Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hey everyone.

I have had this issue that goes on and off and I think I finally put the pieces together as to when it happens.

What happens is that when I try to start the bike I turn the key and hit the starter and it appears that my electrical system restarts on the bike and nothing happens. The starter doesn't even really turn, maybe it gives half a chug... But I might be hearing things and optimistic.

This only has happened like five or six times. And the only time it ever happens is if I ride my bike for a time, and then stop it and turn it off. For maybe five minutes or so and then try to start it again. So I am thinking it has something to do with it being warm? Last night My girlfriend and I went on a ride, got to a place to sit for a minute and turned off the bikes. Five minutes later went to turn it back on and it wouldn't start. The temperature was at around 180F. I tried to start it once it got down to around 140 and still nothing. We waited another half hour or more once it got all the way down, and suddenly it fired up. With only minimal issues.

Any help would really be appreciated!

I am going to take it in, regardless. It would just help to know whats going on so I don't get talked out of my wallet at the mechanics.

How old is your bike? What make/model? Is the battery in good shape (easiest thing to start checking)?

If it was a car I'd tell you to have your starter bench-tested, but that's a bit difficult on a bike.

It's a CBR 600RR 2005. The battery seems to be in good shape, because it turns just fine when I start it colder. But I could check regardless. I haven't had to change it since I got the bike. Which is about a year and a half ago.

I am surprised that you experienced this problem at a water temp of only 180. This is a real problem that exists on very few select CBR600s and usually only on a hot day and when the water temp is over 200.

This is a flaw that exists in some of the 2003 - 2006 CBR that is fairly rare enough that usually dealers deny or honestly don't even know about. No one has yet to come up with the real culprit. There has been every theories from defective alternator, regulator, wiring, starter, etc etc etc.

The symptoms are usually the same. You stop the bike after a hot ride. You hit the starter and it either turns the starter very slowly or it doesn't start at all. Yet the horn beeps loud and the headlights are very bright. The funny thing is, it will start right up once it is allowed to cool off.

I only had this happen to me once. This was when the bike was about 2 years old. I pulled into a gas station on a 90 degree day after a 30 mile ride, filled up with gas and hit the starter to be greeted with a very slow crank, then eventually nothing. I bump started it and rode 30 miles back home. I tried to see if it would start once I had the bike back home in my garage, but the starter would only go click click click. 2 hours later I tried again and it started up instantaneously

The bike(2004) is now 5 years old, still has the original battery, and I have never had that problem again. The only thing different I did was that I started to use a Battery Tender Jr after a ride. I have no idea why this helped as the battery was clearly being charged after a 30 mile ride as the horn and the lights worked at full strength....but I have not had that problem ever since.

Thank you so much! You described everything perfectly, that is exactly what happened to my bike. This of course is both good news and bad news. As it doesn't mean I need to hundreds of dollars on getting something fixed, but it also means there isn't much to fix it.

So in case this does happen again. How did you jump your bike at the gas station?

SilentComposer wrote: How did you jump your bike at the gas station?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXl3RnBWbE0

Perfect, thanks for all the help everyone.

Like I said, I know it doesn't really make any sense but since I started using the Battery Tender Jr, I have not had this problem. It could have been a sheer coincedence too.

I would ask your dealer to see if he had ever heard of this problem and if he knows of a cure and the culprit. You have nothing to lose.

By the way, Silent Composer do you ride with your high beams on during the day?

Nope, I always keep them off. Would leaving the high beam switch in the on position do anything if you left it over night? Because after a ride at night when I come home I just turn off my bike rather than turning off my high beams. It couldn't drain anything because the lights are off and the bike is off, right?

SilentComposer wrote:Nope, I always keep them off. Would leaving the high beam switch in the on position do anything if you left it over night? Because after a ride at night when I come home I just turn off my bike rather than turning off my high beams. It couldn't drain anything because the lights are off and the bike is off, right?

No, leaving the light on the highbeam position would not matter once that bike is turned off and the key removed.