No reponse from electric starter

[CBasket]

I did a search and didn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I'm posting here to see if anyone can help.

The electric starter on my CB77 worked fine last season. Then I let the bike sit outdoors for the winter, and am trying to get it started again. Now, all I hear when I hit the starter button is a single loud click coming from underneath the toolbox.

Each time I hit the button, I hear the click. The bike starts fine with the kickstarter.

Is this the starter solenoid? If so, do you tihnk I need to replace the solenoid, or is it likely that the starter itself is frozen? Is it likely that either the starter or the solenoid went bad while sitting outdoors?

Thanks for the help!

[joeweir1]

If you hear the solenoid clicking it is probably ok.Check for corrosion on starter wires.Battery must be fully charged also.It may kick start with low battery but won't budge on a almost dead battery,I learned that from experience.

[piecutter]

Well, the solenoid or starter relay can make a healthy click and still be bad. The coil is energizing and pulling in the contact plate (hence the click) but the contacts are burnt or coroded from age and weather.
The first test is to bridge the contacts. Turn the key to ignition and push the button to verify that the condition (which can sometimes be intermitant) still exists. If it just clicks, take a normal screwdriver and place it across the 2 large threaded terminals(the one coming from the Positive battery terminal and the one going to the starter) to bypass the relay. If the motor starts turning over at this point, then, of course, the relay has gone south. If it does not, then try tapping on the starter motor itself with a heavy(preferably rubber) mallet while holding the start button. Sometimes it's the brushes in the starter that have gone bad, burnt or coroded. Usually a couple of taps are enough to break the resistance and get it spinning. If either of these tests fails to produce the culprit, the last resort is to disconnect, clean and retighten the battery connections, starter relay,(heavy amp side) starter motor and ground connections. These are the only other spots which might have a weak contact which eats up Amps that the starter needs to get rolling. (the highest Amp draw your system takes is the initial movement of the starter) We already know you are good to go up until the relay because your starter button is making it click(low Amp side). Energizing the coil on the relay takes a much lower amp draw, so even if one or more of these connectons is weak, the coil still clicks, there's just not enough left over to start the motor. These are all your basic roadside tests which just about anyone can perform with what's usually on hand. I much prefer taking a meter to check the current and isolate the problem, a good deal quicker, but I greatly suspect alot of you out there either don't have a multimeter or are just plain mystified by the invisible power that we call electricity!
Don't sweat it, 9 times out of 10 these "roadside" tests will reveal the culprit!

[CBasket]

Wow! Thanks, guys.

One last question...My battery is actually dead. While I wait for a replacement, I've been connecting my battery charger to the terminals, and setting it to the high-amperage "Start" position. This has worked for me in the past when the battery wasn't completely dead (but too low to provide the starting amperage). Do you think that could be part of the problem?

Thanks again, and I'm off to test the solenoid with my handy multimeter...I mean screwdriver.

[joeweir1]

Using the high amp setting on the charger is probably not a good idea on these old bikes in my opinion.

[piecutter]

No! Do not use the booster! Good way to fry that rectifier! Now you really do need that meter!
(By the way, a low battery is also a good reason for your symptoms, sorry for not mentioning it before, I assumed we had a good strong battery to begin with.)