Hot Wired

[SpiderFJ1200]

I got up around 0500 and went to start my bike this morning, and the battery was gasping it's last gasp. It halfway turned over and then completely died. 7 hours later, I have the battery fully charged and am starting to screw in the bolt to the positive terminal and as soon as it touches the starter motor starts turning over. I check to make sure the ignition is OFF and the kill switch is OFF and try again. Same result. I turn both ignition and kill switch to ON and the bike starts running. I turn it off, but any time I go to complete the circuit the starter motor starts cranking. Now I'm looking for a fuse or relay or what have you to the starter motor to try and see what has hot wired my bike. Any ideas? 

[SpiderFJ1200]

Right now, I'm betting on a bad starter relay. I looked it over, and from the outside it looks functional. No exposed metal bits. Rubber boots are intact and doing their jobs. It's a sealed unit, so I can't just take it completely apart. Troubleshooting with automotive is typically "replace the cheapest parts first", so that's where I'm at. I'll wait for an educated guess on what's actually wrong before I pull the trigger on buying one.

[Urx]

Disconnect all the wires large and small and check for continuity across the two main posts.
If its showing closed circuit in a fully disconnected state its likely stuck…might free off with a tap but id be planning on a new one.

[Pat Conlon]

Yep, starter relay. It’s common to injure them with low voltage from a dying battery.
Ohm’s Law dictates that for a given load (starter motor) if the supply voltage decreases the amp load increases. The contact is frozen shut from the higher amp draw, as you’ve discovered….
Maybe a sharp tap will release it, maybe not.

Report back if you can get it unfrozen. If not, RPM has them in stock: http://rpmracingca.com/cart.asp?rp=http%3A%2F%2Frpmracingca.com%2Fproducts.asp%3Fcat%3D39%26filter%3DRelay

Cheers

[SpiderFJ1200]

Hammer was the tool for the job. Took it out, tested for continuity. It beeped. Put it between a rock and a claw hammer a few times, and NO beep!

After my post I did consider checking for continuity after seeing how it's supposed to work on the inside. Treating it like the Millenium Falcon and smacking it a few good times reminds me of the level of technology I'm dealing with on the FJ. It runs. Next step, DOT#4 clutch refill.

Many many thanks yet again!