Why won't my motorcycle start?

If the light are powered, but the engine doesn’t turn over, there could be a wiring problem to the ignition switch, there could be a bad solenoid, there could be a bad starter. Can you hear the solenoid when they key is in the “start” position? Clicking? Grinding?

@pdworkin I hear what I assume is a short buzz of the fuel pump then nothing. My husband says it is the battery but why would the lights cycle like that? Odd…

Because you’re on the computer, and not fixing the bike.

But on a more serious note… is it a 12V battery? On a bike? I don’t know bikes, but that sounds like a big battery for that application. (Okay, my lawn tractor has a small 12V battery, too… but still.)

Leave it in the driveway tonight, under a light, with the key in the ignition. If it was in my neighborhood it would be guaranteed to start before morning. (But you’d better be watching when it happens, so you can chase the thief away. Better bring a bigger gun than he has, too.)

I think you have ruled out the battery, but just to be sure, swap it out.

“Short buzz of the fuel pump”? Again, I’ve never had or started a bike, but… fuel pumps are pretty quiet, in my experience. I’m thinking that buzz is a failed / failing solenoid.

Check the fuse…the main engine fuse.

An ‘06 street bob… very cool!

CW could be right that the buzzing noise is the solenoid. The fuel pump might hum, but not buzz.

Hmmmm… It has always done it so I never thought of that. I just assumed it was the fuel pump.

It is worth a try. And I will swap out the battery since it is on it’s ninth life anyway.

2006 model, though… man, it would have to be a faulty solenoid, and not a worn out one. That’s no age at all on that thing.

@Kelly_Obrien I did not know there was a main engine fuse… These bikes are too freaking fancy. I will get out the manual and do so.

What kind of bike is it?

@Kelly_Obrien – As the OP said in the details, a 2006 HD Street Bob (HD meaning Harley Davidson).

I tend to agree with @pdworkin and all those who say bad solenoid, although a bad ignition is possible. We recently divested ourselves of a 2001 VW New Beetle that went through 5 starters in 18 months so we are very familiar with what happens when a solenoid goes bad.

Another remote possibility is a screw up with the alarm system.

Oh yeah….So you have 2 fuses under the fuel tank on that model. Try google 2006 HD Street Bob engine fuse.

wow, that is one hot looking bike! I always wanted a harley but could never find one that met my 2 main criteria when buying a motorcycle. I have to be able to at least come close to being able to flat foot it and I have to be able to pick it up by myself if it falls.
Just out of curiosity can you do that? Looks like a pretty heavy bike.

Solenoid used to last forever, can’t imagine that would be the trouble but as was said could be faulty, that usually goes click click click though. I usually start at step one, pull the cap off the spark plug and see if you’re getting spark.

Before you replace any parts,make sure all wires from the battery to the solonoid or relay are tight and corossion free.
Too often parts are replaced/blamed when it’s really just loose/corroded connections.
Same can be said for the ignition switch.
Clean and tighten before replacing!
Also be a good idea to check the water in the battery.
Always start with the basics.

well, there’s your problem, it’s a HD. Buy a good motorcycle, one preferably built by the Japanese. Kawasaki comes to mind. Personally, I wouldn’t own a Harley is you gave me one. Overpriced, and over-idealized by the masses.
Give me a crotch rocket anyday.

@Darwin You linked to my bike exactly, color and all!
I am putting the alarm down as a possibility and am replacing the battery hopefully today.

@Midnighttoker2 Many thanks- I will go down this morning and check all the wiring as you suggested. I am pretty sure the battery is toast (I have jump started it in the past) but will take better care of this one.

@camouflage_pants It is what it is. Though Bob is not one I love the old classics. @spargett was restoring one and if you look up his user ID you will see a question he asked on it and pix. It was awesome.

@rooeytoo It is really heavy but I can plant my feet because the seat is slung low. In response to picking it up yes I can and have had to. There is a technique to doing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y94741LeBks

If you get a bike be sure it really “fits” you. I do love “Bob” but if I had it to do over again I would go a bit lighter with the same look. In Motorcycle training I rode a Vulcan and it fit like a glove. It did not look the same but I could really maneuver it with agility. Bob is like a big cushy Cadillac compared to the Vulcan.

I will check for spark on the plug too. It is on the list as soon as I get the new battery in.

@Midnighttoker2 Battery water levels need checked..check!

@camouflage_pants Well… let me tell you about my old road king police special w/ dashboard. I have a small fleet of bikes including a beautiful new gold wing, a duc monster, brit bikes, old 80’s maxims and even the prettiest bobber on manhatten island.
The road king has nothing shiny… burbles and gurgles… needs the most attention which only I give her. She always starts right up, always is ready to blast thru 100 mph all day, nyc cabbies NEVER fuck with us on the streets and ALWAYS brings a smile to my face! Ever see parents who claim cosmic love over a special needs child? That’s us!
.......
It just so happens my second best most beloved ride (besides my vespa scooter) is a 1972 chevy p/u c10.

Here’s my ride these days. It will do a little off road and it is great for around town. I love it!

Hope you get yours going again soon!

Nummy

@Dog – While my son absolutely adores your “Bob,” I prefer shaft drive. It is more reliable.

Is that a euphemism? Has this become an NSFW thread?

Ah, @pdworkin, that is no euphemism, that’s a Harley Davidson versus a Yamaha statement. However, I can see how testosterone can make one hope it is.

I had a Beamer with a drive shaft. I believe it had an effect on my testosterone.

I am ashamed to admit that I have never heard of “shaft drive”
(in the sense of motorcycles ;) )

Buying battery day after Christmas. :) All I want for Christmas is for my bike to start. Last year all I wanted was for my Mustang to start… I see a trend.

@Dog, yeah… a bad trend. Next year you’ll be wanting your bicycle to start.

My Honda shadow had a shaft drive. Only problem was it precluded oversize tires. I like a big fat back tire.

@Kelly_Obrien, since the thread got hijacked into hormonal issues a while back, I’m thinking, from reading this latest response from you, that maybe you’re dealing with a hormonal imbalance of some kind here, that is causing that “big fat back tire”.

It was just a thought.

Well, it could have been hormonal, and it could have been how much more I enjoy fat tire road handling, as opposed to the more narrow tires.

@Dog – I just watched that Youtuber on how to pick up your bike, that is great. If I had known that years ago, I would have had bigger bikes. Course I might have killed myself too, so who knows?

It reminds me of righting your sailboat when the sail is full of water or if it has turtled, you just have to know the right method.

Thanks for sharing.

@Kelly_Obrien A 300 on a shadow… I don’t know….

@rooeytoo I have no idea how to right a sailboat. :)

@dog – hehehe, I have to try to find you a visual on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsbOBtyV90M

@Kelly_Obrien – thank you, saved me hunting! what it doesn’t tell you is that the sails have to be loose so they don’t act as big ladles and pull water up with them, position the boat so that the wind will assist, not push you back down, and then you stand on the dagger board as close to the end as you can get and hope you have enough weight and enough wind to get you back up!

Obviously only works with smaller boats.

But what if it is not a skiff? What if there are no side rails to hang off of?

Then don’t ride it in the street.

Call a barge crane!

@pdworkin Too funny!
@rooeytoo There is no hope for a regular small sail boat? Even with sails down?

I am such a bad mod- I take my own question off topic- I swear when I get the battery I will bring it back.

Mine didn’t have outriggers, is that what you mean? You just stand on the dagger board and pull on the side of the boat.

@Dog, their technique for righting the boat was not right for recreational sailing capsize recovery. The boat they were sailing is a super high-performance racing skiff, which is why it has the outriggers and such a big sail for a small hull—and why they were trying to right the boat “quickly” more than “properly”—because they were racing and trying not to lose any more time.

If you’re righting a “normal” sailboat (not a catamaran and not a high-performance boat like this), then you’re normally better off facing the bow of the boat into the wind, so that the wind effect on the boat is neutral as you right it. Otherwise, you get the two things that happened to this boat: 1) you raise the boat with the wind “helping” to get under the sail and help you right it… and risk being flipped on the other side as soon as you pass vertical (which happened here), or 2) raise the boat with the wind “fighting” you, that is, you’re trying to right the boat and the wind is still trying to knock you down (which also happened). These guys did both of those things. So this was a pretty fair example of “how not to do it”. There are other mistakes that can be made, too.

Normally righting a dinghy is no big trick.

So… how’s the bike project going now?

@CyanoticWasp – I always position the boat so the wind helps me right it, little light weight squirts need all the help we can get. I never had the wind put me back over the other way. I guess if that did happen, I would come around a little but still take all the wind help I could handle.