My bike 89 GS 41K+ miles... Of late has started making this clunk while cold starting. The first or second try it lets out this clunk noise and starts 3rd or 4th try... Usually after sitting 3-4 days, when cold. everythign is in spec, and bike has K&N filter and Pipe and has had these mods a looooong time. What gives up???
Cool.
Srinath.

Does it clunk when engaging or when it has already started? It sounds like transmission. But if it's making the noise when engaging, I would suspect the starter, starter gear, starter engagement gear. It's old so something has worn. You may take off the starter and re-seat it. Look at the engagement gear before you put it back in. If it's a plastic gear like on my 250...well, until you know for sure, good luck!

Its before starting...
Also it has on occassion started to crank and all of a sudden stop... like battery was dead... then I let got of strater and hit again.. and it starts... Wear on the starter teeth... you think... I thought bad alternator, isn't charging battery fully and hence a sorta weak battery, but I checked friday and the bike made 13.8V at idle (1500).
Cool.
Srinath.

What does the battery read with the engine off (which is when it is turning the starter motor)?
Is it "CLUNK, ver-er-er-er"?

Might just be that when it does that both cylinders are past TDC of the compression stroke, so the starter easily takes up the gear slack and turns it the quarter stroke, but then when it gets some resistance it bogs down.

But if it is a mechanical problem, sounds more like the centrigual clutch (the thingy behind the gen fly wheel)....

The battery is 12.8 or so wihtout the load of the starter ... When the starter is cranking then no idea what it is.... Its usually clunk and stop... The centrifugal clutch... is that the same as starter clutch... OK maybe... It also seems to be from the center of the motor under the crabs... instead of from the right side...
Cool.
Srinath.

There's your problem right there.  You have crabs in your bike.

:mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

Mine does the same exact thing. The battery is a little weak. It does it more often when I haven't used it for a few days. I have never had time to investigate it. I just release the starter, try again and it will start and run just fine. Let me know what you find.

Id suspect the starter when it just stops on its own and then when you push the button again it starts up, my car does this when I turn the key it will start to turn but stop or it will draw on the battery but nothing will happen, I bet your starter is starting to go.

OK does this bike have any sorta shims in the starter... to keep it at the right distance from the other mating gear... I'm thinking if tose shims are replaceable with thinner ones...
Cool.
Srinath.

Maybe its that cheap walmart battery! :nana:

seriously though, mine does this as well.. once in a while... i think its the starter.. but i dont really care..lol.. it starts. No i dont think there are shims.. the starter gear just meshes with the other gears..

Thats not it dude.

Its the battery.  These starters are near indestructable.  That KLR I had (and uses an identical starter motor) was exhibiting the same problem, even worse, sometimes it would crank, sometimes it wouldn't do anything.  I fiddled with the switch, I even totally dismantled the starter looking for something wrong.  But just changing the battery make the problem go away.

My theory is that if the battery doesn't have the juice to turn the motor over TDC, sometimes it looses even enough strength to even hold the starter relay open.

To test the battery you really need to do a battery load test with the correct equipment - a battery load tester.  

Voltage readings from the battery with no load connected will only indicate a totally stuffed battery that isn't charging or holding charge.  What you need to test is "can the battery supply the right amount of GRUNT (power = VA) to turn the engine over?".  Take it to a battery shop as most of them have a battery load tester.  Another way to test the condition of the battery if its an unsealed unit is to measure the specific gravity of the solution in the battery.

Cheers
Conrad

The battery idea could be it because when my car did it the battery in it then was very weak, Im talking when left to sit for 3 days it was dead.

Hmm ... I have the same "problem".  mine sounds like kind of a thudding sound which I noticed this spring.  I have a 2000 GS.  It will only do this after several of days of sitting.  It is not always coincident with the problem of starting the bike.  The starting problem is more regular.  It seems like the starter moves the pistons a little and then gets to a spot where it doesn't have the juice to keep going.  If I release the starter button and then re-apply it immediately, the motor turns over.  

I never thought of it as a problem because the bike always starts.  The first time I heard the thudding sound though I thought something was very wrong    but the bike seems to behave normally.  I just chalked it up to being "a weird noise" since I had no clue what it was and the bike seems OK.  

Could the noise be caused by an intake valve that is moving a little slow due to the cold?  If the motor pumped a little air into the airbox it might sound a little like a thump.  I'm pulling at straws ...  

Rob

Quote from: JamesGThese starters are near indestructable.  

Yea but Srinath has experience with Yamahas so he is used to crappy starters, hense his bias.

No its not the cheap battery... Cheap... the damn thing was $55... Cheap... twice the cost of the regular battery... Sealed and powerful... and it does have power... I cranked the bike 30 times... it strats and I kill it, and over and over... This evening leaving work the strater went whirr, whirr clunk whirr whirr and vroom...so I decided to see if it makes it again... and to see if battery can crank it a few times... no problem for battery, and it never made that noise again...
Also the bike never makes it when warm... Its the starter... Hey moose sell me your starter... if it got low miles... Or Gino sell me your spare... or should I start searching in my various piles for one... who knows where it may be hiding... Its the starter... I cant imagine anything else... or a misfire. but it doesn't sound like it at all... yea I know there is a million kinds of misfires but this dont sound like any of them...
Cool.
Srinath.

Just as a total punt in the dark.  The bikes have a wet clutch, after standing for a while and especially when cold the clutch and flywheel can 'stick' as the oil is thicker.  Maybe the noise is the two un-sticking?  

Because of this I always hold the front brake on when engaging 1st gear from a cold start - just in case the clutch is sticking --- some people have experienced the bike leaping forward even with the clutch level fully in after a cold start.

Guessing now
Conrad

Quote from: seshadri_srinathNo its not the cheap battery... Cheap... the damn thing was $55... Cheap... twice the cost of the regular battery... Sealed and powerful... and it does have power... I cranked the bike 30 times... it strats and I kill it, and over and over... This evening leaving work the strater went whirr, whirr clunk whirr whirr and vroom...so I decided to see if it makes it again... and to see if battery can crank it a few times... no problem for battery, and it never made that noise again...
Also the bike never makes it when warm... Its the starter... Hey moose sell me your starter... if it got low miles... Or Gino sell me your spare... or should I start searching in my various piles for one... who knows where it may be hiding... Its the starter... I cant imagine anything else... or a misfire. but it doesn't sound like it at all... yea I know there is a million kinds of misfires but this dont sound like any of them...
Cool.
Srinath.

Hey srinath, i have an extra starter... if you want it make me an offer via pm..

Someone emailed me about it, because i had it on ebay.. but they never got back to me..

The Sprag drive ( i believe its called) the starter clutch, will make this noise once in a while, my yamaha will do this when its VERY cold out, once warm not a problem, the clutch might need new springs, the catches will sometimes slip for a second and then suddenly grab makeing the teeth jaring clunk in lower end almost like puting the bike into first without the clutch, only the bike doesnt jump.  what grade oil are you using? i found 20/50 does this alot when outside temps are low. 10/30 helps.  i used a spot lamp under my engine once as a block heater so the oil wasnt overly thick. laugh all you want, it worked. takes about 4 hours to warm up lower end with 75W bulb,  HIGH INTENSITY flood light, one with Warning Hot surface do not touch. only takes about an hour. or just leave a 50W on alnight under the engine. hehheheehe