82 XJ550 - Strange Starting behavior

I have a 1982 XJ550 Maxim. I bought it used in the mid 90's, and I still love the bike. It has about 26K miles on it now. It sat a lot for several years until I started riding it to work a few years ago. It runs great, and I love to ride it. I've had the carbs done a couple times, and I've bought a few batteries, brakes, and tires, but other than that things have pretty much stayed the same.

It has a peculiar starting problem. When the starter is engaged, it spins the engine vigorously. But as long as the starter is engaged, the bike does not want to start. If I just hold the starter button for a couple seconds and let go, it seems to start, even though it doesn't "hit" while the starter is engaged. On the other hand, sometimes I can hold the starter button down for days and it often will not start. It's like as long as the starter is engaged, there's a kill switch or something. But as soon as I let go of the button, the momentum of the engine is often enough for it to start. There have been several times when I've cranked it until the starter began to drain the battery. Then I would stop trying, turn the key off and back on, pop it in second gear, roll about 20 feet and pop the clutch, and it would start immediately--and run all day!

Does this make any sense? Is it a voltage problem? Is the the starter dragging and causing the ignition to have insufficient voltage to start the engine?

If anyone knows the answer, I'm sure you guys do.

Thanks.

 

When was the last time the valve clearances were checked?

 

Good question.

But that's not the problem. What you're seeing are the classic symptoms of a "flat" battery. Your battery has enough power to spin the starter, but there's nothing left to fire the ignition; which is why it fires as soon as you let go of the button. I would not have believed this until it happpened to me, and more than once.

Fully charge the battery and take it to the auto parts store and have it load tested. Might be time for a new battery.

At 26K, it's beyond time to have a look at the alternator brushes as well; even if the battery is fine you'll get the same problem if it's not being fully recharged.

And about those valves...

 

Thanks for the responses.

The valves were checked and adjusted about 2 years ago. The mechanic said the compression was still pretty good, given the age and the miles.

As far as the battery goes, I'll have to agree that a new battery certainly does lessen the starting symptoms. The voltage seems to be fine on my battery, but I didn't think about the load test. You may have something there.

Speaking of batteries, is there any particular type that you guys recommend for the XJ's? I've been using the Wal-Mart one that fits according to their guide book. Is there a better or stronger one out there?

Thanks.

 

I tend to agree with Fitz. I had a problem similar to what you are experiencing. Turns out I needed brushes on my alternator.
BTW, I found that certain brushes from the local hardware store after modifying them worked out perfectly.
I believe they were brushes for an electric drill or some other houshold item.
They were the right thickness and length but were a bit too wide and after a little filing the size was right. Then I had to solder the right end onto the wire and, VIOLA.
I was riding again!
Funny, I had forgotten that event until just now but it has been at least 2years and the brush is still working fine!!!

 

I recommend a Motobatt Absorbed Glass Matt battery. I am a huge fan of them. Very good warranty. They have the correct size for your bike also.
You can find out about them here.... http://www.motobatt.com/
If you need help figuring out which one is correct for your bike I will be happy to tell you.

 

How many MILES ago? They need to be checked/adjusted every 5000 miles.

Be careful fitting a "stronger" battery; stick to one that matches original spec. The charging system on these bikes is right at its limit to begin with; a mismatched battery could end up creating more problems than it solves. An AGM is fine; just be sure the specs match up.

 

The alternator might also be an issue for me. I've noticed that my headlight brightens considerably when the engine revs from an idle to say 3000 or more rpm.

Also, my blinkers work fine from around 2500 rpm on up, but at an idle they stick (light up, but don't blink). But with the engine off and the key on, the blinkers stick as well. I think it's at least partly the flasher itself, because I watched as the guy at the shop took the flasher from a similar bike and put it on mine. With the different flasher, my blinkers worked perfectly with just the key on. As soon as he put my flasher back in, they started sticking again. I tried to buy a flasher from him, but he didn't have any and didn't know where to get one (other than from the other guy's bike ).

With all of these voltage-related issues, is it possible I have a problem other than a weak battery or alternator?

Thanks again.

 

This is a sign of a weak battery.

 

It very well could just be a 30 year old flasher unit that's given up the ghost and needs to be replaced. For the cost of a cheap new one, it's a no brainer

 

"A cheap new one" will eliminate the self-canceling feature.

Again, those are the signs of a weak battery.

 

I agree! SWAP that battery out!

Then let us know how it turned out.
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