Bike Won't Start!

[ichsehichseh]

Bike: 2005 SV650N K5 with ~18500

Problem: Fuel pump doesn't prime and engine doesn't try and turn over

Mods: Leo Vince slip on exhaust

I went to start the bike this morning and when I turned the ignition on, the fuel pump primed like usual, but when I hit the starter switch, I just heard a click from under the seat. I turned the ignition off then waited a minute and then turned the ignition back on. This time the fuel pump didn't prime and then when I hit the starter switch not a sound and the HUD displays "CHEK". I recently replaced my battery and a month or so ago I had dropped the engine out to replace a leaking head gasket.

Honestly, I'm not sure where to start. I have checked the fuses, and both 30A fuses are good. Any advice on where I should start?

[littleoldman2]

Start by checking the battery voltage and connections.

[shiftin_gear98]

Check the kill switch isn't on.

[ichsehichseh]

The killswitch is off, and the battery is reading at 12.9V on my multimeter. All the connections are good.

[Swin]

No expert here by any means but a few years back I had a bike which made a click sound instead of starting and it turned out to be the starter solenoid

hth

[ichsehichseh]

The killswitch is off, and the battery is reading at 12.9V on my multimeter. All the connections from the battery and to the battery are good. The starter ground is tight and good as well as the ground from the battery to the engine.

[ichsehichseh]

Even if the starter solenoid is bad, the fuel pump would still prime, no? And how would I go about testing the starter solenoid? I'd rather not throw parts at her if I don't have to.

[DarrenSV650S]

If the pump isn't priming I would check the continuity of the sidestand and kill switch. Maybe the clutch switch too, but it shouldn't matter if it is in neutral.

[Bibio]

If the pump isn't priming I would check the continuity of the sidestand and kill switch. Maybe the clutch switch too, but it shouldn't matter if it is in neutral.

what he said. CHEC is safety related. this normally comes on if the kill switch is in the off position or the sidestand is down and bike in gear. if the sidestand is not sending signal to brain then it will think the bike is in gear. when this happens the bike wont go through the buzz buzz while setting the throttle bodies. you cant hear the pump priming unless you stick your ear on the tank and even then its a very faint hum, common mistake people make regarding the buzz buzz.

check the sidestand safety switch wire for chaffing and that the plunger is free moving and the bolts are tight. after that i would check the continuity between the kill switch and the main loom.

one more less common problem is the neutral switch on the engine.

[Corny Gizmo]

Does it have an alarm?

[ichsehichseh]

Sorry about the late reply guys, had a lot of personal stuff happen in the past few weeks.

1. The bike doesn't have an alarm.
2. The killswitch is off, made sure of that.
3. After the bike clicks a few times, the neutral light goes out and sometimes it will come back on and I will hear the "buzz buzz". Most of the time, however, it doesn't come back on, but if I move the battery or jiggle the negative cable, it will "buzz buzz" and the neutral light will come back on. Someone at my job suggested the starter relay module, but from what I understand, if the module is clicking, then the module should be working. I checked the ground cable that grounds out at the crankcase on the right side (throttle side) of the bike and it is tight. I also checked the cable going to the starter itself and it is tight as well. If I were to bench test the starter, I would have to drain out the oil, correct?

Any other ideas?

[danfunksv]

If you are jiggling things and lights go on/off then you defo have some wiring issues, I had the same problem and it turned out to be the clutch switch, bypass the switch to rule it out, then continue methodically on to all the switches to test for continuity.

[Bibio]

this might sound dumb but have you checked the battery terminals are tight? you might also have a cracked battery terminal or the neutral strap has a fault in it somewhere. get a jump lead and connect it from the neutral terminal to somewhere on the frame thats not painted and try that. if it works you have your answer. BTW its not common but you can fracture a battery terminal internally, if you wiggle the neutral terminal/strap at the bolt and it happens then i would replace the battery.

rule out the simple stuff first then start to trace back further into the loom. people are reluctant to try a new battery as they are expensive but most of the time its been the battery all along. i have a perfectly good battery sitting here that i ruled out and once doing so let me investigate further to discover a furred up terminal on the reg/rec connector.

something else to try is turn the ignition on and then move the bars left to right to see it the fault replicates. if it does than it might be your ignition green connector which is also a common fault.

[ichsehichseh]

SOLVED!

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions fellas. Although I had already checked the ground from the battery, I decided to check it by moving the wire while trying to start her and she started right up. I pulled the ground off and put some dielectric grease in the terminal and made sure she was tight, she has started right up each time with none of the intermittent "buzz buzz". Always good to go back to basics!

[ichsehichseh]

SOLVED!

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions fellas. Although I had already checked the ground from the battery, I decided to check it by moving the wire while trying to start her and she started right up. I pulled the ground off and put some dielectric grease in the terminal and made sure she was tight, she has started right up each time with none of the intermittent "buzz buzz". Always good to go back to basics!

[danfunksv]

Excellent news :)

[theenglishman]

Put it in diagnostic mode and see what code you get.

Have the kill switch set and having it in gear have lost me hours of my life I won't see again

[Craig380]

Good news :smt023

Ridiculous that a bit of corrosion / crud on the battery terminal can cause such problems, isn't it?