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[ric]

The low voltage may unfortunately have caused damaged to the starter motor solenoid.



Last time I carried out a 'drop' test I ended up with battery acid all over the floor

[Beezabryan]

"The low voltage may unfortunately have caused damaged to the starter motor solenoid"
How would that be?

[Rattlebattle]

My guess is that one of the cells in the battery has gone bad. Exactly the same thing happened to me a few years ago with the original wet cell battery on an oilhead Beemer. I had gone for a ride and decided to stop for fuel on the way home. Engine wouldn't start even though it had been run for 20 miles or so. I got the dreaded machine gun noise as the starter relay cuts in and out because there isn't enough oomph in the battery to keep the starter engaged and turn over the engine and yet all the other electrical stuff worked fine. A kindly gent gave me a bump start. As soon as I was on my drive I stopped the engine and tried to start it again. Machine gun noise but no go. A new gel battery sorted it. It's not a good idea to keep trying to start the motor using an electric starter when the battery is knackered. It is cranking amps that matters ie how many amps the battery can deliver at once to start an engine. A duff cell will mean that there isn't enough clout in the battery to turn the crank against compression.

[Scalyback]

connect the charger to the bike battery whilst the battery is still connected to the bike. wait 3 minutes.



If the charger is able to deliver 5 Amp normally it should survive. with the charger connected and turned on, check the bike electrics, check for noise form the mystery relay.



now, for no more than 2 seconds, hit the electric start. Less time if it seems ok. You are now down to one of three problems,



1) battery is clucked

2) charging circuit for battery is clucked

3) there is a bad contact in the starter circuit. (if the starter worked ok, then forget this.)



There is also the change that the sprag went or jammed, either blowing a coil in the starter, or a commutator segment (clucked starter).