[jjohn]

Hi all,

I had dropped my 2000 SV650 one day, and had to replace the gear shift lever. After that, while I was starting my bike, it turned over a couple of times, and then just died. By died, I mean that the lights and instrument panel are all fine, but the starter relay doesn't click.

I'm sure it is some tiny electrical problem, but I'm not too familiar with electrical or mechanical things, so could use some advice/help.

I have checked all the fuses (including the 30A ones), and they all seem fine.
The bike is in neutral, clutch pulled in, kill switch on, and sidestand up.

I got a multi-meter and the battery puts out 12+V. Not sure what else to check, or rather how to check other things.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[andyauger]

I'm betting it's the clutch safety switch. On the clutch perch you will find a small pair of wires. Unplug the connector and then plug it back in. That should do the trick. If not, post back.

 

[Redbean]

I'm betting it's the clutch safety switch. On the clutch perch you will find a small pair of wires. Unplug the connector and then plug it back in. That should do the trick. If not, post back.

+1. You can also jumper them together to eliminate the switch as the culprit. i not that then you have to determine if its electrical or fuel related. Let us know if its the switch.

 

[jjohn]

Thank you both for the quick replies. I'll try bypassing the clutch switch, but I think it is working fine.

I tested that contact is being made between the two wires of the clutch switch when the clutch is pressed, and that it was getting around +8V too.

Also, things are complicated by the fact that my battery is running out of juice, and so I can do these tests only when I'm hooked up to a friend's car battery.

Today, I plan to bypass the clutch switch, and if that doesn't work, I'll try shorting the starter relay to see if it cranks. Not sure if it will actually start up though -- my SV gets very grumpy if it is cold and I haven't fired her up for a week.

Anyways, I'll post whatever I find today. Thank you

 

[Josh2021]

You may need to adjust the clutch cable as well.

 

[jjohn]

You may need to adjust the clutch cable as well.

What adjustments do I need to make with the clutch cable?

I bypassed the clutch switch, but that didn't make a difference. However, I shorted the starter relay (with a wrench), and the bike started up!! I let it idle for a couple of hours to charge up the battery, and will take it for a ride tomorrow to see if everything else feels fine.

I'll check if the relay works by putting 12V across its terminals, and if that fails, then its probably time to replace the relay.

Otherwise, its probably one of the safety mechanisms screwing things up. I'm afraid it might be the neutral indicator (since i replaced the gear shift lever with an aftermarket one from ebay).


P.S: i have subscribed to this thread, and my options say 'instant email notification', but I don't get any emails when someone posts on this thread. Does anyone know how to fix this?

 

[Redbean]

Let us know how the ride goes.

 

[billbillw]

FYI: Idling the bike for extended periods does not really charge up the battery. The draw from the headlight(s), etc takes about as much as the generator puts out. You really need to put the battery on a charger overnight and get that battery back to full.

 

[Redbean]

FYI: Idling the bike for extended periods does not really charge up the battery. The draw from the headlight(s), etc takes about as much as the generator puts out. You really need to put the battery on a charger overnight and get that battery back to full.

Assuming he didnt raise the idle.

 

[jjohn]

Let us know how the ride goes.

The ride went great. Everything felt quite normal. The new gear shift lever is a little shorter than stock, so that took a little getting used to.

FYI: Idling the bike for extended periods does not really charge up the battery. The draw from the headlight(s), etc takes about as much as the generator puts out. You really need to put the battery on a charger overnight and get that battery back to full.

Oh .. that is good to know. I was unaware of that, but it seemed to help a bit. I didn't need a jump start this morning .. the bike started right up.

I think I've narrowed the problem down to the starter relay. Here's what I found:

1. When I press the starter button, the control input to the starter relay is getting voltage. i.e. 10-11V across the Y/B and B/W wires. However, the relay doesn't click.
2. When I connect the Y/B and B/W wires directly to the battery (12V), the relay clicks, but the starter motor doesn't crank.

This seems to suggest that the relay is definitely faulty and needs to be replaced. However, I'm not sure why the relay clicks with 12V but not with 10V; if this is the expected behavior, how do I get the 10V back up to 12V?

 

[Marc]

I think I've narrowed the problem down to the starter relay. Here's what I found:

1. When I press the starter button, the control input to the starter relay is getting voltage. i.e. 10-11V across the Y/B and B/W wires. However, the relay doesn't click.
2. When I connect the Y/B and B/W wires directly to the battery (12V), the relay clicks, but the starter motor doesn't crank.

This seems to suggest that the relay is definitely faulty and needs to be replaced. However, I'm not sure why the relay clicks with 12V but not with 10V; if this is the expected behavior, how do I get the 10V back up to 12V?

Sounds like you proved the relay is bad. You will lose some voltage to the relay due to wiring and switches. Maybe down to 10.5. The old relay has burnt out contacts that cause it to click but not work. The coil in it has gotten weak and won't make it operate at a bit lower voltage. A new one shouldn't have any problem with 10-11 volts.

P.S. On subscribing. Click, Thread tools-subscibe to this thread-add suscribtion. You should be able to set your control panel to auto. subscribe when you post also.

 

[jjohn]

Sounds like you proved the relay is bad. You will lose some voltage to the relay due to wiring and switches. Maybe down to 10.5. The old relay has burnt out contacts that cause it to click but not work. The coil in it has gotten weak and won't make it operate at a bit lower voltage. A new one shouldn't have any problem with 10-11 volts.

Great. Thanks for the info. I will try to find myself a cheap relay for replacing this one. So far, I haven't had much luck. Might end up just going to the dealer and buying the OEM one for $60 . I'll also get myself a battery tender while I'm at it.

Thank you everyone for your help. I really appreciate it!!

P.S. On subscribing. Click, Thread tools-subscibe to this thread-add suscribtion. You should be able to set your control panel to auto. subscribe when you post also.

I had done that, but for some reason, it wasn't working. I then found a similar set of options which show up on the page when you post a reply, and that works.