Starter Stall On Startup

Battery cables on older bikes do break down and should be replaced if signs of starting problems like starter stall appear. If you were to look at the copper inside the plastic jacket by peeling it back after removal, you would see pretty shades of green in there, that's corrosion. In salty areas near the beach/ocean it is more of a problem because of the corrosive salt content in the air.

Usually a bad/corroded cable will show some signs of heat in it when cranking an engine if you do it a few times.

What I like to do is to solder on the end terminals and then seal the joint where the cable and terminal connect with heat shrink. It eliminates the entry point for the corrosion to begin.

Here's an excellent source for outstanding battery cables.
Cold Riders Yooper Page.

If you use a meter to test the cables, attach one end to the battery terminal proper on the +12 cable and the other meter lead to the other end of the battery cable. No need to disconnect the cables. Hit the start button, If the meter registers anything significant, the cable is exhibiting too much resistance and should be replaced.


A better description of this condition (starter stall) would be like hitting the start button and it cranks over a revolution or two and "pauses" then continues to crank. I have found that most times new battery cables or cleaning the terminals on BOTH ends of BOTH cables with a wire brush and reinstalling them minimizes/eliminates this condition.

With a warm engine, the compression is higher than a cold one because the engine parts (ie. rings) are expanded and sealing better so the compression is higher then.This usually needs more amperage to crank over than a cold engine does and thus the problem exhibits itself in starter stall.

If you suspect carbon buildup in the cylinders as a possible cause, there's a simple way of cleaning them. There is a product called sea foam http://www.seafoamsales.com/ that will do this as you drive the bike or what I like to do is to take a spray bottle filled with water and with the engine running at a fast idle, spray a steady stream of water into the intake and watch the carbon blow out the pipes. Use a few ounces of water doing this. Keep the engine speed up while you do this so it doesn't stall. Usually if you park the rear of the bike about a foot from a wall, you'll see black areas on the wall that are the carbon that was in the cylinders. The carbon raises compression and the starter combined with bad cables can't compensate for this and "kicks back" or stalls on a start attempt then.

Also another product called Marvel Mystery oil (my favorite) which is in a red and black can sold in most auto parts stores can be added to the gas at about an ounce or so to a tank full every few tanks and it will help to keep the combustion chambers clean. This product is a miracle worker. I have used it in engine oil in cars to free up sticky lifters and it works extremely well too. It's also great for cleaning out engine crankcases before changing oil if you add some to the oil and run the car for a few days normal driving before doing the oil change.