New 07 WR450...and e Start won't work :(

[RJB]

Just took delivery of the bike on friday, and today the electric start wouldn't work. Have read various posts about starter issues on older bikes, and was hoping this is not the case with my new 07. Here is a quick summary of the problem, and my assumptions:

Went to start tonight (temp here is always hot and humid ~85F) and all I got was a clicking sound from the starter relay. Kickstarted okay. Stopped and tried estart again - same, although slower clicking. Could it be the dealer gave me a bike with a flat battery? No access to a charger, so I will try this once I can get one here. Dealer installed kit to get it 'road legal' also noticed that indicator lights not working tonight. Could something be shorted out? ? If all else fails, I gotta take this for a 150mile roundtrip to the dealer to get sorted.

I'm kinda missing my old 02 YZ450 about now it started first kick without fail.

[WR_Dave]

Do you have a meter to test the battery voltage, it sounds like you have a very low battery. That is probably why the signals won't work either. If you don't have a charger then you could ride the bike for an hour or so to charge the battery and also do some break in on the motor. Before doing this I would check to make sure any dual sport equipment isn't shorted or open. My bike doesn't like to start off of the electric start first start of the day either, it is classed as a back up starter and doesn't spin the engine over as fast as the kicker does. ? WR Dave.

[face_plant]

did you pick up the bike the same day you bought it?

batteries take 24 hrs to be a full charge....i recomend forgetting about the easy button ans use the kick and run no lights for a few days

most shops dont realize that you fast zap a battery it just makes it start a few times and the battery will never hold a charge

[RJB]

did you pick up the bike the same day you bought it?

batteries take 24 hrs to be a full charge....i recomend forgetting about the easy button ans use the kick and run no lights for a few days

most shops dont realize that you fast zap a battery it just makes it start a few times and the battery will never hold a charge

Not too sure how long the bike sat around at the dealer. He also added all the bits to make it street legal and get it registered here. Wish I could run with no lights, but no easy way to switch them off. Guess I could always disconnect the wires. I'll see if I can find a battery tender/charger out here in the jungle - hopefully that'll sort it out. Update to follow.

[RJB]

Okay - the problem got worse before it got better. Perhaps I need to check if it is charging the battery at all as well. Kickstarted the bike and took it for a ride (did I mention what a pain it was to get started). On the ride, speedo suddenly decided to register 199km/h! (perhaps I should post this in the 'How fast does you WR go' post). Not too go, as the ride home added about 20km for about a 2km ride. Pulled out my multimeter and the charge looked ok. Checked the voltage on a 12V transformer, and it read 20V!! Changed the battery in the multimeter, and started getting 'normal' readings. Bike battery was below 11V - no way it was going to start anything

I managed to get hold of a charger (not ideal, but hopefully good enough) and charged the battery for 3 hours last night. Installed, turned on and the starter motor fired right up. Guess a flat battery is not a good thing to have. I'll have to fire her up now and check the state of the electrics.

Moral of the story - if the relay just clicks and things don't seem right - check the battery charge with a decent meter. ?

[thumbthrottler]

Yeah, mine did that alot too when I got it. Come to find out, you have to turn off the ignition when you are done. (i did know that, just forgot alot).

There may be a short/drain somewhere, it doesn't take much to kill a battery (overnight drain), to the point of no start. The ticking is exactly what mine did when battery was < 5 volts. ?