Trouble in Yorkshire.

Rugged Path

Rugged Path

The Honourable.
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Wybunbury, Cheshire East, England, EU
On getting ready to leave the snowed in rally site nr Slaithwaite, the bike would not start from the button. Fuses look OK, battery healthy but, not turning over. Had to leave it and train it home. Hope to go back next Saturday to sort it out or collect it somehow.
In 15yrs of ownership, this has never happened before. Bike covered in snow and it is near freezing still, it left me stranded.
Any hints to ponder on while travelling in comfort home?
HOGroast
Nantwich, Cheshire
 
How did you establish the healthy battery? Did you try jump starting it? If it's not even turning over (or solenoid clicking) it sounds like it's an electrical issue and I'd always start by suspecting the battery. It happened to me, that my battery packed up without any pre-warning, away from home and when most inconvenient... Mr RAC man tested it and diagnosed that it was stuffed even though it was only 14yrs old. As a Yorkshireman, I was most disappointed :)
 
Tractors are go said:
Faulty switch; sidestand/clutch or even starter/kill button if it isn't turning over would be obvious ones to check first.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

In neutral and also first gear clutch in, no response from button. There has been no other problem like this.
What I did not try was sitting on bike side stand up to push button.


Sent from Steve's fancy iPad using Tapatalk
 
Paul Young said:
How did you establish the healthy battery? Did you try jump starting it? If it's not even turning over (or solenoid clicking) it sounds like it's an electrical issue and I'd always start by suspecting the battery. It happened to me, that my battery packed up without any pre-warning, away from home and when most inconvenient... Mr RAC man tested it and diagnosed that it was stuffed even though it was only 14yrs old. As a Yorkshireman, I was most disappointed :)
Click to expand...

I did try another car battery with same response. Funnily, I bought a new Yuasa battery last week from Halfords as a future replacement. I don’t want to call this an omen.


Sent from Steve's fancy iPad using Tapatalk
 
A quick skoosh of contact cleaner, at the switches, can sometimes resolve matters. Or if there has been a lot of rain, letting it dry out.

I had a Ducati that was fine on the centre stand but if left on sidestand overnight in rain, used to sulk.



Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk
 
Rugged Path said:
In neutral and also first gear clutch in, no response from button. There has been no other problem like this.
What I did not try was sitting on bike side stand up to push button.


Sent from Steve's fancy iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

1100 or 1150?
 
After having the bike for 15yrs, I know most of the foibles that may present themselves but, this is new.

It must be something not obvious.

The snow was dry and flaky so blew into all the nooks and crannies under the seat and tank over the weekend.

I’ll drive back there Tuesday with a new battery, hopefully it’s melted by then. If it starts, I’ll put a cover over it and collect Saturday (return train ticket). If not, transit hire.

Bike has been outside through winter before and started easily.


Sent from Steve's fancy iPad using Tapatalk
 
I take it you checked the lights were working to see if there was some power from the battery. Even if the starter did not turn, I would have expected to hear a clunk of the starter solenoid pulling in when you hit the start button.

1. Kill switch
2. Start button
3 start Relay (big yellow one in fuse box)
4 black wire that runs to the starter motor.

If the black wire has come adrift or is broken, then the load relay will not pull in. So when you turn on the ignition, you will have no horn or lights. So if you have those, then the black wire is OK, so don't bother checking it.

if the kill switch is faulty, then you won't get the initial fuel pump prime, and the bike won't run.

But if the start button is faulty, then you can turn the start motor over by jumping the starter relay, which would be the same if you had a faulty starter relay. Just pull the relay out and Jump across pins 30 (battery) and 87 (starter motor solenoid). CAUTION Just make sure the bike is not in gear when you jump the relay, or she will take off without you. :eek:

As shown in the picture. Red is the battery contact and the black is the solenoid contact.

Good luck
Ian :thumb2
 

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If the checks you did rule out the battery it will be a dead switch due to the ingress of snow if the Bike was covered in it . More than likely the kill switch. Strip it , dry it out then try again .

I would have thought the weather you had seen in the pics you posted, would have killed an old battery .

Hope you get it sorted
 
DC said:
If the checks you did rule out the battery it will be a dead switch due to the ingress of snow if the Bike was covered in it . More than likely the kill switch. Strip it , dry it out then try again .

I would have thought the weather you had seen in the pics you posted, would have killed an old battery .

Hope you get it sorted
Click to expand...

It was that fine dry snow and with the wind; top of York’s moors blew it into every place possible
I may just bite the bullet, hire a van and pick it up and sort the problem at home.


Sent from Steve's fancy iPad using Tapatalk
 
Is there an alternative starter relay I can buy from Halfords or motor parts shop than buying the Beemer model?
Quicker to buy locally than travel to dealer.
Oh, and relay model number, thanks.



Sent from Steve's fancy iPad using Tapatalk
 
The BMW relay is a special relay with a dual path for the earth to operate the relay. One path through the side stand switch and the other through the clutch switch.

However, it is basically a type A relay configuration. I think the only way to start the bike with a standard type A relay, is to operate the clutch switch to create the earth path for the relay. So provided that switch is OK then no problem.

Pull in clutch and press the start button.

Ian :thumb2

Just a word of caution. Check that the pins of the replacement relay matches exactly the configuration and contact numbers of the OEM relay. Of cause there will be no pin 86b on the replacement relay. Just because the salesman sells you a type A, doesn't mean you have a type A, it could be a type B. To the untrained eye, they are similar. But they ain't.
 
Ian J Hartley said:
The BMW relay is a special relay with a dual path for the earth to operate the relay. One path through the side stand switch and the other through the clutch switch.

However, it is basically a type A relay configuration. I think the only way to start the bike with a standard type A relay, is to operate the clutch switch to create the earth path for the relay. So provided that switch is OK then no problem.

Pull in clutch and press the start button.

Ian :thumb2

Just a word of caution. Check that the pins of the replacement relay matches exactly the configuration and contact numbers of the OEM relay. Of cause there will be no pin 86b on the replacement relay. Just because the salesman sells you a type A, doesn't mean you have a type A, it could be a type B. To the untrained eye, they are similar. But they ain't.
Click to expand...

Maybe it is just a coincidence that my bike would not start on a snow blizzardary day after 15yrs. There have been no previous problems as such.
So might be worth me buying another relay, just in case that is the cause.

What I did not try was lift up the side stand to start it so maybe the switch stuck.


Sent from Steve's fancy iPad using Tapatalk
 
Rugged Path said:
Maybe it is just a coincidence that my bike would not start on a snow blizzardary day after 15yrs. There have been no previous problems as such.
So might be worth me buying another relay, just in case that is the cause.

What I did not try was lift up the side stand to start it so maybe the switch stuck.


Sent from Steve's fancy iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


There is a difference between the engine firing and the starter motor turning. You said you pulled in the clutch, Assuming of course that your clutch switch is serviceable.

For the starter motor to turn over you need the bike in neutral. The earth path for the starter relay goes through the gear selector switch. Or if the bike is in gear, then pull in the clutch will provide an alternative earth path for the relay.

The side stand switch has nothing to do with the activation of the starter motor. But it does effect whether the bike will run or not.

From what I can gather your problem is the starter motor does not turn.

Ian
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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