To kick or not to kick

[srq68]

I got an electrical situation, not bad, just anoying: often, my XS850 will not start or only after 6-7 10-seconds cycles on the starter, which has new brushes and seems to be turning fast. The engine will, however, start on the first attemps with the kick pedal.

The battery is new and charged. The cranking of the starter thing tends to be a bit embarassing in front of people who just a minute ago were awing on the restoration job on the bike.

Could this be a weak ignition system, or a leak of electrical power somewhere? Just wondering if someone has had that problem before and what fixes it.


Thanks

[TheDjost]

If you have a multimeter, you can measure the the battery voltage anf the input voltage to the TCI unit while cranking. Anywhere below 10 volts and you're toast this can happen even with a new battery because some connections (especially ground connections) can have corrosion on them and this can give them quite a bit of resistance, wich will "suck" the voltage when you try to crank the engine.

Check all your ground straps, most of the time it's the one from the battery to the frame, on the frame side, under the nut. Take them off, wirebrush them and put them back together.

Hopt this helps.

-Justin