starting issue

M

Margucci

Member
i have a GS500 which has been sitting around for a while in favor of another ride. the battery was completely dead and instead of trickle charging it (i needed to started quickly) i tried to jump it with my car (obviously turned off). connected to the car the bike now powers up and lights and everything work however the starter will not turn. when i try and start it the headlight dims however. after a couple mins of having the bike connected to the car battery i can disconnect it and the lights remain on indicating that the battery is still holding some charge even after just a couple of mins.

any suggestions to get this thing started? should i just leave it connected and charging for a little while?
 
Give it a few minutes, jumper cables don't like to provide enough power to start a vehicle, rather they assist the battery in the dead vehicle. Make sure the obvious problems are taken care of (ie. side stand up, bike in neutral, kill switch on).
 
stand is down but bike is in neutral. kill switch is also set to on. im thinking it is just really drained. i HOPE my starter hasnt gone for some reason. when i put it away the starter worked fine. wold the headlight still dim if the starter was gone? man this would be so much easier with another working motorcycle battery i could test it with.
 
Margucci said:
stand is down but bike is in neutral. kill switch is also set to on. im thinking it is just really drained. i HOPE my starter hasnt gone for some reason. when i put it away the starter worked fine. wold the headlight still dim if the starter was gone? man this would be so much easier with another working motorcycle battery i could test it with.
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Don't forget suzuki likes to use a clutch switch for startup. Make sure the clutch is pulled in all the way (and make sure the connectors are still connected to it. If I remember right its the underside of the clutch.)

edit: pictured below
100_1479_ClutchEngagementSwitch_2.jpg
 
could a battery that needs to be replaced also be the issue even while jumped. it has been hooked up to the car battery for a couple hours now. lights run ok but it seems like there maybe isnt enough voltage coming off of it because the headlights dim all the way down when i go to start it.
 
EDIT: actually read your post...

It's starting to sound like something is wrong with your starter. I've got the same bike with a **** battery in it (soon to be replaced). I've had it bad enough that the dash wouldn't even light up, but I was still able to bump start it. Also, hooking it up to the car the other night it fired up right away, like the battery was brand new.

I would see if you can get it going with a bump start. If that works, you might have starter problems. If it still won't start, check for things that would break your starting circuit. Those are sidestand switch, kickstand switch, clutch switch, engine start/stop switch...

This will help http://binatani.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/wiring-diagram-schematic-suzuki-gs500e-motorcycle.jpg
 
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GreyGhost said:
Give it a few minutes, jumper cables don't like to provide enough power to start a vehicle, rather they assist the battery in the dead vehicle. Make sure the obvious problems are taken care of (ie. side stand up, bike in neutral, kill switch on).
Click to expand...

No offense, but this is not true. A car battery will EASILY start any bike over jumper cables, and jumper cables are NOT for charging one dead battery with a live one.
 
TwistedKestrel said:
No offense, but this is not true. A car battery will EASILY start any bike over jumper cables, and jumper cables are NOT for charging one dead battery with a live one.
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Yeah, you're really hooking the second battery up in parallel to the first, so it's applying power directly to the motorcycle's electrical system as if it were installed in the bike.
 
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Also, not sure if you're jumping it correctly. Instead of leaving it connected for a few hours then starting off MC battery alone, hook it up to the car and try and start it right away. If it starts, it was just a drained battery and you can disconnect the jumper cables immediately.
 
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trying to start it with low volts will make it draw extra amps and can cause u to blow one of your main fuses, look them over.
baring that jump the starter it self and rule it out.
 
just wanted to say thanks to everyone it looks like it was my starter after all. just to elaborate on what I did.
1) tried jumping like normal
2) when that didnt work i connected both batteries in series outside of their vehicles to charge it up. (it will never fully charge that way however the voltage will equalize).
3) put the battery back in the bike and verified that it did charge up a bit (enough to run all lights on at the same time even highbeams)
4) tried to start it and no turn over
5) jumped back up and tried to start with no turn over
6) bump start worked
7) dead starter. yay!

again, thanks for all the advice.
 
Glad to hear you're making progress.

Sounds like it's definitely the starter circuit that's causing the problem. Good news the engine and all the kill switches are working fine.

Before you go out and buy a new starter, I'd check to see if it's really not working. There is a 20A fuse in the starter relay that would cause the same behavior. In this diagram, bottom, just to the left of centre: http://binatani.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/wiring-diagram-schematic-suzuki-gs500e-motorcycle.jpg

See if the fuse has blown. From your earlier description it sounds like the starter button is working as headlights dim when you press it, but it's also worth checking the continuity in that. A final step would be to hook 12V directly to the starter (with no relay or switches between) to see if it spins. If not, you're looking for a new starter.
 
You mean in parallel when you said series?

Margucci said:
just wanted to say thanks to everyone it looks like it was my starter after all. just to elaborate on what I did.
1) tried jumping like normal
2) when that didnt work i connected both batteries in series outside of their vehicles to charge it up. (it will never fully charge that way however the voltage will equalize).
3) put the battery back in the bike and verified that it did charge up a bit (enough to run all lights on at the same time even highbeams)
4) tried to start it and no turn over
5) jumped back up and tried to start with no turn over
6) bump start worked
7) dead starter. yay!

again, thanks for all the advice.
Click to expand...
 
Check fuse
put battery back in the bike
jump the bike via car battery (-) to (-) and (+) to (+). Make sure the car is running. Dont worry this wont butn your bike or any devices.
try to start it. If that fails then check your starter for any connections and corrosions.
If all is intact, then it may be a starter problem.
 
zeniceguy said:
trying to start it with low volts will make it draw extra amps and can cause u to blow one of your main fuses, look them over.
baring that jump the starter it self and rule it out.
Click to expand...

Me just being picky, don't mean to come off rude if I do. Good suggestion to always check the fuses though, simply and quick.

...but unless bikes have variable on-board transformers or something large like the starter is 'smart PWM' (...which is silly, those electric motors are very robust for their duty cycle), supplying low voltages will not result in higher current draw. Although repeatedly starting the bike (repeatedly running the starter) can eventually heat up the slow-burst fuse (which is ideally designed to be used only once every time you start your bike) will make it more susceptible to blowing in future trials.

Low voltage =/= more amps
Low voltage => you repeating the same same failed experiment => more amps over time (not per trial)
 
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