• A few people have been scammed on the site, Only use paypal to pay for items for sale by other members. If they will not use paypal, its likely a scam NEVER SEND E-TRANSFERS OF ANY KIND.

Bike won't start- all apears normal.

SilverRocket

Site Supporter
Joined
Jul 13, 2017
Messages
305
Reaction score
37
Points
28
Location
West Los Angeles, California
Visit site
So I tried starting my bike on Sunday morning. Turn the key everything lights up as normal, but all I get is a Click-Clack sound followed by a buzzing noise and then the Check Engine light and Coolant Temperature Indicator both shut off. They light up while I hit the starter button, which I think is normal.
Kickstand up/ down, Ignition Kill switch is off, brake on/off. Nothing seems to get it started.
So I put it away and went to work. When I came home that evening it started up like normal, several times. No battery issues.
But this morning it's refusing to start up again.
It's been foggy both mornings and cooler than usual but I can't believe THAT would cause this.

Any thoughts on areas that I can check with my limited skills?

Of course, all this happens after I cancelled the motorcycle roadside assistance part of my Auto Club membership, since they've refused to help me twice with key and lock issues.

Thanks.
 
Have the battery tested. I know my battery (the original from 2012) doesn't like starting cold. The cold can severely affect battery cranking amps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My battery died after 3 years exactly like that and i had it on a trickle charger the whole time. Batteries are pretty cheap abd are very easy to replace. Make sure the connectors are clean before you attach them to the new battery. You can use CRC battery spray or silicone dielectric grease after everything is connected to keep moisture/corrosion out if you live in a humid environment as well. A battery tender is also a good idea if the bike is not in use for several weeks.
 
Last edited:
I'm going to have the battery checked tomorrow. I ride almost every day and it's never given me any trouble on any of my bikes.
Though, since I bought a demo last year I can't be sure it was new then, or if it's 2 years old.
Will report back later.
Fingers are crossed!
 
Disconnect the battery terminals (connectors), clean them with light sand paper or use a fine file and then reconnect the terminals to the battery. While you are at clean, clean the battery posts. I had something similar happen to me a couple of months ago on my C50 Boulevard; riding the bike, making several stops, stopped at best buy, went out and nothing when trying to start. I removed the connectors, cleaned them with a small file, reconnected and vroom.....
 
My 2 year old battery did the same thing. 1000 miles a month, no long time sitting.
A few times I got a click the first try, then one day it didn't start at all.
 
So I disconnected the battery and took it down to the shop. They said it was a little low, right at 12.4 volts, which is what I think I read was the cutoff point for battery voltage. They hooked it up to a trickle charger for 4 hours.

I took it home and installed it. There were no standard terminals to clean on my battery, like on a car, but it didn't matter. The metal was like new and the grease was also like it had been put on yesterday. No corrosion at all.
It took a while to hook up the terminals. The battery kept sliding down into the "cave" it sits in while I was trying to line up the holes for the bolts.

Once installed, I said a little prayer and turned the key and pushed the start button. The bike started up like it should! I turned it off, held my breath, and started it again. No issues. I took it for a short ride twice around the block in M mode in low gears. Not sure if it just idling would charge the battery.

There is one big difference- the weather is now warm and dry. Not cool and foggy.

The other thing I noticed when I was taking the chain off the rear wheel (I didn't bother to unlock the bike until I was certain it would run!) was that there was a tiny pool of what looked like water, maybe oily water, under the bike- right by the brake pedal. Not sure where it came out of. About a teaspoon.

Does the DCT have a lower idle rpm versus the manual? Since we have that ridiculous bar tach I can't say what the rpm at idle is, but if I raised it the bike might roll forward when I take my hand and foot off the brake, like in a automatic car.
Is the DCT supposed to move forward when not under braking? Could a low idle speed mean the bike doesn't charge the battery as well? It would be interesting to have a voltage meter hooked up while riding to see.

Anyway, I had to go through 5 days of not having my bike and having to drive my car, which is like going into battle for the ride to work and back home. I hope This is just a one time issue, but I think I will look into getting a battery charger for insurance, just in case.
Any recommendations?
Thanks all!
 
At 12.4V the battery holds only 40% of its named capacity and it’s too weak. It doesn’t have enough power. Usually that’s the time to replace it.

Note that the voltage measurement is only indicative of the battery status. It can be false. You also need a load test to evaluate its status.

See the Yuasa Technical Manual for more details...
 
The liquid found on the ground was probably water that drained from a tiny drain hole in the exhaust system. That’s normal on a cold startup.

The idle speed is controlled by the computer and is not adjustable. The DCT should not move forward until the throttle is opened.

Get a charger, like you suggested. Monitor the battery performance and replace it if necessary.
 
Yes, low idle speed could mean the bike battery isnt maintaining full charge. Bikes don't have alternators, they have stators. Many bike stators only put out enough electricity at idle or low speed to maintain the bike, not recharge the battery to a full charge. I have had a couple of bikes, in their owner manuals, one stated the minimum speed to maintain full battery was 35mph, the other stated 45mph. Dont know what the minimum speed on the NC700 is, never been an issue and I have 60 miles of superslab (at 65mph or over) to work and most of 2 lane highways and country roads I ride over 45mph.

This all depends on the size of the stator. Someone on here may know the amp size of our stator (I dont) and how many volts our bike uses at idle (with no accessories running).
A 32amp stator should put out 18 volts at 1000 rpm, 36 volts at 2000 rpm....
 
Last edited:
The power output of a motorcycle (permanent magnet) alternator depends on the engine’s RPM. The maximum output is at about 5,000 RPM. Above that usually it falls. When idling it may not provide enough power to charge the battery.

A lead acid battery love to be always fully charged (it’s the only thing that stops sulfation). If your usage is not enough to fully charge it and keep it that way for enough time, a good battery maintainer is necessary like an Optimate...

One more solution can a LiFePO4 battery. It doesn’t have the problems of lead acid (but it has others...).
 
The liquid found on the ground was probably water that drained from a tiny drain hole in the exhaust system. That’s normal on a cold startup.

The idle speed is controlled by the computer and is not adjustable. The DCT should not move forward until the throttle is opened.

Get a charger, like you suggested. Monitor the battery performance and replace it if necessary.

Greg, I dismissed for a long time the supposed benefits of performing the DCT recalibration procedure but have changed my mind on this. I have seen several bikes that the owners noted an idle creep and a recalibration apparently removed it. As you note the bike should not move forward at idle speed and idle speed is not adjustable but the take-up point of the starter clutch pack can be adjusted to remove a creep at idle in gear.
 
Bikes don't have alternators, they have stators.

A stator is part of an alternator:

alternator.jpg

Section 13 of the Honda Service Manual is Alternator/Starter Clutch. The difference between the alternator illustrated above, and the one in the Honda, is that the flywheel has permanent magnets rather than coils of an electromagnet for inducing current flow in the stator.
 
Last edited:
You can load test at home. Get out your handy fluke (multimeter) set it to dc voltage and attach it to the battery. You will see your 12.4v. Here's the trick, try and start the bike and watch the fluke. See how low voltage drops. If it starts quickly use your phone and film the meter then go through frame by frame and look for the lowest voltage.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You can load test at home. Get out your handy fluke (multimeter) set it to dc voltage and attach it to the battery. You will see your 12.4v. Here's the trick, try and start the bike and watch the fluke. See how low voltage drops. If it starts quickly use your phone and film the meter then go through frame by frame and look for the lowest voltage.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for getting me to think out of the box using video. I've used voltmeters to observe voltage drop at start up but if it starts up the displayed voltage changes so quickly I assumed I'd never know what the low figure was.
 
On a non recording meter, the accuracy of the reading seen on a video is still depending on the rate that the meter updates it’s display. It make take the evaluation of readings from several attempts to be conclusive. Some meters, like a Fluke 87, will automatically record min and max voltages, either at 100ms or 1ms intervals.

The bottom line is that the fancier your meter, the more accurate your results.
 
I got to work and back home fine today, like always.
I ride freeway to work (10 miles) and streets home(7 miles) 4-5 days a week every week.
I've never had a battery issues in all my 17 years and 8 bikes combined.

My main concern now is what caused the drop in voltage.
The other idea is should I carry around one of those new pocket battery booster gadgets? If a battery drops in voltage like mine did will those gadgets allow for a jump? Or is a trickle charger the only way to get a battery back up to a reliable state?
This bike is a lot heavier than my old smaller bikes that I had to push when I had engine/ clutch issues. Would not want to have to walk the NC700 very far, meaning more than a couple dozen yards max!
 
If the bike starts so fast that you need to video the meter to see what the voltage drop was, the battery is good. A few months ago when my NC battery was its end of life, I attached my ancient Fluke 77 to the battery, started it and had no problem seeing the drop to under 10v. For an intermittent starting problem, there's either a loose/poor connection somewhere, or something moving around inside the battery shorting a cell out.
 
Back
Top