Hi all, First of all, thanks for reading. This is my first post on this forum and I hope that you can help me. I've got the following problem: I recently bought a Monster 900 ie 2000. It did not have starting issues at start but in the last month I've had 3 different moments where my engine would not start at all. I can push the start button but literally nothing happens. There have been moments in between where my monster would start fine and then later it wouldn't. Here are the symptoms: - When the key is in start position and the gearbox is in neutral and I disengage my side stand, I can hear the fuel pump pumping. - My lights work fine - The battery has been replaced in October - I've tested the battery: 12.9V unstarted without lights on, 12.0V unstarted with lights on, 13.5 started with 2000 rpm. - I've charged the battery and measured no power loss over time. - I've measured and cross-measured the rev/rec and measured nothing strange. - When starting issues occur, I've disconnected and reconnected the battery without positive result - All the fuses are intact - When the engine wont start, I can get it started it when being pushed by two friends and jumpstarting in first gear - There is no correlation to the 'non-starting' issue and a hot/cold engine. - The engine never dies during a drive, the non-starting only occurs when turning the engine off and trying to start later. This is as many details that I can provide. I would be very happy if any of you can help me. Thanks a lot!
Could be worth looking at the switchgear itself. Also, stick the multimeter on the battery when you hit the start button to see if the battery struggles to provide power when under load.
Thanks for your reply! Yes, I will have a look into the switchgear. I have already performed a battery test which came out positive (measurements included in the original post)
It's worth looking at the little plug on the rear of the solenoid, is it making good contact, they are known to come loose, most people put a cable tie around to hold in place. You could also check if power is getting to the same plug when you press the starter button. Steve
The symptoms sound slightly different but the yellow top relays are notoriously bad, either used for ignition or sidestand safety switch - I bypassed my safety switch relay as it stopped my ST4 starting and my 1996 M900 suffered with the same relay but for main ignition. Worth checking
I agree with Birdie, that connection is first area to check. I have also experienced an ignition relay failure. the ignition circuit can be checked by finding what happens when the ignition fuse is removed and replaced. Check it is safe from causing a fire, short out the solenoid terminals to see if that will work. Watch out for sparks!! David
Check the starter solenoid. If when you press the button and nothing happens leave the key on and bridge the 2 terminals on the back of the solenoid with a large screwdriver. There will probably be a few sparks. If it starts remove the screwdriver. Buy a new solenoid
Had a problem that sounds simular on my 748. It was a fuse that looked intact at first glance but was in fact fucked. And simular on 900ss which was the starter button. Just needed stripping and cleaning.
I had an SS, which is closely related to the Monster. I found that an intact fuse does not necessarily mean the fuse is making good contact with the fuseholder. My SS had a row of fuses near the dash and the topmost one was higher rated than the others That was the one that gave trouble. I found it was necessary for the fuses to be absolutely flat. Any twist and the contact area is massively reduced. So, identify your equivalent of that fuse, make sure it’s dead flat and then slide it in and out of the holder several times to clean off any light oxidation. This could well sort out your problem. The fact you can bump start your bike but it won’t always start on the button suggests strongly that you have a contact or connection somewhere that will take a light load but breaks down under the heavy load of the starter motor. So, if the fuse wiggling doesn’t help, go through your starting circuit connections, ie battery terminals, earths, solenoid and starter motor and make sure they are clean and tight. Good luck
@Birdie, I decided to first take a good look at the wiring as a whole. And, facepalming myself, I determined that a connector on the solenoid had come half-way loose which came from the battery. I reconnected the connector and was able to start again. This also explains the fact that it would sometimes start and other times wouldn't start. Thanks for your help in finding the answers. In the end, It is always good to go back to the service manual and the wiring scheme
This is all really good information. 3 or 4 times in the past 1-2 yrs since I've owned my '03 620 Monster, it did nothing at the turn of the key and pushing start on the first try. I would then give it a hug and a few encouraging words then try again. Silly thing has started on the second try! No lie! Now I have a backup plan should my positive vibes not work in the future. Thanks guys!
Great news, it's very often the little things that get missed, as I mentioned before a cable tie helps. Steve
When my 916 was playing up in a similar way, I carried a jump lead and jumped the battery to the starter motor, bypassing the solenoid...
