Hitchcocks Forum

Hi all
For the last few days, my starter motor has needed a couple of seconds to actually engage upon pressing the switch when cold. Not such a big deal.
However. I rode home this afternoon and made a quick stop at the local shop. Then, when riding the last ½-mile home I had the feeling the engine was making strange noises. I got got home and turned off the key but the starter motor kept turning! I reckon it had been on that whole short ride home from the shop.
I could not get the damn thing to stop - not by turning the red on-off button. the ignition or even putting down the side stand.
I could only get it to stop by turning the ignition back on, restarting the engine, putting it into 1st and deliberately stalling the machine.
Even then, it still wanted to switch itself back on again with intermittent last gasps!
The battery is new. The bike is well looked-after and has run perfectly since new in 2012. It's done 25000km
Any advice please?
Cheers
Matt

Almost certainly the starter solenoid - its sticking - in the old days we used to bash em with a hammer - and perhaps a light tap with a screwdriver will do the same job, follow the positive lead off the battery !

Cheers!
Hammer and screwdriver at the ready.
Will report back tomorrow,

Taken a couple of days..
Yesterday I went to start the bike armed with screwdriver and hammer, but the battery was dead flat.
Kickstarting not successful either.
This morning I whipped the battery out and put it on charge.
Now for the worrying part - the battery has been on charge all day (6hrs) but isn't taking any charge at all, according to the 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% progress meter on the charger.
The battery is just a couple of months old, but this seems to have killed it.
Any comments please?

Thanks and BR
Matt

What voltage is it reading over the battery terminals? I am making an assumption here you have a meter and can take a voltage reading.It may need more than 6 hours.

One thing I don't have is a meter, I'm afraid.
I've just reconnected the charger and I'll give it another go.
Thanks for the tip.

You will not be able to kick start an EFI bullet with a completely flat battery. No power to the fuel pump. After 50 years of motorcycling I,m still learning with my first fuel injected bike.

Thanks FM
Yes, I knew that, however I just wanted to point out that the battery was absolutely dead flat.
I have actually been able to kick the bike over in the past with an old battery that appeared flat and would not turn over the ignition.