my bike won't start!

[nck-nck]

this is probably another idiot newbie error, but i can't get my bike to start. when i push the starter button nothing happens, it just clicks.

when i went out to get my bike the cover had been blown up a bit by the wind, exposing the right-hand side of the main body of the bike. if it had gotten wet (which it might have, it was raining a bit earlier) could this be causing the problem? what should i do?
it's a honda clr and it doesn't have a kick start, just the electric start. and i don't know how to bump-start it

[karoshi]

make sure it's dry around the battery and the starter solenoid then start by checking the battery..

do you have a multimeter handy to see if it's charged? if not when you turn the ignition on do you get the normal signs of life.. neutral light on the dash maybe? does the headlight still work?

got a parent / partner / friend with a car & some jump leads handy?.. assuming it's a 12v electrical system
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Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it. - Elwood P. Dowd

[nck-nck]

when you say check it's dry, should i get wd40? i don't know where/what the starter solenoid is but i can google it...

is it okay to jump a bike off a car battery?

the neutral light was on, i didn't think to check the headlight...and no, i don't have a multimeter

the car will be away all day tomorrow anyway so i can't make use of it...can i call the AA out for this??

[Benson_JV]

Bump start it, put it into first (or second if first doesn't work) clutch in and run with the bike as fast as you can, then dump the clutch whilst jumping on the seat of the bike.
Obviously ignition needs to be on.
____________________
Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[nck-nck]

[NickGreen]

It might be a bit obvious but is there petrol in the tank? Try turning it to reserve?

[bagger]

try charging the battery, starter motors need a fair bit of power in the battery even if the lights seem ok it doesnt mean the battery is.
if it still doesnt start with a charged battery and is still just clicking remove the starter relay an give it a couple of taps with a rubber mallet
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sv650s,cb350s

[karoshi]

shouldn't need wd40 unless you dropped it in a river really

if you're thumbing the starter button and getting a click from under the seat but it's not spinning the engine over then i'd look to check the starter solenoid, they tend to look like this:

https://www.speshul.org/random/starterSolenoid.jpg

..they usually have two thickish wire terminals on the top, one goes to the starter motor the other goes to the battery.

If you're feeling brave switch the ignition on, make sure it's in neutral then short a metal screwdriver between the two thick terminals on the top and see if it starts the engine Note: make sure the screwdriver has a rubber handle so you don't shock yourself.. I take no responsibility for the possible bad / funny outcomes of the above

If the bike starts by doing this then you may need a new starter solenoid or starter relay (the relay is most likely the bit that is making the clicking noise you mentioned)

To answer your question about jump starting from a car, provided the bike is a 12volt system the same as the car I would think it's fine.. I've done it myself with no problems, but I wouldn't leave them hooked up and try to charge the bike from the car as the charging circuit on the car will probably be way more powerful than the bike's system.
____________________
Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it. - Elwood P. Dowd

[karoshi]

Just thought, a Multimeter is a really useful thing to have around by the way, they're not expensive.. you'll pick one up on ebay for around a fiver like this one for example

Basic single use of a multimeter, set the dial to DCV:20 then stick one of the two prongs that come with it on each of your battery's terminals and it'll tell you what voltage the battery is sitting at (or usually it'll give a minus voltage amount then I swap then prongs over and do it right ).

On my bike, less than 11.2v and it has trouble spinning the motor fast enough to start it, under 10v and you just get the click & nothing symptoms..

Also, you can test that you're getting more than 12volts when the bike is running indicating that it's charging the battery properly.
____________________
Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it. - Elwood P. Dowd

[Marmalade]

Where are you?
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Nobby the Bastard: How yo tell the difference between the actual japanese and her just screaming because she's had live fish stuck up her arse? [url=https://www.nicks-shop.co.uk/bcf-goodies-15-c.aspGet BCF stickers and things here[/url] Reflective helmet stickers - Legal requirement in france - Clicky

[Paxovasa]

Sounds like a flat battery.

Charge it using a bike charger or a trickle charger.
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Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[RPM]

Hello

In addition to all of the above, might also be worth checking that your kill switch isn't on.

All the best
Mike

[P.addy]

[RPM]

Oh right, my bad.

All the best
Mike

[nck-nck]

thanks for the advice/gentle mocking everyone! especially karoshi heh heh, if you knew just how much of a doofus i am you'd never suggest going anywhere electrical anythings with a screwdriver and any sort of intent
it still wasn't starting this morning so i called the AA (i know, i know, the AA guy himself told me bike owners normally take care of things themselves) and it turned out the battery needed replacing. the guy said it was only a wee bit flat. bagger you were right, the lights and everything were still working fine but that wasn't enough to start it. he jump-started it for me but it wasn't holding any charge
i'm going to pick it up tomorrow with a new battery in it.