you a lot of money, you COULD have the battery sent from the UK WITHOUT the acid pack, nothing wrong with that. Just buy the acid pack from a local bike shop out there.

Can't confirm the battery type without knowing what Africa Twin model you have!

I have an RD07 (S 1995)

[super@]

ok so new battery bought (85quid gulp) charged and fitted

when I have the bike on tick over/high revs, great around the 14.5 volts mark.

As soon as I turn on the lights the voltage drops like a lead balloon and continues dropping.


any suggestions

[R0vers]

what does the voltage drop to?