Been a long time reader of these forums but somehow never got around to registering. Glad to finally join the discussions !

I have a somewhat common issue with starting my bike. Here is so far what I have done. Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction.

When trying to start the bike, all I get is starter engagement and a series of clicks (not relay clicks). Starter tires to turn the engine over but at a extremely slow speed. I had the primary off the bike (replacing clutch cable). Gets even slower when it eventually reaches the compression stroke (about 1" of chain movement per 2-3 seconds). Engines turns with a wrench, and taking out the spark plugs results in very similar result.

Using a brand new car battery for all testing @~13V
Relay works fine (or at least I think it does)
New cable from battery to solenoid/starter + 4 or 6gauge (can't recall)
New ground cable from battery to ground same as above
+Cable not replaced (doubt that is the issue, but could be wrong)

If I am doing the voltage drop tests correctly here is what I have (all while pressing the start switch)
+ at solenoid +. - at starter body = 7 volts, big drop
- at battery terminal, + to starter body = 0.07 volts, within spec.

I have not done (while pressing the start switch)
+ at + battery post, - at solenoid +, I am guessing it is fine as the wire is new.

I have also tried jumping green wire from solenoid (small wire) directly to +. I get some engagement (no clicks from starter area)) and I can tell engine is turning for short amount of time and a lot faster but not enough time for any spark. What happens here is the both battery cables start to get hot (I believe negative mostly) .

-Removed from bike starter hookup results in normal operation. + to +, - to starter body. Green wire as jump. Gear pops out, starter spins fine .
-Removed from bike hooked up to all bike electronics. Positive to both positives (starter and main). Negative to bike ground, and another negative to starter body (no ground since it was removed), and using green wire (still connected to relay) results in normal starter operation.

Here are my questions.
-Are my voltage drop tests done correctly ?
-Why is there a large voltage drop (if it's being done correctly)
-Why is there starter engagement but with lots of clicking with the relay connected (not clicking @ relay) ?
-Why done the starter seem to work almost normally if its jumped (bypassing the relay - starter still in bike) but cables get hot ?

Can anyone help me ! I need to go on a few more rides before the cold hits !







-

 

See if this helps:

 

Looks like #2 checks voltage drop between + battery and relay terminal on solenoid ?

 

The voltage drop indicates that the battery does not have enough poop to pop.

Stop screwing around with the wrong battery.

Have the proper motorcycle battery charged and load tested.

Disconnect and clean all battery cable connections.

Clean the terminals at the starter relay.