Starter issues

[Mon5t3r]

I have a 97 monster 750 and lately it has been having trouble starting. At first it would seem that the starter would bog down and then pick up speed and start but now it will just click and if I am lucky after a few tries the starter will engage and start fine.

Is this a bad starter or another electrical issue of some kind? Any help would be much appreciated.

[caferacermike]

Battery.


First bet is your battery is dying or needs to be charged due to non use. Hearing only a clicking noise points to your solenoid activating but there not being enough juice to turn over the starter.

If your battery is lower than 12v charge it up slowly. If it's dead replace it. Once replaced/charged, then you need to do a few things to make sure your charging system is working. I do a quick test here at the house with my multi meter. Place the leads on your battery. Check the voltage. Turn the key on and start the bike. Check the voltage at idle. It should be slightly more or about the same as before you turned on the key. Then rev the engine to about 4,000rpm, the voltage should rise about 1.2v. Hopefully you'll see voltage somewhere in the 13.0-14.4v range. If so that helps to rule out other charging issues. You might have a ground short that slowly discharges the battery when you don't ride.

[Mon5t3r]

Thanks for the info this helps a lot!

[philb]

How many miles are on it? caferacermike is probably right, but if your bike is over about 60K, you might look at the starter mechanisms. I had to have my sprag clutch replaced and starter motor rebuilt at 110K, and again at 187K.

PhilB

[Raspberry24]

If you rule out a weak battery or loose terminals (the cause of 50% of electrical problems) I agree with the possibility of needing a starter rebuild. It will be a good idea to change the oil and look closely at the magnet and the rest of the oil for metal. When starter clutches go they shred into little nail clippings of metal. Seeing more than a little on the magnet will let you know.