No idea

I'm a newbie to this forum and the motorcycle world, I've been riding for 4 months and love it! I've got an '81 KZ650 that has been running great since I put in the new battery, exhaust and rebuilt the carbs. I had it parked for about a month (I just opened a new business and haven't had time) and went to start her and she turned over a few times and just makes a single clicking sound when I press the start button (like when the battery is dead). It is a new battery, and my trickle charger says it has at least 80% of the charge. If I let it set for a few days and try to start it, it turns over and then the clicking is back. Any ideas? Thanks for any advice or suggestions.

All battery connections must be clean and tight for maximum current transfer. Try this guide for troubleshooting wether the problem is in the starter or solenoid:

Starter Solenoid Checkout

Some simple steps to determine what is working and what's not:

1.Fully charge and test the battery(most bike shops can load test the battery, and then use a floating ball hydrometer to check specific gravity in the charged cells).

2.Clean all battery terminals of corrosion.

3.Tighten all starting related connections(Positive RED(+) battery terminal, Negative BLACK(-)terminal) and from the terminal to the engine case. All connections must be clean and tight.

4.Clean the cable from the starter solenoid to the starter motor.

5.Clean and check the "bullet connectors" going to the coil side of the starter solenoid.

6.Try again to start the bike.

7.If no luck, go to step #8

8.Wearing eye protection, bridge with pliers or a screwdriver the two heavy duty(large)terminals on the solenoid. If the bike cranks, your solenoid may be bad.

9. If the starter won’t turn over, one of three things has happened; The starter motor has seized due to brushes binding up, lack of lubrication in the bushings of the motor, or the engine has seized.

10.The dealer may want $$$ for a new solenoid, but take your old one along and visit the nearest riding lawn mower shop. They have solenoids for about $15 that with a little work will fit.

11. I’d recommend upgrading from the existing battery cables to at least 6 gauge welding cables.
They are available in two colors(RED and BLACK) have more flexibility due to being constructed with finer conductors, and will fit in tighter areas.

12. The welding cable is sold by the foot ,so take careful measurements or bring your old cables along. Most battery shops might be able to supply the cable too, so call to find out. The battery shop should be able to crimp/swage on the end of the welding cable the terminal ends or lugs using either a dedicated crimping machine or a tool that looks like a bolt cutter that has special dies to terminate the cable.

Thanks, I'll get on that this week. I also just noticed that all my gas drained from my tank, another problem.

Jettster wrote:

Thanks, I'll get on that this week. I also just noticed that all my gas drained from my tank, another problem.

You probably have a sticking needle valve in one carb. Try putting more gas in it and look to see which carb is leaking, then rap repeatedly on the float bowl with the plastic end of a screwdriver. This may dislodge any dirt caught in the seat. If this doesn't work, a carb tear down may be in order. (Make sure you turn the fuel off whenever you park the bike.)

I normally do, I forgot to turn it off when I tried to start it last. I just had the carbs rebuilt, but I'll give it a tap to see what happens.

if the tank emptied out check your oil it may have filled up the bottom end up with gas that could be why it won't turn over it happens alot when you have suspect float valves and leaking petcocks don't try starting it until you find out if the bottomend is full of gas. it could very easily hydraulic on you.