CRF's Only Forums

Hi
Just wondered if anyone could help with an electric start problem, I’ve read various posts and none seem to apply in my case.
The bike is a 250x 05, new to me and I have limited experience with dirt bikes. The starter was working but seemed to struggle to start the bike, now when I press the start button I just get the clicking noise from the starter relay and cannot hear the starter turning.
The battery is good, I’ve replaced the relay and fuse and I’m getting 12.8v at the starter but the starter is not turning. I’ve also tried direct current to the starter and still nothing. I removed the starter and bench tested and it rotates fine, so I put it back in and still nothing.
The only thing I can think of is the starter is failing to rotate when fitted because it’s under load, does anyone have any thoughts or had similar??
The bike does start off the kickstart but once the engines hot I struggle with that too, but that’s another issue.
Thanks

Welcome to the site !!

I am guessing it could be one or more of several issues ...... First , it could be either the One Way Bearing/Gear behind the clutch going bad , it will cause a serious drag , did you try to actually turn the starter using the power from the bike/button when you removed it ?? , or did you just turn it by hand ?? , as that will confirm if the starter is spinning free or not , as it may have worn out brushes .... the other possibility is (since you mentioned kicking was a issue as well) it could be the Decompressor on the cam is not working , as the starter will not turn over the engine if that is not working ... or , the valves are tightening up/zeroing out , which will make it a bear to start , but that is usually not accompanied by slow cranking , just not wanting to physically start , so that would most likely not be the issue , but could contribute to the starting issues , and it will most likely be one of the other items I mentioned as the issue

So that should give you some things to look at and troubleshoot to eliminate or confirm is the issue .... Hopefully you have the manual with it , as that will help in checking each part

Thanks for the reply, with the starter fitted to the bike I was getting 12v at the starter live connection off the starter switch, so that proves the switch/clutch lever/starter relay are all working as they should be and delivering the volts to the starter.
Once I removed the starter I tested it wired directly to the battery and the starter earth and it worked fine more than once. Since then I can't get the starter to run at all (still off the bike) so I'm assuming its looking like a starter issue.

It is common for the brushes to wear out eventually , depending on how much the starter is used and how long it is cranked , as the longer you crank on the starter the hotter it gets , and the quicker the brushes will wear due to the resistance from cranking it

You do have to make sure you have a real good ground as well ... sometimes when lifting the subframe it will pull on the ground wire located just behind the clutch actuator , it will actually pull the wire out of the connector , which will cause the starter to get hot and cause massive resistance , burning the brushes out along with glazing the armature of the starter ... so give a tug on the ground wire and watch at the connector , if the wire moves in the connector even slightly , it may contribute to this issue

Note in this picture that the wire is exposed , this means it was pulled out of the connector , which makes for a bad connection and a loose ground even if the connector bolt is tight to the engine

Just an update, it was the starter, I bought a replacement and it now starts fine off the button. Thanks for the advice and help .

I was just checking back on this forum for clues as to my bikes occasional problem with electric starting and came across this post which may point me in the direction of finding the fault and ultimately a cure. After getting only a solenoid click despite having a fully charged battery (and then a new one and a new solenoid in desperation) i too ended up taking off the starter motor and bench testing it off the bike. using direct connections to the starter terminals the motor spins each and every time i make the contact.

Having not refitted the motor yet is it worth taking it apart the and checking the condition of the internals and is there an article somewhere i could follow? I have always hated electrics as i somehow cannot understand how they work. i can do and understand the mechanical stuff but struggle with electrical problems.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give

Ian UK