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Strange things are happening!!!

2K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  Vinish 
#1 ·
2003 1800C. Never had an electrical issue like this before...Stay with me. Bike is on a battery tender all winter, just like every year. Pull the cover off and get ready to ride. Fire her up and all is good. Ride for a day or two. Pull her out of the garage and try to start her after a couple of days. Cranking very slowly, just like the battery was a bit weak. Pushed the starter a few times to try to get her to turn over enough to fire off. Then nothing. Wouldn't even turn over at all. Put the tender back on her and waited overnight. Went back out to give it a go. Turned the key on, all the lights and fuel pump are good, pushed the starter and...nothing. Pulled both covers off, checked the fuses, all good. Then I jumped the starter solenoid and she started up. I thought BINGO! Ordered a new solenoid. Installed it tonight, here is where it gets weird....Installed the solenoid just like the stock one, turned the key on, all the right lights and feel pump do their thing, go to push the starter switch and she tries to turn over. Kinda does, THEN i take my thumb off the starter switch and she keeps turning over...hit the kill switch, still turning over, turned off the key, still turning over...finally unhooked the pos battery terminal. She finally stops turning over. Now, even with the key off, if I touch the pos battery terminal to the starter wire, she tries to turn over. WTF!!!??? Any ideas?? Did I install the solenoid wrong?? Something I'm missing?? Help me Obi Wan...
 
#3 ·
The continual turning over means that you have welded the contacts inside the solenoid in the closed position. Sometimes this can be fixed by hitting the solenoid with a piece of wood or the plastic end of a screwdriver. The reason solenoid contacts get welded closed is usually a weak battery. Remove your battery from your bike, FULLY charge it with the battery tender, and then have it load tested with a minimum of a 100 amp draw at most chain auto parts store. This is likely to tell you that your battery is bad. If the solenoid can't be fixed by beating on it, another new one of those will also be needed.
 
#5 ·
Ummm, Silver F gave a dissertation in the past day or so why those 'lawn mower' solenoids should -NOT- be used. Can't handle the amp draw of the VTX. Get the right one.
 
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#6 · (Edited)
Hell, just reinstall the original one, there was most likely nothing wrong with it in the first place! I would guess that your problem was a bad battery right from the start of the year.

And, if you can't find an auto parts store with a 100 amp battery tester you can buy one from Harbor Freight for about $20.00 if it is on sale or use one of their 20 % off coupons, that's what I did and now I don't have to pull the battery to have it checked I just test it on the bike!!
 
#12 ·
Thanks guys, lots of good info. Let the testing begin. I just assumed the battery was fine, It's only two years old. I'll update after the weekend. Thanks again!
JV
Did the battery that you have come with any type of warranty? Not sure if cycle batteries even come with them or not like car ones do but it is at least worth looking into in. If for some reason it does, it might get you a new battery until you can find a better one at a good price.
 
#16 ·
I got a Bike Master 3 years ago at the ECG gathering. Needed acid to juice it up, included with battery in box. It sat unused until the following spring, filled it up, slow charged 1-1/2 days, worked just fine.....for 6 weeks. Stick with the Yuasa, my 2 c. Is future aggravation worth a few bucks?
 
#17 ·
I put a Duralast Gold in mine last year. It's sealed with glas mat technology ( whatever that is--sales technique prolly). Anyway, it's worked so far.
 
#18 ·
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you Matt. This subject is a prime example of 'you get what you pay for'.
 
#19 ·
I just read some reviews on it and they're not too good. I may have to start looking around again.
 
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#20 ·
#21 ·
Thanks to all!! Battery was junk. Bought a Yuasa off Amazon for $80.00. It was a YTX20L-BS (same as stock). 6 Month warranty. Lasted 1.5 years on a tender....Not cool. Smacked the solenoid and all is working good. Just pulled the trigger on a new lithium from Battery Tender. Here's to it lasting a bit longer. See you guys at the next turn.
 
#24 ·
The Lithiums do require a different charger.
 
#25 ·
Hey guys, new battery is installed, works great but if the starter relay was welded shut once, is it predisposed to doing it again with a strong battery now that it's happened once already? Reason I ask, rode home from work yesterday and when I went to shut the bike off with the key, it kept trying to start (started and shut the bike down a half dozen times that day with no issues), pulled the cover and smacked the relay. Checked the battery and voltage and load were all good. Just thought that the relay is now damaged goods and I'm better off just getting a new one?? Put the OEM back in just to see if it was also just a weak battery issue to begin with, but it seems to be toast. No response from it at all.
 
#27 ·
If the bike has the starter motor continue to turn the engine even when the kill switch is off or the key is off, then the starter relay is bad. It is a cheap part to replace so I recommend you go ahead and install a new one.
 
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