Starter problem?

Hi experienced ones!
Paused my journey to work this morning and switched back on with left hand on brake and side stand up and all dash lights illuminated as usual. I pressed the starter and all but the ABS and one other red light went off and it was like a dead battery!
Pressed again and away she went.
Out of curiosity I switched off and pressed again and the same dead battery symptom happened. Pressed yet again and now she started (again).
Got to work and the same 'will she go or won't she go' business still there.
The battery connections were tight and I have it on charge now to check for an improvement but I am wondering if this is a common fault and maybe a relay is sticking?
Any helpful comment will be gratefully receivd as I am not electrically minded.

Need more info.

How old is the scoot? How many miles on the scoot? Have you performed a static voltage check and a fast idle voltage check? How old is the battery? Have you checked the battery connections?

While you are checking the battery connections you should do an ohm test of the ground (earth) wire, i.e. ohm out the negative wire from the battery terminal to a ground connection on the frame. If not zero ohms, or very close to that number then it might be a faulty ground connection at the frame.

Tim

Hi Tim.
She is 2015 registered with just under 4000 miles. Lucky to find her and love it xxx.
The terminals were tight but you lost me at the first jump (--- 'fast idle voltage check' What?).
I am close to a garage so will have someone look at it.
Maybe it's the battery because it is probably original and I just charged it before returning it to the scoot from a run around on a sit-on lawnmower!

Preferably using a digital voltage meter check the voltage at the battery when the scoot is not running. You should see 12-12.5 volts. Start the scoot. The voltage should read 13-14 volts at a fast idle.

Five years doesn’t seem too long for battery life but it’s possible that it has deteriorated — especially if the scoot was stored in an unheated environment. Have your garage guy do load test on the battery. That’ll give you the answer.

[Edit] Link to a previous battery replacement discussion:

https://www.silverwing600.com/t2642-battery-replacement-suggestions

Here in the US, I would take the battery out and down to an auto parts store or Walmart. They have battery testers and would test it (under a simulated load) for free. I have never had a battery last much more than 5 years.

Could be as simple as a dirty starter button, might just need some contact cleaner and a bit of working. The fact that it is intermittent points to an electrical fault for sure, but I would not expect the battery to be an issue. A weak battery more likely will lead to the starter solenoid buzzing.

Thanks Tim. I read your post on battery replacement and will definately go with Yuasa if needed.
Thanks Hank. I have someone from the local garage bringing a multimeter (?) and the battery will be tested.
Thanks Terry. I agree it must be electrical and I would hope it was the starter button, --- except the dash lights go out when the button is pressed like it's a short or maybe a faulty earth connection, as Tim proposed.

Thanks all! I will be sure to post the result.

Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather and called me stupid! -- it was the brake lever micro switch and Terry was nearer the truth! A few blasts with WD40 to clear out the cr-p and she was a good'un again.

Thank you all for your support.
Early finish on the scoot and see what next week brings. Can't be worse than the economy.

Not stupid, many times it's the EZ stuff, BTDT and probably will go back again

Flipdog wrote:

Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather and called me stupid! -- it was the brake lever micro switch and Terry was nearer the truth! A few blasts with WD40 to clear out the cr-p and she was a good'un again.

Thank you all for your support.
Early finish on the scoot and see what next week brings. Can't be worse than the economy.

Glad that I sort of helped even if I was on the wrong side of the bars! The comment on lights confused me but all of the Honda starter buttons also interact with the lights, so that as you press the button the lights are cut, I assume to ease the load on the battery when the starter is running. Brake and clutch microswitches lead a hard life out in the open and yet their function is quite critical, especially as the interlock circuit for a scooter.

Since it is a Honda, always look for the "simple" solution first! Glad you got it figured out, BTW I change my battery every 2-3 years, but I live in the desert and the heat seems to be very hard on them.