I have added Allen’s comment, and the original series of emails outlining the problem and suggestions to fix.
From: Hanghank Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2013 9:27 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Finished putting together the bike but it won't start After 40 years as a Sears Customer Service and Repair Manager, I can give you 1,000 (est.) examples of when the part’s that failed in a similar situation are not necessarily the part’s that have failed in this situation. In my opinion, replacing the relay is a premature reaction/ejaculation. It may be good. (The relay: ejaculation is always good!) You just don’t know yet. (about the relay; ejaculation: see previous comment) Jumping the relay: create an artificial path from the battery cable to the starter cable that bypasses the starting circuits on your M/C. Use a screwdriver - or two crossed screwdrivers – or a jumper cables to provide a current path around the relay. Expect sparks. If it doesn’t crank, you have a problem with the battery and/or the starter/or the connections from battery to relay/ground. If it does crank – and well – you have a problem with your starting circuits or relay and not your battery or your starter. Using a multi-meter to check for voltage presence will not reveal a poor/weak/dirty connection that fails when heavier loads are put on the circuit. A multi-meter by design does not put a “load” on that circuit/connection, and may lead you to a false conclusion. For instance, checking for voltage present at a battery should be done when a load is present, such as cranking or at least with lights on. Use your multi-meter to confirm the presence of 12 volts(?) across the battery posts – best – or cable connections, with the ignition/lights on. Use your multi-meter to confirm the presence of the voltage found above from the battery cable connection on the relay to a reliable ground point. Zero volts at the battery cable/relay connection to ground indicates a failed connection from your battery. A difference of 1 volt or more than what was present across the battery posts indicates a poor connection. Note from Allen: The only thing I would add is that you can use the multi-meter to check Ohms (resistance) between the various circuits to find poor connections. Any wire should have resistance in the milliohm range. If you have an amp meter even better. Another good indication of a weak battery or poor connections is weak lights. The lighting circuit is disconnected during cranking. Remove, clean and/or replace the cables. Check for the voltage present at the starter relay output/starter connection to a reliable good ground point. When the starter circuit is not engaged, there should be 0 volts. When the starter circuit is engaged, 12 volts(?) present at the relay output/starter connection to a reliable good ground point indicates that your relay, battery, and starter circuits are good. You should be able to hear a pronounced clicking from the relay when the starter button is pressed. If there is no clicking from the relay, voltage present at the relay output/starter connection would be expected to be zero. They click! In the starter circuit are the battery and it’s connections to the relay and ground, including the starting circuit, which includes: ignition switch, clutch and gear position switches, engine kill switch (which interrupts voltage to ignition and starter circuits, but not lights. Before you knee-jerk and replace the relay, check out your system. Save time, money and frustration. Of course, replacing the relay unnecessarily would also confirm that it was not your problem................ ;~) The chart sent previously by Allen is extremely useful for charging system problems. Use this. http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.electrosport.com/media/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf&sa=U&ei=d1UTUvy-CpDeyQGIsYHQDw&ved=0CAoQFjAA&sig2=4qnVjc2M-KJ95k5AdRusfA&usg=AFQjCNHEb214wWgcJpnNMYwJj0n_W1b7_w From: Jeff Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2013 7:55 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Finished putting together the bike but it won't start Thanks for the list of where I can buy it. I'm ordering one just in case What do you mean by jump the selenoid? The fuse is still fine, I did a visual and multimeter test on it. Using a car battery wont damage a thing.... The motor wont pull more amprage then it can use. Voltage.is voltage weather.it.comes from a tool battery or.truck battery, as long as the voltage is the same its like saying a larger fuel tank will damage your engine.... On Aug 19, 2013 3:27 PM, "Kyle Munz" <[email protected]> wrote: Seriously, once it's off the bike it's just two screws to open it up. If it looks like the image below, order a rebuild kit. -Kyle On Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 2:20 PM, Rmj <[email protected]> wrote: Be careful about using a car battery on the starter. Car batteries put out a whole lot more amperage than an mc battery. Try taking it to an auto parts store & let them test it, even if they charge a small fee. Car battery may solve the mystery by burning up the starter. Thank you, Ross ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: [email protected] Sent: 8/19/2013 1:40 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Finished putting together the bike but itwon't start I like Grahams idea better. But yes bang lightly. Works on stuck solenoid and bad spot on starter Jason King ----- Reply message ----- From: "Graham Rogers" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Finished putting together the bike but it won't start Date: Mon, Aug 19, 2013 2:31 pm and if that doesn't work, use a bigger hammer, finally drop it from 2,000 feet onto 6 feet of concrete. let us know how that works out. On Aug 19, 2013, at 1:56 PM, Jason King wrote: Try the test again and bang the starter with a hammer while you are trying to start it and see if it works. On Aug 19, 2013 1:37 PM, "Javier Garcia" <[email protected]> wrote: Although i agree with the comments about the battery, i suggest repairing the starter anyway. Is a simple procedure, and you have it off the bike already. That way you will have piece of mind, specially after all the work you have already put on this bike. Javier On Aug 19, 2013 1:32 PM, "Joey Kelley" <[email protected]> wrote: Battery chargers - particularly the automatic kind that tell you when it is charged - have been known to be incorrect in the event of a battery that is suffering a failure. If you ran the starter motor off another battery - like from your car for instance and it turns - the issue is most likely the battery or something downstream from it in the wiring. If you connect it to a different power source entirely and it doesn't turn over - I would suspect the starter. -Joey On Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 1:19 PM, Jeff <[email protected]> wrote: Allow me to clear it up. I removed the starter motor from the engine and the battery as well. I used a jumper cable to connect the starter motor to the battery The starter motor ran for 1/2 a sec and never again. The engine as far as I can tell was moving before I installed it. I used a battery charger to recharge the battery until the device said it's fully charged -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
