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Odd Starter Issue

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414 views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Wheel03  
#1 ·
I'm having an issue with my 2014 CB500F, every now and then in absolute random conditions, the bike won't start right away, and it can take the starter quite a few cranks before actually getting the engine to start.

It's not a weather/temperature issue because she'll usually start just fine in the freezing cold or blistering heat. And I know it's not just because the engine is cold because she's had moments where she does it both when the engine is cold and warm.

It's not an issue with the engine itself because I can bump start the thing by simply sitting on it, pushing it about 5 feet with my own legs and then "clutch dumping" with minimal effort, there's no sluggish throttle response. When the bike is actually running, she's quick, sharp, and alive, no sputtering, sluggishness, or unusual sounds

It's not a battery issue, I just put a brand-new battery in it a few months ago thinking that was the problem, which the battery is still good and healthy.

And I don't think it's a starter issue because when the starter cranks it's quick, it doesn't sound "weak" or like its losing power. No odd sounds like grinding coming from it either.

The bike will literally just do this thing on random occasions where it takes like a good 5-6 cranks (sometimes more) before finally starting the engine.

It's really really weird but doesn't affect performance of the bike at all. It's honestly just embarrassing because people look over and think the bike is a lemon when it runs just fine. I also feel it's just causing extra wear on the starter for long term speaking.

I'm at a loss and have no idea. Unfortunately, I don't have a video to show it because anytime I try to record it, she starts just fine (what a coincidence). Some people I've talked to in a Facebook group for 500s say they experience the same thing, so maybe this is normal? I know Yamahas have a reputation of struggling to start but I didn't think these little Honda engines had issues too.

The bike has about 25K miles on it and I use 92 Octane gasoline, oil changes every 3k miles, if this helps at all.
 
#2 ·
That's happened to me too. Most of the time, mine will start right up within 0.5 seconds of hitting the starter button. But if it doesn't it's almost like it gets flooded. A few things I do to try to make sure this doesn't happen are:

  • Shake the bike before the fuel pump kicks on. Any water in the tank will settle to the bottom. Water doesn't burn, so I don't want it to be the first and primary ingredient pumped in.
  • Hold in the clutch lever, even when starting in neutral. I'm trying to eliminate any extra drag so the engine can spin up fast right away.
  • Use electrical contact cleaner or similar on, in and around the handlebar switches occasionally, especially the STOP/RUN and starter switches. I want good clean contact inside them everytime.
  • Flick the STOP/RUN switch a few times if you don't regularly use it as part of your start-up/shut-down procedure for the same reason as above.
  • Crack the throttle to varying degrees when the bike is doing the long crank, no fire thing. Sometimes a little more air helps, sometimes it is flooded and cranking it while wide open for some seconds clears it out before beginning the start-up procedure all over again.
 
#3 ·
Hi Scootin.slow. I had the same issue with my 2017 CB500FA. Turned out to be the neutral position switch, even though the neutral light would be on! Randomly occurred but did become more frequent. I found I could start the bike with the clutch level pulled in. After a bit of research I found this is fairly common with these engines and easy to fix. Switch can be accessed on left side, above the drive sprocket. The part cost $30 AUD and 10 min to replace. i hope this helps.
 
#5 ·
Well that doesn't quite add up because this bike is able to be started in gear if the clutch is pulled in. People, not only just here, but on facebook as well, say that if you pull the clutch in, it stops doing the constant cranking, I tried that today (in neutral with clutch pulled in) and she cranked for quite a while before I stopped to give it a rest, and then trying again. I feel this is flawed because if the bike can be started in gear with the clutch pulled in, it obviously bypasses that check of being in neutral or not when the clutch is pulled. So if I pull the clutch in and she continuously cranks again and again, surely that means it's something else?

I'm not saying you're wrong necessarily, I just feel that it doesn't quite sound like that's the problem with mine specifically.
 
#6 ·
Hey ya Scootin.slow. I’m not a qualified mechanic but can offer my experience which sounds similar yours. At random times the Bike would cranked but not start straight way. This became more frequent as time went on. Then I found if I pull in the clutch, it would start! This helped isolate the problem to the neutral indicator switch as the clutch switch bypasses the neutral switch (which is why the bike can be started in gear with the clutch in).
I note this is a different situation to you as your bike will not start if gear selector is in neutral but it does indicate the neutral switch could be the problem. As eds mentioned, it is a resistance thing.
In any case, research on this forum and other sites pointed to the neural indicator switch. Swapped it out and the problem was solved. I’d be interested to know how you go with it. Good luck!