1983 XJ900R starter noise - no go

Hey guys, fired up the old girl and let her warm up for a bit gave her a couple revs after she was warm and she just stalled(no bad noises or anything just stalled) press the starter button and no action from the starter at all. However the relay does make a weird farting sound and the tacho spins up when button is pressed. (bike has 83,000kms on it)

I then turned the headlight on to check if the battery is putting out enough power - all good, horn works indicators so it has plenty of power. I tried another battery in it (gel type) that was fully charged from my gpz - same problem just fart noise from the relay under the seat and tacho moving. I disconnected and cleaned all terminals under the seat and checked all fuses still no go.

I also tried putting it in gear and rolling it and the motor turns over so i don't think the starter is jammed. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Cheers guys

 

Bad solenoid sounds like. Have you tried shorting around it?

 

Starter motor brushes.

 

Spot on thanks rmcrow! I found that post with the screwdriver trick and it cranked over no worries. So I just need a solenoid?

 

Could try dismantling and cleaning the solenoid, i did mine as a preventative maintenance it's fairly easy.

 

And you might want to put rebuilding your starter on you list for this winter anyway, or at least pulling it and cleaning and checking it out next time you pull your carbs. There is a reason wizard suggested that.

 

Ok guys I fitted the new solenoid - still same problem just makes a weird beeping sound....picture below shows the ?relay? that is making the noise: the one hanging over the frame


When I shorted the solenoid the starter motor gets a second of movement and stops(really slow) and bogs down and stops - I also got a short puff of smoke while shorting the solenoid and instantly took the screwdriver off the solenoid. The battery was fully charged - I tried the battery in my GPZ750 after and the GPZ flew over no worries. And yes I checked to see if it was in gear but it wasnt

 

I' m going on record to say your battery is not as good as you think it is.......

Dave

 

Gotta agree with Wiz.
Sounds like a carbon fouled starter causing excessive draw.

That relay should be the safety curcuit relay. Check the side stand switch for proper operation, and make sure all electrical connections (Including handle bar switches) are clean, and secure.

Ghost