1. How old is the battery you are using?
2. Without a load test, you do not know the condition of the battery and the cold cranking amperage (CCA) it is putting out.
3. Just because you are reading good voltage does not mean you have the amperage to crank over the engine.
4. Suggest getting the battery load tested to see how many CCA it is putting out, then compare that to the CCA listed on the battery.

Report back your findings.

If you do have a new battery, make sure it is charged fully before putting it into operation.

 

Pull the battery, charge it on a low milamperage maintenance charger overnight till the green light comes on. Then carry it to AutoZone and have it load tested.

Hopefully your AutoZone has the ability to check theses small AMG relative low cranking amperage batteries

If battery is OK..

Replace the ignition switch. And keep the good old starter you took off.

 

Always read battery voltage at the battery posts (not the cable terminals).

When troubleshooting a motorcycle electrical issue, the first thing you must do is to make sure you have a fully charged battery in good working condition.

Solve the battery issue first:

If the resting voltage was 12.4, the battery is not fully charged.

Dropping to 11.6 when ignition is on indicates a very low state of charge (20%), this could be simply a battery that has not been charged, but it could also indicate a defective battery (a load test will tell for sure).

This is not being caused by a starter, or an ignition switch etc, it is directly related to the battery.

Stop listening to people who tell you to replace starters, ignition switches etc. You already threw away good money on an unnecessary starter replacement.

Put the jumper cables away, they are not a diagnostic tool.

Troubleshoot.

Fully charge the battery and have it load tested, tell us what the results are.

 

If the battery level stays good at the battery with the jumpers, it sounds to me like the solenoid control is not getting a full 12 volts. If it is, it's possible that the starter solenoid lost the one of the windings that pull the solenoid plunger in place.

I've had about every failure possible in the starter system. Bad starter relay contacts. Bad windings in the solenoid. Dirty contacts. Weak cables. Weak batteries. Melted battery terminals. Shorted starters.

 

Alright everyone, sorry for the long delay. Life gets in the way of these things sometimes.

So. I took the battery out and to Napa since I don't have a load tester. Napa said the battery was fully charged and good. So I put it back in the bike. Through sheer dumb luck and screwing around with the starter button and IGN switch, I learned that if the switch is pushed too far clockwise (to IGN), then it clicks the relay. If I put a little bit of pressure counter clockwise and turn the switch towards off (while still switched to IGN), the bike starts every time. So now I guess that means it's an ignition switch issue? I'll do some more trouble shooting and research when I have time. But thank you all for your input!

 

Sounds like a sloppy switch, change it out.

 

I don`t doubt the switch could be bad, but I don`t see how it is causing the start relay to click, the power to pin 85 on the relay comes from the start switch.