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Sluggish Starting on XVS1100


Motorhate
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Got a problem at the moment with sluggish starting, i.e. when I start the bike, it turns over really really slowly like the battery is almost dead. Repeat this two or three times and the bike starts OK. I've got a new battery on order but was wondering if it could be anything else? Its an old bike, 2001 reg and just recently serviced.

Any ideas?

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The 1100 Drags do sometimes develop a faulty starter clutch. Not every model, but some of them do go.

Check the battery with a multimeter first, but do be prepared in case this does turn out to be the fault...

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Might be worth checking the stator and regulator/rectifier as well, to ensure the charging system is working.

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Thanks fellas, battery turns up tomorrow so as its brand new, I'll check how its charging. If its OK and starting is still sluggish then starter clutch seems the most likely cause. Damn ... more money :(

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Don't be so quick to fault the starter clutch when they go the starter dosen't enguage and free spins, yamaha also had a shim kit to fix poor enguagment of the starter to clutch.

Have a amp draw test done on the starter ,could just need a freshing up with new brushes and a cleaning of the armeature, or the connections cleand up a poor ground can cause these symptoms too.

Hopefuly it is just a week battery good luck.

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Well, I got the new battery and the symptoms still persist. I'm really reluctant to buy a starter clutch at the moment as I've just spent loads getting it roadworthy. I take your point dt502001, and thinking about it now, the exhaust was taken off to replace the gaskets so the starter could well have a bad earth. I'm getting the pronounced "clunk" when the engine is tuned off from running which I'm not sure confirms its the actual starter clutch or not.

How hard are they to replace? Is it do-able for an amateur with the correct tools?

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Hi mate, if you have the manual for the bike and you follow the instructions then most of these job's are fairly easy, just do one thing at a time and try not to get frustrated if it goes a bit Pete Tong on you. Were all here to help out if you need advice and even laugh at you if you make a pigs ear of it but we won't leave you hanging in the wind if you need help and advice. Being a West Ham supporter you need all the help you can get mate, I know as I was born in East Ham, have you looked on youtube to see if there is a video of a starter clutch rebuild? sometimes you get really good advice from these, just a thought but it never hurts to look. The correct tools always help back in the day we had 2 spanners a screwdriver and a lump hammer and managed to fix most things. :jossun:

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Check the cheapest parts first!

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What task said, start with checking all your connections first from battery to starter and the main groung on eng. If you don't have a inductive clamp to test the starter amp draw then get someone who has on to check it,, if the starter is drawing amp close to what your battery is rated for then your going to kill the new battery quickly.

Rebuilding a starter is not that hard but if your not real handy then getting it rebuilt is still better than buying a used one.

This "clunk" would have me thinking that possibly you have something on it's way out but I cant hear it so I have no idea. might be worth pulling the clutch cover off and see how hard it is to turn the motor over by hand.

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Depends on the clunk.

Both my 650s used to do that, though it was more of a loud chug.

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Well fellas, thanks for the advice. And Slice ... coming from East Ham I fee your pain mate! :babyha:

Well, another chapter to the tale - tonight on the way home form work, the rectifier appeared to have a bit of a moment, by cooking what I think is a protective rubber near it. Stinking white smoke was coming out form under the battery compartment, where the rectifier is situated. I noticed yesterday a lead that appeared to go nowhere (4 female connectors in a square plastic surround) I now believe that it was part of the rectifier or what connected to the rectifier. I wasn't sure what it was so assumed it had been disconnected by the previous owner. Anyway, current situation is that to get the side panel off where the rectifier is located, I need to take the exhaust off which is a major pain (as I don't have a garage). This could possibly be what was causing the sluggish starting - although the bike still started with it disconnected so who knows??? I'm not sure what damage was done by the smoking rectifier as I can't get the panel off.

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.......Being a West Ham supporter you need all the help you can get mate.....

Easy fella, I am a Hammers fan too! Even lived off High Street North at one point as well as Manor Park and Stratford.
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If you have standard pipes, the panel should just unbolt and pop off with a bit of wiggling. They're usually held on with plastic barbs that fit into rubber grommets in the frame.

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Unfortunately not, I've got shotgun pipes which are long, very long in fact and they are a pig to take off. In fact, I don't even think they're meant for this model as the foot-brake wasn't returning on back to its normal position when braking freely due to the exhaust stopping it. I'm half tempted to just get the whole done it one hit as the exhausts had to have thicker gaskets put in. Grrr ... that old saying, "you buy cheap, you buy twice" was never truer in this case!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well here's the latest installment for anyone who cares. I managed to get the panel off to get a look at the rectifier and its bad. Real bad. I managed to undo the back bolts on the exhaust engough to move the pipes to get the panel off covering the rectifier and its fallen off its mounting and burnt through the lower part of the battery box.

14796650778_c6a7215555_z.jpg

As you can see, this to use a technical term, is FUBAR'd. I'm about to order a battery box which the rectifier housing is attached to but was wondering if a 2006 box will fit a 2000 bike? I'm assuming so but don't want to pull the trigger on one in case it doesn't. This may explain the sluggish starting if the rectifier was buggered too.

Also, I managed to get the air filter undone I think its a K&N filter inside, which means it just needs cleaning and oiling. I hate paying for stuff that is a blatant rip-off and I've heard the K&N cleaner and filter oil is just that. Can anyone confirm? I've heard that soap and water and a coating of WD40 will do just as good a job.

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Alright matey.

Have a look here

cmsl

to check out the part numbers of the 2000 and 2006 models, that will tell you if it will fit (may still fit if numbers are different, but you'd need to ask).

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Holy duck that rectifier has gone full charge to get that hot,your going to be looking at a new battery as well.It will have been over charged so no doubt it is low on fluid might be able to save it but most likely not. Top with distiled water.

test the field coils of the stator for short to ground wouldn't suprise me if they too are burnt. Thats the 3 white wires comming to the VR.

Your not going to be a happy camper if you have to replace the stator ,regulator/rectifier and battery it's going to get expensive to the tune of a grand. Having the stator rewound will help cut the cost if you can live with the bike being down for a while. Havent seen one of them go that bad in a while. That normaly happens when the grounds are bad and the VR cant sence the charge ,though it could just be the VR went full charge.

But clean all grounds before you install anything so you don't fry anything new and have to start over.

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Hmmm … you may have something there dt502001 I fitted a new battery the other day as the one that was in it was for the XVS650 (I replaced the MBT12B4 with a MBT14B4 as per the Motobatt site recommendation). These are sealed as far as I know, so I won't be able to top up with distilled water. It fitted fine and there are no obvious faults with the wiring. I haven't checked the stator but I'll check that tonight. I've ordered a new rectifier and if the stator is knackered, I'll get one of them too.

I think at this rate, this bike will end up like Trigger's broom.

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See if you can mount the new reg/rec somewhere at the front of the bike, exposed to airflow. It shouldn't be hidden away like that, it needs airflow to keep cool, hence the fins. Don't know why yamaha chose to do that on the 1100.

If you need a new stator, check M&P m/cycles, that's where I found my stator replacement for the 650 (from electrosport) - quite a bit cheaper then OEM.

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Thanks Toutsuite, I've seen that site and before and bought stuff from them. Not bad at all as it goes.

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