New Starter rebuild and new battery.... ISSUE with starting... baffles me... will not start on 1st crank attempt

Mongler07

Supercharged
Joined
Jul 20, 2021
Messages
400
Location
Colorado (Littleton)
Ride
07 R3 classic
As some of you know i did a 1.4kw starter swap
I also just changed out my battery to a new one as the old one was on its last legs and left me having to do a few push starts...
NOW i have a unusual problem i have no idea whats going on but i assume its some relay or ECU issue?
When i Go to start her up, regardless of how long it has been since it ran last from 5 seconds ago, to last night, if i cycle the ignition it WILL NOT START unless i try a 2nd time pushing the starter button. The cranking speed is slower and no matter what you do it WILL NOT do anything but just crank. When i stop and hit the starter bottom again for a 2nd time, it cranks a LOT faster and starts immediately. EVERY TIME.
what did i do wrong? all i did was change a battery and a starter. Everything is hooked up correctly, runs great.
Its like the ECU is not firing the injectors or something but I'm not sure as its also a slower speed its cranking at on the 1st attempt.

it did NOT do this with the new starter but only when i swapped the battery. BTW it never did this on the old battery even after a few bump start events. The new battery is healthy 12.89v after an over night sit and was tested at battery plus and has its full 310 CCA
 
on the first try if you let it crank for a while will it start?
if you try cycling the key on a few times does it help?
 
on the first try if you let it crank for a while will it start?
if you try cycling the key on a few times does it help?
i could crank it for ever and nothing will happen but spin the engine. the moment i try again it start with a faster crank. if i cycle the ignition the symptem returns. if i do NOT cycle the ignition it will not happen. Cycleing the ignition = turning the key OFF or just turning the kill switch off, will not reoccure if i just kill the engine by stalling it
 
i have the same bike with a simular problem (not going to hijack your thread) there is a lot of top mechanics and i am one of them.
so this is not a normal problem
i have done a lot to mine with no success.
i also have the 1.4 starter and run two batteries.
maybe the help we get here might also help me.
 
i have the same bike with a simular problem (not going to hijack your thread) there is a lot of top mechanics and i am one of them.
so this is not a normal problem
i have done a lot to mine with no success.
i also have the 1.4 starter and run two batteries.
maybe the help we get here might also help me.
i hope so
this literally just happened the moment i changed the battery.
 
i hope so
this literally just happened the moment i changed the battery.
I'd try checking at starter relay and the wires before and after. Possibly switching the relay for another. Check that all grounds are making solid contact, shiny and not arching. Also check positive battery cable. I had to polish the starter button with crocus cloth and di-electric grease on mine, sometimes it didn't make contact.
 
The fact that you have a slower cranking speed would suggest a high resistance in the starter circuit or an earth connection. Might be worth checking the engine earth lead.
I ran a Lithium battery in my 05 Classic which really put some pep in the cranking speed
Let me clarify that for you all.
When I say slower starter speed I mean compared to when it is tried again and works the 2nd attempt.
when I did the 1.4kw job on the same battery I had before this ( let me add this battery was undersized and hardly woth useing) the 1.4kv starter cranked over an easily 15% faster than the stock starter on this battery, very fast, very healthy.
When I put the new battery in it now turns over supper fast, and even faster when it its 2nd attempt when it starts.
Its not a slow crank by any means. It's just like a little slower in this symptom and it cranks faster when it push the starter button the 2nd time.
I'm 100% sire there is nothing wrong with the wires. They are all very clean when I did the job both on the starter and battery.

what all goes though that relay?

I can hear the fuel pump and everything start up as normal when the kill switch is turned off (run mode) nothing changed but this extra step to start the bike.
 
Just a thought - does it make any difference if you pull the clutch in? (the switch can be troublesome and give all kinds of problems)
 
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