Ok...
Sometimes when I start the bike it turns over ok and starts up... starter sounds like its turning normally. Then at other moments it seems as if the starter turns at like quarter speed... and the bike wont start... you can never tell which one you are going to get... and this seems to have started after I had to leave the bike out in the rain one evening. Not sure that is part of the issue or not... may just be a coincidence.
If its warm then you can give it a bit of gas and even when the starter is slow it will catch and start.
if its cold it just turns at quarter speed... I'm not sure if this is a battery issue, rectifier regulator issue, water in the system issue, starter motor issue, or what?
Please help... its so intermittent I don't know what to make of it.
Thanks
John

From your description, either dirty connections at the battery, solenoid or starter.  It could also be an intermittent charging system problem or just your pattern of use.  If you clean the connection at the starter use caution.  Short trips combined with low engine speed will not allow the battery to recharge sufficiently.  The lug is delicate and if you break it you will be spending a lot of money.  More info on the bike would be helpful, like year, mileage, age of battery as well as what tools you have at your disposal.

Hey,
Thanks.... as for your questions the bike is a 2000 M900Sie... I bought it a year and a half ago with 900 miles on it. The guy I got it from never rode it. It now has 4900 miles on it. The battery is about a year old from what I recall. As far as tools go I have most things at my disposal at a friends place.... I tried to turn the bike over yesterday and the first time it was fine... second and third time it was slow and barely goes and then the next time it turns normally but doesn't catch... then back to slow turn over but witha  little gas it catches.
Its so odd because its not exactly consistent...
Thanks
John

Just out of curiosity, does the bike sleep in a garage or outside?

Since the bike is used so little I would start with the basics, like water level in the battery if it is not sealed and battery condition.  Correct water level, charge battery and get it load tested.  Even though the battery is young, if the bike was not used much and the battery was not kept on a battery tender it could be sulfated.  If you have access to a voltmeter check charging voltage and check for voltage drop at the starter connections and engine ground.  Look for 13.2V - 14.5 at the battery at about 3000RPM.  Voltage drop is found by hooking the meter in parallel across the connection.

Quote from: edgesnyc on October 07, 2008, 07:16:45 AM
Hey,
Thanks.... as for your questions the bike is a 2000 M900Sie... I bought it a year and a half ago with 900 miles on it. The guy I got it from never rode it. It now has 4900 miles on it.

Off topic....

Did you change the belts?

Quote from: somebastid on October 08, 2008, 12:42:24 PM
Off topic....

Did you change the belts?

Off topic maybe, but important   If the belts are over two years old or you don't know the age, change 'em!

ok belts are new.. and bike is housed in a garage... and I think it may be the starter motor from what I'm told in asking around... I don't know. The bike lives well for the most part... this all started after I left it out one night in the rain at a friends place when I spent the night there and there was no garage to put it in. If its the starter then I hear thats an expensive repair... unfortunately...
Once again my Ducati has left my with no riding and repairs on the horizon.

So, I assume your battery tested good, you bypassed the solenoid and checked all connections including the grounds, particularly the one at the starter (with caution, since the lug on the starter is delicate).  An easy, definitive test is apply battery power directly to the starter.  Make sure the bike is in neutral.  If it now cranks well, the problem is not the starter, but is in the starting circuit.

It's the battery.  Get a new one, and a Battery Tender.

+1 on Battery. These things hate being discharged. They are not deep cycle units which are designed to run down before charging. They must be kept charged between runs to maximise effective life. Check your charging circuit also to make sure it is charging on runs.
As suggested get a new battery,battery tender and multimeter.

-2 on the battery.

It's very possibly the culprit but do *not* buy a new one until establishing the old one is no good. Have you tested it for the voltages Howie mentioned?