Bike sometimes starts

[Msmitch459]

I'm wondering where the starting relay is on an 09 rocket III, Standard is?
Today I want to start my bike and when I pushed the starter... nothing. She did not turn over. No click. nothing changed at all. I turned the key off and on. I heard all the normal sounds. Fuel pump everything. I pulled in the clutch and again nothing. I check the kickstand and to be sure I shifted her into neutral. Again nothing. I messed with the wiring going into the start pushbutton and turned the key back on and When I pushed the button she started. I drove home and tried again and she started 3 times. so I went in the house. after an hour I tried again and nothing. No starting. So I took the starting switch apart and didn't find any problems. I put a meter to it and every time I pushed it, it read good. It makes a good connection. (.46 ohms). I put the meter on the battery and she read 12.7V. When I tried starting her and she turned over I see a small voltage drop but not much. 12.46V. When I push the button and nothing happened I saw no drop. It's like no signal is either getting to the starting relay or the relay is sometimes working. Where can I find this?

 

[Msmitch459]

I'm wondering where the starting relay is on an 09 rocket III, Standard is?
Today I want to start my bike and when I pushed the starter... nothing. She did not turn over. No click. nothing changed at all. I turned the key off and on. I heard all the normal sounds. Fuel pump everything. I pulled in the clutch and again nothing. I check the kickstand and to be sure I shifted her into neutral. Again nothing. I messed with the wiring going into the start pushbutton and turned the key back on and When I pushed the button she started. I drove home and tried again and she started 3 times. so I went in the house. after an hour I tried again and nothing. No starting. So I took the starting switch apart and didn't find any problems. I put a meter to it and every time I pushed it, it read good. It makes a good connection. (.46 ohms). I put the meter on the battery and she read 12.7V. When I tried starting her and she turned over I see a small voltage drop but not much. 12.46V. When I push the button and nothing happened I saw no drop. It's like no signal is either getting to the starting relay or the relay is sometimes working. Where can I find this?

also tried a trickle charger for the last 2 hour and sometimes she starts and sometimes she does not.

 

[rocketjohn]

Well, I've another bike that the battery can seem to be at full charge but may have lost it's reserve capacity, and poof, the bike won't start...all the lights and the fuel pump go, but not start....or maybe it'll crank like crazy but there's not enough juice to fire the plugs. A load test confirms that indeed the battery is at fault. Worth a check, before you take things apart.

 

[DEcosse]

It's not the battery - if it was battery the voltage would collapse severely with starter current demand if the relay and solenoid were actually throwing

The headlight/starter relay sounds like good possibility here;
But first - are the headlights on?
You mentioned the ignition circuit is coming on but how about the lights?
The same circuit powers both headlights & solenoid and uses the headlight/starter relay to switch to one or other (headlights when the relay is 'off' & starter solenoid when relay is on)
So if you have no headlights you will have no starter either - check for voltage at fuse 9 to ensure not a key-switch issue & of course that fuse 9 itself is not blown
Next, if that is all good - the headlight/starter relay requires both positive voltage from starter switch and also a 'ground' which is actually a current sink through the ECU; that 'ground' is enabled by the clutch switch primarily; low voltage can also be a gate for that but you should be fine at the reported measured voltage;
So validate that you really do have the clutch switch closing - the clutch switch supplies 'ground' when closed via the black/orange wire off main-harness side of left bar switch connector to the ECU; aftermarket adjustable clutch levers can be issue here - start by opening adjuster span for lever max setting from bar to see if that works
If confident clutch switch is making then that probably brings you to relay itself

 

[Msmitch459]

It's not the battery - if it was battery the voltage would collapse severely with starter current demand if the relay and solenoid were actually throwing

The headlight/starter relay sounds like good possibility here;
But first - are the headlights on?
You mentioned the ignition circuit is coming on but how about the lights?
The same circuit powers both headlights & solenoid and uses the headlight/starter relay to switch to one or other (headlights when the relay is 'off' & starter solenoid when relay is on)
So if you have no headlights you will have no starter either - check for voltage at fuse 9 to ensure not a key-switch issue & of course that fuse 9 itself is not blown
Next, if that is all good - the headlight/starter relay requires both positive voltage from starter switch and also a 'ground' which is actually a current sink through the ECU; that 'ground' is enabled by the clutch switch primarily; low voltage can also be a gate for that but you should be fine at the reported measured voltage;
So validate that you really do have the clutch switch closing - the clutch switch supplies 'ground' when closed via the black/orange wire off main-harness side of left bar switch connector to the ECU; aftermarket adjustable clutch levers can be issue here - start by opening adjuster span for lever max setting from bar to see if that works
If confident clutch switch is making then that probably brings you to relay itself

The lights are on. everything looks good. It would not be a fuse because I will try it and it will start. (Sometimes) This could be a safety interlock like the clutch switch. I haven't spent much time there. I will look tomorrow.
Do you know where I can find the starter relay though? If I can't find a signal at the relay coil. It's before it and it would be a safety interlock like the clutch. If I get a good signal and it still doesn't start... Its the relay or the starter itself.
Remember. It might not start for 15 or 20 minutes and then it will. It's intermittent.

Thanks for all the input.