New problem 04 Kodiak 450

[alexwv1863]

Hey everyone, first I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Now onto my new problem. My apologies now for a long post. I just want to go thru everything I've done to help figure out what the issue is.

Here goes: 

I have an 04 Yamaha Kodiak 450. Last week I went to take it for a ride and it wouldn't start. The display would light up and the speedometer numbers would go around in a circle like it was loading (to give an idea of what it looks like). When I would try to start it, it wouldn't do anything and the display would go blank. I tried crossing over the solenoid and it still wouldn't do anything, nothing at all. 

Today I was writing in it and hooked up a charger/jump box to see if that battery was dead. The charger read that it was completely charged. I tried cranking it and after a few tries and reconnecting the charger, I got the 4 wheeler to start. I unhooked the charger and a minute later the 4 wheeler just shut off like I turned the switch off. I, again, hooked up the charger, waited a couple minutes and the ATV started again. This time I left the charger hooked up several minutes while the ATV was running. When I unhooked the charger this time, it stayed running and I was actually able to ride it around the yard for several minutes without any issues.

I parked it, shut it off with the kill switch like I always do, turned the key off. I thought I would see if it would start on it's own. I turned the switch on, kill switch off, and nothing. The display wouldn't light up nor turn over. When I would turn the kill switch on, the display would then light up, but once I turned the switch off, the display would go blank. 

I took off the start button ignition assembly off the handlebar and all of the connections looked new, so it should be making a great connection to the handlebar. I originally had a new solenoid on, but I put the original back on, cleaned all of the terminals, tried crossing it over with nothing happening still. I put on a new starter a couple of weeks ago and there hadn't been any issues until a couple weeks ago when I tried taking it for a ride like originally stating. 

Could the kill switch have gone bad and is causing this issue? Could it be some chance be the starter since it's not an OEM? Could it be the rectifier going bad? 

Any ideas or help is greatly appreciated. I would love to get it fixed soon. I have some other maintenance I want to do on it and have it road ready in case I need it if weather were to get bad. Thanks in advance. I do appreciate all of y'all's help and advice.

 

[Mech]

It sounds like either a dead battery, bad connection somewhere, or no charging.

I'd check the charging first. If you charge the battery so it will be able to start the bike, then, before switching it on you put a volt gauge across the battery terminals, and it should read about 12.6  volts. If you push the starter then it should hopefully start up and if it does the voltage should start rising to about 13.6 volts within a minute or so. After some minutes and a bit of revving the voltage should regulate at about 14.7.

If the voltage rises at about that rate then it's charging and we can eliminate that as the problem. If you turn the headlights on the voltage should drop to about 13.6 volts till you switch the headlight off, when it should climb slowly to 14.7.

If though, when you push the start button, it doesn't start that first time, then it's either a dead battery or a bad connection (and perhaps not charging as well). So then you'd check the battery terminals and cables by doing a voltage drop test, along the positive and negative leads. If there is no voltage drop through the leads and terminals while the starter is operating, then it seems most likely to be a bad battery. You could confirm a new battery gets charged, and keeps the bike starting and running, by using a jumper pack or jumper leads off another battery in place of the bikes battery.

To do the voltage drop test you put a volt gauge clip onto a battery terminal, and the other clip to the start solenoids threaded post where the starter cable attaches, and it should show zero voltage, then, when you push the start button it should still read zero volts. If the volts go above about a half a volt when you press the start button then that cable or it's connections have a bad resistance which needs fixing.

Between the voltage drop test, and the substitute battery test, you should be able to ascertain whether the battery is at fault, or find the fault.

[Ajmboy]

I agree with @Mech sounds like maybe you have a battery issue. When you say kill switch, are you referring to the ignition key switch? If so, I would check into that a bit more since on/off you are getting power to the display. Also check your neutral safety switch. If not the battery, you probably have a bad/loose connection somewhere from the ignition switch to battery would be my guess.