Battery or starter issues?

My '82 Seca 750 won't start without a boost, runs fine after starting, then even after a 15 minute high revving ride, when shut off, will not restart. Turns over great until battery dies and then just clicks until dead again. Battery issues? Starter? Something else?

 

Take you battery in and get a load test on it,

 

Could it be the starter? Flat spot maybe?
Thanks

 

I would test your coil resistance, make sure you have the correct plugs in and they are gapped correctly, clean etc.

The wrong resistance will give you a real problem with creating a good spark for starting from sub 12Volt after the load from the starter drags everything down. Whereas when the bike is running and you're getting 13.5V and strong amperage it's a whole other set of rules.

The fact that you can you start the bike if jumpered to a car battery(I'm assuming) may indicate the above condition if it starts without a problem.

On the other hand if it needs a fair bit of turning over to get it started it could also be flooding and have a over-rich idle mix or over-high float level. If so open the throttle fully and then try and start it (increase the air flow) and see what happens... so many theories, so little time!

 

Sounds like battery. Flat spots on the starter are really burned segments on the commutator or sticking brushes.

The battery should be about 13 volts if fully charged. Cranking voltage should be about 10 volts. Even at high RPM and a voltage of 14.6, the charging system on these bikes is marginal and cannot recover a discharged battery in fifteen minutes. To really charge the battery you need a 1 amp charger running for several hours. Do not use a car charger as it will only heat the battery and destroy it. The symptoms you describe are classic low battery voltage.

 

I'm with the gang, your battery is most likely your issue.
Start at the top:
1. Check the battery, fluid topped off (distilled water ONLY), fully charged? Have it load tested. Replace as indicated.
2. Check your starter brushes. Replace them if they are too short. Short brushes burn commutator segments.

 

Thanks all. Much appreciated. New battery plus a good look at the starter brushes! Cheers

 

Before replacing the battery we recommend fully charge and test. It may just be discharged to a point that it can't recover with what the alternator produces. Once it is charged it can be load tested to determine if it is still serviceable.

 

Verify the fluid levels. Top off with distilled water. Then fully charge and test it.

The fact that a booster starts the bike, makes the battery a very likely culprit.

 

I am wondering what the load test is? Is that when you take it into Autozone and they test it? They wouldn't test my motorcycle battery. They said the machine wouldn't work with that type of battery.

 

Then you went to the wrong auto parts or the fools you were dealing with didn't know what they were doing.

I've had motorcycle batteries load tested for me by my local AutoZone, as well as the local NAPA stores.

True story: Walked into local AZ with a TORN UP phillips screw I had used an extractor on, looking for a replacement. Handed it to counter guy to look in his little bins to find a match. He looked at it and said "wow, what happened to this?"

Me: "I used a screw extractor on it."

Him (still holding the screw IN HIS HAND "Wow, did it work?"

You may just need to try a different auto parts store.

 

I have a better auto parts store with guys who know what they are talking about. They are only open 8 to 5 daily though. So when I know in advance, I go there. When those sudden things come up, I go to one of the chains.