bike starts and then not

[muskrat]

Had this problem with my M900 ('97) this summer.  Ground is on the Left side (sitting on) and under the battery tray.  Use a screwdriver on it. 

checked the ground wire and all is good......any other ideas?

[svoloch]

Do you leave your battery on a tender overnight? It might be as simple as that.  Does your display have a voltage readout?

[muskrat]

no readout on the guages as it's an 02.  Tender was showing fully charged last week also.

[bryant8]

I'd have to venture the guess that the bike is fine if it's firing up consistantly now. I'd just make sure to keep the bike on a tender.

[webspoke]

Being an '02 model, does it have a red key and an immobilzer? 

[cdc]

I am assuming that you are refering to your '02 750ie.  In '02, the ST4S was plagued with the no start/sometimes start problem.  In didn't matter what the circumstance was, sometimes the bike started and sometimes it didn't.  I have a long list of things that were postulated to be the problem and anyone or combination of things could have been the problem.

If you look at the list of things that were done on my bike one or more of them could be your problem.  A caveat though is that my bike, an '02 ST4S differs from your bike in that it is a 996cc, watercooled 4v which may have needed more juice to start than your bike (or not).

It was suggested that the ST4S had an undersized battery to begin with.  I now have a larger battery.  I can't believe that you have an undersized battery but maybe one that is weak.  Load test it to see if it really is good and solid.  The battery tender showing full charge does not guarranty that it is solid and firing on all six cells.

The power cables of the ST4S were deemed undersized.  I now have upgraded, larger guage cables to the ground, the starter and alternator.  I don't know if the cables did much to correct my problem but in your case, disconnecting the cables and cleanning the connectors well with a liberal coating of dielectric grease when putting back together can only help.  Additionally, the ECU has a ground wire that may have corrosion or is loose.

Don't ignore the kill switch being faulty.

I did not need to replace the alternator or voltage regulator but these need to be checked to see if they are working well.  In some of the older Monsters (maybe not yours) the voltage regulator needed to be relocated to allow them to run cooler than they would in the stock location. 

In the ST4S, the ignition pickup was sometimes not ideally set.  If the gap was too large, the bike would have intermitently have a starting problem.  I am not saying this may apply to your bike but is one thing that was thought to have gone awry in the ST4S so it is something to consider when the above items check out and the problem remains.  Sometimes the ignition coil goes bad.

Finally, some of the ST4S' needed a new ECU.  My bike got one under warranty.  I would consider this an extreme option on your part since the bike is possible out of warranty but it is part of the problem checklist.

In summary, do the following first:

#1 check and CLEAN the power cable connectors and ground cable to ECU
#2 load test your battery
#3 check the kill switch for integrity

If the above check out to be good then,
#4 check the voltage regulator
#5 check the alternator
#6 check the ignition coils.

cdc

[RichD]

This time of the year will bring out any battery/starting problems you've got...

I recently had "no start" problems with my 1098.
The computer would do the start sequence when I pushed the button
(the 1098 turns off the headlight when it is trying to start)
but it would not even try to crank...  50% of the time.
It was the starter solenoid.
I found smacking the bike on the ground a couple of times cleared it right up.
If you want to save some money it would probably be cheaper
to remove it and try that trick off the bike.

I also recently changed to an Odyssey battery on my SS.
It was always hard to start: Thick oil, high comp pistons, racing carbs with no choke.
In cold weather if I didn't get it lit off within three tries it wasn't going to go...
The year old Yuasa Yu-Micron just wouldn't do the job.
The Oddyssey never slows down.
Just effin' amazing.
No trickle charge needed unless you park it over a year...
I'm putting one in my other toys as they come due.

[♣ McKraut ♣]

i may look into this Odyssey brand... i just installed a new Yuasa on the S4R about a month ago, but temps like last night make me wonder if it will be sufficient to stand up to a winter parked outside.  any links to an online store that carries something that fits the S*R?  i did a quick search but didn't get results.

[webspoke]

I used an Odyssey PC680 I had laying around in my old M750, so it should fit the S2R.  They are a tad heavier, but much more powerful.  Baterries plus in town actually stocks them, or you can get a decent price at http://www.gotbatteries.com/items.asp?params=batteries/SLA/1/Hawker%20Odyssey/PC680/0769-2016/SL105/37L105S5   I've bought several from that vendor. 

If anyone wants to give it a try for fitment, I have a couple left over from the race car that don't hold their charge as long, but are still easily good for a many starts on an L-twin.

[♣ McKraut ♣]

I used an Odyssey PC680 I had laying around in my old M750, so it should fit the S2R.  They are a tad heavier, but much more powerful.  Baterries plus in town actually stocks them, or you can get a decent price at http://www.gotbatteries.com/items.asp?params=batteries/SLA/1/Hawker%20Odyssey/PC680/0769-2016/SL105/37L105S5   I've bought several from that vendor. 

If anyone wants to give it a try for fitment, I have a couple left over from the race car that don't hold their charge as long, but are still easily good for a many starts on an L-twin.

sweet, thanks for the link.  looking at the Odyessy stats, i'm tempted to go that route, just because i need to ride my bike all winter, and it stays parked outside.  i think our oem batteries should be the same...  Yuasa YT12B-BS.  so if the PC680 fit your M750, it should fit the S4R.  though, i checked out the dimensions of the PC680 and it is slightly bigger than the yuasa.  7.3 x 3.1 x 6.7, vs. 6 x 2.75 x 5.125.  i'll have to pop up the tank and ensure there's some wiggle room to fit something bigger in.

[♣ McKraut ♣]

sorry for the threadjack btw.  let us know what you find out after going through charles' list.

[hiero]

good stuff here for sure, another thing, is your vent line on the tank kinked? 

[RichD]

good stuff here for sure, another thing, is your vent line on the tank kinked? 

+1

I'm not sure from the description of the problem...  does it crank but not fire?  Not crank at all?  ..?

i may look into this Odyssey brand... any links to an online store...

The place I got my PC680 from has them on sale 'till the end of the month for $98.95+ shipping ($14.19).
$113.14 total to my door.  It is shipped fully charged and ready to install.
(regular price of the ODY-PC680 is $121.49)
www.batterymart.com

The funny thing is the PC680 is the same battery Jason uses to start/run his airplane!

[cdc]

any updates?

cdc

[webspoke]

I can bring a battery (PC680)  this weekend if you want to try it out.