Hi Guys.
I'm new to this forum, and have had a look for 'my answer', but am still a little keen see what you've all got to say. Before I get going on the drama, i'd like to say that I have almost no idea about electrical stuff. If I can't see what's broken, I'm pretty rooted. To the chase!!!
O.K.... I purchased an '97 VFR 750, which has seen a few miles, but is still in good nick, despite it's been thrown down the road. The drama is: It's battery is dead, and i've tried to start it with, and without the battery in the loop. I've used a jumper pack (don't know if this is a bad idea, or not) and nothing. I get dash and headlight, but nothing else. No fuel pump sounds....no solenoid sounds.....zip. Side stand is up...check. Key is on...check. Run switch is on run....check. In neutral...check. I'm leaning towards a blown fuse, but really have no idea. As I said, earlier, the lights and whistles come on, but as soon as I hit the starter, nothing....as in nothing. (The lights go off, when you hit the starter, as you'd expect, but nothing else happens. No fuel pump is probably the biggest hint, for all you 'electrical gods'.
I'll be pulling the old girl down soon, to get a few unwanted kilos off, but want to know if everything is in order, before I get it to bits. Any assistance would be invaluable.
Go download the service manual from the downloads section.
Check the main fuse.
It may be a stuck switch. Either sidestand or clutch. Are you trying to start it in neutral?
You won't hear any solenoids or fuel pumps. It has a carburetor, not a FI system.
Replace the battery first, a dead battery won't come to life. Not even with a jumpstart.
If you do try and jump start the bike don't do if from an idling car. Do it with the car engine not running.
If you do try and jump start the bike don't do if from an idling car. Do it with the car engine not running.
I've heard this so many times. It doesn't make any sense. Idle, revving, off. It's all safe. Amps are pulled, not pushed.
The reason you do it with the car turned OFF is so that the two charging systems (car vs. bike) don't fight each other once the bike starts up. With both engines running, the two charging systems will likely be trying to produce somewhat different voltages to charge their respective batteries. If both batteries are connected by jumper cables, the stronger charging system will try to pull/push current to/from the weaker system, likely frying one or the other. With the car engine turned off, there's no problem. The bike just "sees" two batteries in parallel (same voltage, just a larger effective capacity).
Thanks a heap, guys. I'll get a new battery, and see what happens. As for the 'solenoid sound', I was taking about the starter solenoid....starter relay....whatever it's called. The 'click' that happens as the starter motor is initiated via the electrical system. That one that you hear, if the battery isn't pulling enough amperage. I've tried stand down,...stand up....Bike in neutral, bike in gear, with clutch in....bike in neutral, with clutch in....clutch out..... I've played an aria, heavy metal, and grunge, while pushing the starter......... I even put up a picture of a NR 750........then an RG 500......and finally a shot of a lambretta, just in case it's a bit kinky. Once again...thanks for your input. I'm so looking forward to getting this thing going, and hindered by a piece of lead.....
Try the battery but could also be the starter.
Replace the battery first, a dead battery won't come to life. Not even with a jumpstart.
Not entirely true. You should very much still be able to jumpstart a bike with a bad battery. However, if the battery is completely dead, once you remove power, the bike will immediately die. If it still has some life left, it will still run off of the stator.
Either way, check your main fuse and get a good battery. You're going to need one anyways.
And if you don't have one already, pick up a multimeter. It'll help you see what's going on with the electronics :happy:
You might need it for the charging system once you get it running :wink: It'll be alright though, electrics aren't as tough as they sound, and it's pretty throughly covered here in various places.
You won't hear the fuel pump come on like in the newer bikes. You will have a hard time hearing it hum when the bike is running from 6 inches away. Like the others said, get a battery in there at full charge first and take it from there. Good news is that you put a electrical source on there and got basic systems.
Are your headlights on? Did the bike ever run since you've had it? Where did the Previous Owner (PO) store the bike?
I'm leaning towards a bad switch/connection.
+1 on the multimeter
And with the bike running on carbs, the pump merely serves to fill up the bowls and doesn't run otherwise. Some people here even run without it.
Cool....Will start with a fresh battery, then try to figure the rest of it, once i'm sure I have a good power source.
SUCCESS....!!!!! New battery in, and it started. There's a damaged wire somewhere, as when I turn the bars, it stops. Shouldn't be too hard to sort out the suspect wire, as soon as I find a wiring diagram, though. Now to more fun stuff.......like getting rid of some weight. Thank you all for your input. I only hope I can be of as much assistance to someone else on here.
:cheerleader: :cheerleader: