Chris_Lowe Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Hey guys ive got a 2000 Virgao XV125, all good with it until the other day. Had a ride from Benfleet to Stambridge via Southend (about 25 miles), all was well until I stopped the bike briefly (literally 2 minutes) and when I tried starting it again there was just a electrical cyclical sound coming from what I think it the starter motor! Had to bump start it to get it home. topped up battery with distilled water, cleaned connections to battery and went to charge it but charger read that battery was full but surely it couldnt be? Being a newb to anything bike related I really dont know the next step without taking it a garage which I dont want to do (and currently cant do as the bloody thing wont start!! Should I get a new battery or is it going to be another issue Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realrayzor Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Reakon its probably your batter. can you get a meter and measure what voltage is coming from the battery. how old is the battery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Lowe Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 im going to borrow a meter from work today and see what reading I get. I assume 12v is what im aiming for, anything less than that would mean its a dead battery? The battery is 2 years old to the day, i got the bike in september but it has been in a cold garage, untouched for a few months as I havent had time to go out on it. Im guessing that a long period of time in a cold garage has probably not helped the situation. Ive heard someone say it could be the Regulator/Rectifier? Ill use the meter today and post what reading I get from it! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noise Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 If you think about it, its not going to be the battery, your getting power to the starter motor which is one of the biggest power drainers on the vehicle as its gotta turn every thing around to start the engine, and you say you plugged it into a charger which said its fine? so that would tell me that the battery is A OK. Take your spark plugs out with the HT leads still attached, place the electrodes one at a time onto the fins of the barrels to earth them and press your starter button, you should get a spark, do this on both plugs, if no spark then buy new plugs and do the same again. If still no spark then you will need new coils, Also when before you take the plugs out try to start it then take plugs out to check if they are wet with fuel, if there is no fuel on the plugs then there is a fuel problem. Either fuel pub shagged, clogged hose or just no petrol in the tank lol. Try this then report back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Lowe Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 cool cheers ill try it when i get home. so it wouldnt be that the battery is dying and only has enough voltage to try and turn the starter motor but not fully start it? ive checked the spark plugs and they seem fine but ill try what you said. when you said about grounding the plugs to the fins do you mean the fins of the engine yea? sorry if this is a painful procedure but this is the first time ive done anything bike related Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noise Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Yer the fins on the engine (barrels) they need to be earthed as they are electrical. Na if the starter motor is turning with out any problems and sounds good and strong and your charger says that the battery is fine then you can rule that out as a problem, just pop it on charge once a month and your be fine. Def sounds like a week or no spark or fuel problem. Try this first and we can go from there mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemini Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 "Had to bump start it to get it home" that itself says the spark plugs are ok, you say its not turning the engine over, do you hear a clicking sound? first check the battery, make sure its charging, if its ok its probably the starter relay, if the battery is ok but not charging its the rectifier mods, this could do with moving to the workshop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilDawson8270 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 If you're hearing an electrical sound but it's not turning over then it's likely the battery is flat. If it cut out while riding, it's like the reg/rec isn't charging the battery. Additionally, batteries don't like the cold, and will die quickly if not left on a maintained charger through unused periods in winter,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Lowe Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 ok thanks im gonna put the battery back in tomorrow and do all the things everyone has mentioned! the battery has been in my house for about a day now so is alot warmer so we'll see if that helps. if its a reg/rec or starter relay problem is this sort of thing i can repair myself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilDawson8270 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 buy new rec, unplug old one, plug new one in. I'm off to bed now as work again in the morning. I will post up detailed reg/rec test sequence tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Lowe Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 brilliant thanks for all your advice so far ill see how i get on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Lowe Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 one thing before i turn in for the night, is there a way to test the reg/rec with a multimeter to check its functioning properly to determine the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilDawson8270 Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Follow this guide, this will test the full charging system with nothing more than a multimeter. Follow the steps, and it will it narrow down your exact fault. http://www.electrosport.com/media/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Lowe Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 thanks for the pdf ill have a look tomorrow when theres more light (my garage doesnt have a light). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Lowe Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 Follow this guide, this will test the full charging system with nothing more than a multimeter. Follow the steps, and it will it narrow down your exact fault. http://www.electrosport.com/media/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf Very useful cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morpheuz Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 The starter motor could of had its day, it can get hot with the engine and they deteriorate. If its getting its power but giving out a whir, then its coils (or magnets if it has them as its design) have become weak or uninsulated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony-Howes Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Hi Chris One more thing that might be worth investigating! Starter clutch might not be kicking in Not familiar with your bike, but it’s fairly easy to check (normally just a cover on the side of the engine) A healthy 12volt bike battery should be between 12.5 < 13.5 volts (under 12.5 & the bike will struggle to start!) Tony... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts