[Keynes]

Hi, my starter relay is faulty.

Here is the story, I was trying to enact a scenario if I'm stranded in a some remote country side (yes, I love travelling, and the bad thing is I travel alone most of the time), when my burgie won't start due to various reasons. I played with the side stand switch, the started relay bypass and finally the fatal one, I used a jumper cable to connect the +ve terminal of the battery to the starter motor lead wire and here are the silly things that follow:-

1) Mistake 1 : I accidentally connected the -ve terminal (instead of the +ve terminal) to the startor motor lead wire,
2) Mistake 2 : Seeing that the startor motor didn't turn, I further pressed the right brake lever and the starter switch at the same time on the handlebar,
3) Mistake 3 : the starter motor turned but slowly, so the whole process took about 5 sec before engine started running.

Needless to say, I couldn't start the burgie in the normal way again.

After going back to my lapotop and read the circuit diagram of the starter system, I realised how foolish I was, I literally fried the starter relay.

Now the damage is S$70 + 7 % GST (goods and services tax) = S$74.9 :angryfire: about USD59. Now I start the burgie by shorting the 2 lead wires on the relay and at the same time thinking of what to do next.

Is is alright I start my bugie this way everytime? (the only problem is the headlight won't switch off so current drawn from battery while starting will be large, but I think it is not a big deal).

Should I repair it or part with S$74.90 or continue starting in this unglamorous way?

Is there anyway I can repair a faulty starter relay?

 

[NormanB]

not usually repairable
Try eBay - they are common enough items.

 

[Keynes]

Thanks NormanB,

E-bay for me may not be worth it due to freight charges.

I'm going to try my local car spare parts shops tomorrow to get a starter relay, I think the price should not be higher than S$20.

What should I check for? Is it enough just to check that the resistance of the relay is between 3 ohms to 6 ohms? and the relay can take 12V, what is the current flowing to the starter motor during starting? Is a car starter relay same in terms of resistance, current as a motorcycle?

 

[ErikDK]

http://www.2wheelpros.com/oem-parts/suzuki-relay-starting-motor-31800-21e20-part.html

Manufacturer: Genuine Suzuki Part
Manufacturer Part#: 31800-21E20
Item Number: OEM124472
Note: RELAY ASSY, STARTING MOTOR;


This part is used in 150 diagrams

I found this one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Starter-R...rcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a27510236
10 USD + 3 USD shipping to Singapore

 

[ErikDK]

Oops, wrong part number, correct is 31800-10G00, only for AN650

But it looks like the only special thing is the short harness to th plug

 

[NormanB]

You should have no problem sourcing pre-owned your side of the pond. Have you tried any Japanese sites? (Skywave)

 

[ashby102]

Try MrCycleParts.com I've had good results with them

 

[Keynes]

Thank You for parts sourcing and advices from NormanB, ErikDK and Ashby 102.

Yesterday I went over to a couple of local car spare parts shops but the starter relays were either too big for mounting on the battery cover or too expensive aat S$45.

So I decided to drive 40 min downtown to a famous motorcycle spare parts shop Lim Ah Boy (LAB for short which sells almost anything a bike needs except the bike itself, the owner is not a boy but a middle-age man, who uses 2 indistinguishable types of voices when speaking through phone and in person). I bought a made-in-China Yamaha genuine part (so was it stated in the sticker) starter relay for S$15. I then drove for a further 10 min to get the necessary connectors for 40cents and all were ready.
I fixed it on my burgie with some modification on the mounting and wire connectors and volia, the burgie fired with the starter button depressed, just as per normal.

Suzuki really has to do some self-reflection on its spare parts price. Out of the 3 major brands of motorcycles in Singapore about a decade ago, namely Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki, Suzuki has lost its leading brand position from 3rd place to nowhere in the top 10 in recent years. Mechanics and riding fratenity I have spoken to and from local forum attributed the decline of Suzuki's market share to its spare parts price. Although not comparing apple to apple, Suzuki spare parts is the most expensive, followed by Yamaha and then Honda. It could be the fact that most Suzuki parts are made in Japan wheras Yamaha anfd Honda has many common parts made in Taiwan or China. But if Suzuki is really keen to re-claim its leading brand position then it should think of ways to make its spare parts cheaper.

Not only are the Japanses brands competing in the local marker, but the Koreans brands such as Kymco and Sym are making good headway here too. Not forgetting Piaggio too. BMW GT650 is currently still not a threat here yet as it is still new and many machanics here except the agent can or dare to repair and maintain the GT650, it does put some pressure to Suzuki Burgman 650 as both scooters (2013) priced the same here, at S$22,000 on the road.

In the meantime, I'll just enjoy my ride.