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Honda shadow vt600 bobber starting problem

  • Lars Himpens

    I bought this Honda Shadow VT600 bobber. It started fine for 3 days, but now I’m seeing this. Does anyone have an idea what’s going on?

    Attachments:

    Mes...-45ED-922B-E6A9A105D569.mp4
  • TJ

    @Lars Himpens easy. battery is shit. these bikes will NOT start with anything less than 12.8 volts. 
    that battery drops to 11 under load. i bet its older than 3 years. 

    DO FUN SHIT!
    Check the FAQ's here for tons of tuning info and more!! - t.ly/MA6r6

  • Lars Himpens

    It’s my first motorcycle. I thought this was the problem, so I bought and connected the Fulbat FTX9-BS battery. Maybe this is the wrong battery?                 

  • TJ

    @Lars Himpens pretty much any motorcycle sized battery will work but they should be charged before you put them on the bike. 

     

    DO FUN SHIT!
    Check the FAQ's here for tons of tuning info and more!! - t.ly/MA6r6

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  • Lars Himpens

    @TJ The old battery died, so I put in a new one. I fully charged it first. Yesterday I was able to jump-start the engine, and after jump-starting it, I could start it with the battery for about half an hour. But today it wouldn’t start even with a jump start. I find it so strange. The lights go on but when i push start the lights go out and it doesnt turn over

     

     

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  • TJ

    @Lars Himpens OK I'm going ot break this down for you. 

    Battery terminals FIRST

    This is the #1 thing.

    On Shadows, if the battery terminals are even slightly loose or dirty, you’ll get:

    • lights on normally,
    • hit start,
    • instant blackout,
    • sometimes a clicking sound,
    • sometimes total silence

    remove both terminals, clean them shiny, reinstall TIGHT, especially check the ground cable where it bolts to the frame/engine.

    Try to watch the voltage while pressing start

    If you have a multimeter:

    Battery resting:

    • should be around 12.6–12.8V

    While pressing the starter:

    • if it instantly drops below ~9–10V, the battery is bad or discharged.

    Even new batteries can be defective my man! sucks but it does happen! 

    Attempt a REAL jump start correctly

    Motorcycle batteries are picky.

    If jump starting from a car:

    • car ENGINE OFF,
    • good solid cable connections,
    • let it sit connected for 3–5 minutes,
    • then attempt start.

    If the lights STILL completely die when hitting the button even while connected to another battery:

    that points harder toward a bad cable, ground, relay, or starter issue.

    Listen for relay behavior

    When pressing start:

    • single loud click = usually relay engaging but insufficient current
    • rapid clicking = weak battery/connection
    • no click at all = starter button, clutch switch, neutral switch, or relay issue

     

    Check the main fuse

    VT600s have a main fuse at the starter solenoid. A partially melted or corroded fuse connection can act SUPER weird:

    • intermittent starting,
    • sudden power collapse,
    • worked yesterday/not today behavior.

    My suspicions

    Most likely → least likely:

    1. Loose/corroded battery terminal
    2. Bad ground cable
    3. Defective new battery
    4. Starter relay/solenoid issue
    5. Charging system killed the new battery immediately
    6. Starter motor failure

    The weird “worked for 30 minutes after jump-starting yesterday” part makes me wonder if:

    • the charging system isn’t charging,
      OR
    • the battery cables are intermittently making contact.

    If you get it started again, you should check charging voltage at idle:

    • should be around 13.5–14.5V with bike running.

    If it stays around 12V running, the stator/regulator system isn’t charging the battery.

    DO FUN SHIT!
    Check the FAQ's here for tons of tuning info and more!! - t.ly/MA6r6

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  • Lars Himpens

    @TJ Okay the battery was defect, the new one works fine now, but there is another new problem with the engine. The spark plugs are wet and black. The engine starts with the choke out, but when I push the choke in it stalls. I know this is related to the carburetor adjustment or the air filter, but what is the best thing I should do now? Its a Honda shadow vt600c 1992

  • andreas

    @Lars Himpens Perhaps check the air/fuel mixture screws? Although it's hard to tell whether it's too lean or rich, given your somewhat contradictory symptoms (dies when pushing the choke in (too lean?), vs. wet, sooty spark plugs (too rich?)). Do all the plugs spark? And does it only stall at idle, or also while riding?

  • L

    @TJ this will probably be a dumb question but does this also go for my 1994 Honda shadow vt1100. I had gotten it off a friend who got it with mutilated wiring. As of now we're pretty sure we are good on the wiring. It turns over now, I'm just not getting spark. I've checked the ignition coils, pickup coils, cdi, sparks and boots, sensors. The battery is holding good charge but the terminals are pretty much shredded. Even small pieces of the terminals have broken off. I have no clue what they put that battery through but I am getting a new one. Was just wondering your thoughts on it. Other than me sounding like a jack*ss

  • TJ

    @Lars Himpens read all of this - https://shoptjbc.com/community/brutalforums/topic/176621/tuning-your-carbureted-honda-shadow-everything-you-need-to-know

     

    you need ot understand how the tuning on a bike works. this will be a huge help to you! 

     

    DO FUN SHIT!
    Check the FAQ's here for tons of tuning info and more!! - t.ly/MA6r6

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