[lvgny]

Hello folks - this bike is a workhorse for me. I have recently had a 'starting' issue where the battery is maintained and fully charged but, the bike will crank slowly. The scenario starts as a normal starting sound and I hear the motor turning at a 'normal' rate then, 1-2 seconds later, the cranking speed drops to a sound that one would think the battery is not charged. I have been able to start the bike successfully to date. Warmer temperatures it starts pretty easy on often within the 1-2 second fast crank. Most of the time and in colder temperatures I must continue with trying to start the bike with an extremely slow crank rate. I suspect it is the starter but, am reaching out to the Burgman community for any advise. Thank you all in advance for any comments.

all the best....

 

[Buffalo]

How old is the battery? It sounds to me like it is getting weak.

 

[Mel46]

That was the same sound mine did till I changed out the battery. It retains enough of a charge for a quick turnover, but then it has nothing left. The quickest way to check it is to jump start it from another battery, for instance your car. If it cranks easily, your battery is going downhill fast. Cold weather is the biggest trial for a battery. Yours sounds like it is on its last legs. Time for a new one. Gel batteries have a tendency to go until they can't any more, and that is how they sound when they can't go any more.

 

[cliffyk]

Monitor the battery voltage while cranking the engine--if it drops below or near 10.5V the battery has one or more bad cells...

 

[miken6mz]

It may not be the electrical system. Reading the 400 service manual, it appears that the engine camshaft has some kind of slick little compression-release mechanism to take some load off the starter. Can't tell for sure, but it appears to be centrifugally operated. So perhaps your engine is going from partial compression to full compression because it's cranking so long. My GF's 400S K6 always fires and runs in about 1 second of cranking. Not sure if this helps, but it does give you one more thing to check (or worry about).

 

[lvgny]

Thanks for the replies. I am now pretty sure it is the battery. I purchased a new lithium but, I put the old Yuasa battery on a trickle charge for a week and sure enough it cranked like a champ. I just bought this battery about a year ago and cannot believe it lost charge so quickly. I usually have batteries for 3-4 years at a clip. Anyway....thanks very much!!!!