Starting problem.

[Scott Williams]

2014 base model . About once every 10-15 times I srart the bike, by pushing down on the red switch, nothing happens. One time I waited 20 min. and it fired up, but the starter motor didn’t seem to turn as fast as normal. My dealer just replaced the battery. Same thing just happened on a trip next time I uses it. Nothing....I waited, and it fired.....but starter seemed to turn slower than normal. Corrosion at starter connection? Corrosion in the red switch? I livee in Latin America......not always near a dealer. Thanks for suggestions. Scott

 

[WJBertrand]

Check that your connections to the starter relay are clean and tight.


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[EricV]

Are you using the stop position or just turning off the key to shut down the bike?

If you are not using the stop position, give that a try. It establishes a better routine. Key on powers up the bike and gauges, ECU, etc. Switch to run powers the fuel pump. Give it a moment to cycle before pressing the start button.

When the ECU and fuel pump come on together it may or may not impact the start cycle.

My other idea is that your ignition switch is having some issues. A few people have mentioned experiencing what you have, only to realize that the ignition switch was not fully to the 'ON' position. I'm guessing that you don't leave the key on for 20 minutes in between attempts, so your cycling of the ignition switch may have self corrected the issue you are experiencing. Regardless of it being a position issue or a physical issue with the ignition switch, if the switch is not fully in the on position or it's internals are not fully in position, the starter often won't work.

 

[Scott Williams]

Well thanks, WJB and Eric. Seems I should have mentioned that I have been using the key to shut off the bike for 4.5 years now, with no issues. I have never ever used the red kill switch to stop the motor. When I go to start the motor, I have always first turned on the ignition switch until all the gauges cycle through (about 4-5 seconds), make sure she is in neutral, then press downward on the lower half of the red switch to engage starter. This problem is new.....happened 3x in the last two months. Right, Eric....I turn off the ignition following an unsuccessful attempt, so as not to drain the battery. Does this added info. help for any final thoughts? I will sure clean the starter connections! She is always stored indoors at my dealer. First problem ever. Many thanks!!! Scott

 

[EricV]

Sounds like corrosion somewhere. You do live on an island surrounded by salt water. The UK riders have odd corrosion issues sometimes. Start poking around the grounds and connections for the starter and switch.

 

[Scott Williams]

Will have my dealer go through and clean the connections. Thank you.

 

[WJBertrand]

I think the standard YTZ12S battery is marginal on this bike. I had occasional slow cranking and hard starting until I replaced it with a higher amperage Li battery.


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[Scott Williams]

All wires around ignition and rocker kill switch look goos and show continuity. No visible corrosion. Changed the starter relay today at the dealer. Aha! The old one had four terminals that were black at the tip. Started 2 dozen times today with a new one, just to be sure. All good. Starter spins like new. Thanks, guys. Appreciate your help!

 

[2daMax]

My starter relay was intermittent around 20k km mileage. Pretty low for it to fail. Had it changed with one I bought on-line earlier in anticipation of such failure. Bought another one for standby.

 

[EricV]

@Scott Williams - Thanks for coming back with the discovery of the problem and resolution. I'm sure that will help someone else down the road. Glad you're back to riding and hope you stay trouble free for a good while now.

 

[Fennellg]

Should it fail on the road, Bump start should do the trick till it can be addressed.

 

[_ozy_]

I think the standard YTZ12S battery is marginal on this bike. I had occasional slow cranking and hard starting until I replaced it with a higher amperage Li battery.

i think I’m having the same sluggish starting problem. Which Li battery did you buy?

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[Sierra1]

i think I’m having the same sluggish starting problem. Which Li battery did you buy?

Not saying that you don't have a starting issue, but if you're new to the Tenere, everything might be ok. My neighbor says I need a new battery every time he hears mine start. And compared to his Gold Wing, mine does sound sluggish. His starter sounds like it's going to jump out of the bike. But mine sounds the same today as she did on the first day. So, if your last bike had a fast-turning starter, everything might still be ok.

But if you want to go lithium, it's the same model number as the OE AGM; YTZ12S. That being said, most people upgrade to the YTZ14S for the increased amps. Just Google YTZ14S lithium and pick one.

 

[WJBertrand]

I bought this one:

Scorpion Stinger SSTZ14S-FP Lithium Motorcycle Battery - 12v 387 CCA

The Scorpion Stinger SSTZ14S-FP is a lithium battery that replaces the YTZ12S and YTZ14S. Features 387 CCA and a 1 yr replacement warranty!

www.scorpionbattery.com

I bought it from batterystuff.com

 

[_ozy_]

Not saying that you don't have a starting issue, but if you're new to the Tenere, everything might be ok. My neighbor says I need a new battery every time he hears mine start. And compared to his Gold Wing, mine does sound sluggish. His starter sounds like it's going to jump out of the bike. But mine sounds the same today as she did on the first day. So, if your last bike had a fast-turning starter, everything might still be ok.

But if you want to go lithium, it's the same model number as the OE AGM; YTZ12S. That being said, most people upgrade to the YTZ14S for the increased amps. Just Google YTZ14S lithium and pick one.

So the battery I have is probably a year old. I always have it plugged into the trickle charger when not in use.

Last night I was out on an overnight trip, and we had freezing temps overnight. The bike would not start in the morning. It would crank, but the display would go blank while cranking, which I guess means there wasn't enough juice going to the ECU. I took the battery out and went to like 4 different stores but none had this battery in stock. The Autozone battery tester reported a bad battery with 64CCA only. I did not know YTZ14S work also work, so I bought a jumper cable as a last resort.

After jumping the battery, I rode it for about an hour and had to stop to fill up. After stopping the engine, it cranked up instantly.

When I got home and plugged it into my trickle charger, the green light on the charger came on in about 30 seconds. But perhaps it still does not have enough CCAs for cold weather?

Anyways, since its always been a sluggish crank, even when I had the battery new, I'd like to try a lithium one now with higher CCA.

 

[Sierra1]

That is odd for only a year-old battery. You're sure it only a year old? Mine will be 6 years old in two months. And the first couple of years it never got "trickled", but I did kill it twice. It now gets tended to by an Optimate 3+. It has been going into "disulfate" mode on a daily basis, so I figure its days are numbered.

 

[_ozy_]

That is odd for only a year-old battery. You're sure it only a year old? Mine will be 6 years old in two months. And the first couple of years it never got "trickled", but I did kill it twice. It now gets tended to by an Optimate 3+. It has been going into "disulfate" mode on a daily basis, so I figure its days are numbered.

ohh, I was starting to believe these powersport batteries only last a year. Interestingly, this would be the 2nd battery I bought from Batteries Plus that died within a year

 

[Sierra1]

ohh, I was starting to believe these powersport batteries only last a year. Interestingly, this would be the 2nd battery I bought from Batteries Plus that died within a year

Make sure that it's an AGM battery and not just one that fits in the hole. OE batteries are Yuasa and they're good. One a year, with 'Tender use, is way too often.

 

[Yamaha4Ever]

"That being said, most people upgrade to the YTZ14S"
2 weeks ago I bought a 2018 S10 still with the original 12S in it. Previous owner told me it always started just fine. Right... Not knowing yet its reputation for poorly convincing starts. Day one I ordered a Yuasa YTZ14S because the 12s inspired no confidence at all to me. It made a huge difference. The bike now starts much more willingly.

 

[Boris]

"That being said, most people upgrade to the YTZ14S"
2 weeks ago I bought a 2018 S10 still with the original 12S in it. Previous owner told me it always started just fine. Right... Not knowing yet its reputation for poorly convincing starts. Day one I ordered a Yuasa YTZ14S because the 12s inspired no confidence at all to me. It made a huge difference. The bikes now starts much more willingly.

My 14s has been in for about 18 months now and it still starts far more willingly than the 12s ever did.