Clutch in, Lights on, push button and no starter

[ha3482]

Hey everyone,

So sorry for the wall of text.

So first off somewhat new to bikes. I have a 2001 Katana 750 and it does not start. I just rode it say 2 weeks ago and shut it down with some fuel stabilizer for winter. Yesterday was a nice day so decided to take it out. So my carbs need to be cleaned but i went to go start it, Switch on, Clutch in, Red switch ON, Kickstand Down, Neutral, Hit the start button and it comes on and then dies after like 3 secs (expected). No problem takes a try or 2 to get it up. Go to do it again and this time nothing happens. No click of the starter or anything. Think battery is down i am connected to a car but still that should still be me some starter noise even if its not enough to start the bike. Still nothing.

SO i know my clutch is getting loose so i decide ok maybe now is the time to tighten it. I tighten it following the steps in the Katana manual posted on the forums on the clutch tightening section and still nothing. Thinking its not enough, i tighten it more then enough and still nothing. I get on the bike, put it in gear, pull the clutch and move the bike forward and where the gear would stop you if the clutch is Not pulled i get this resistance, this sluggish feeling like its still engaged but not completely. So i let go of the clutch and move it and it stops like it normally would. So I think maybe the clutch is still loose and i need to tighten it even more. Tighten it more and now i don't even have to pull in the clutch (as in its so tight its always engaged) and i get the sluggish resistance. So i loosed it to the way the manual said again (once u feel resistance back the screw off 1/4 etc) and so its back to where it should be but still getting the sluggish resistance when the clutch lever is pulled and the start does not come on. Engine Oil might have 500 miles on it roughly.

Tried with Kickstand up and down but in the past turns on in neutral with the kickstand down no problem. Bought it used from someone so not sure how it is by default/stock.

So not sure what it might be. Thinking maybe its the clutch sticking but not sure??

Thank you in advance guys and very sorry for the wall of text. Wanted to give as much info as possible.

Humza

[shpielers]

"no click of the starter or anything"
Probably not the clutch. Usually that type of thing ends up being more of an electrical issue. (btw welcome aboard) you said the battery was hooked up to a car battery. For how long and how much did you crank it? Lead acid batteries that get too low tend to just die. Getting it load tested would be your best bet. (If you need to replace it, go with either a gel battery or lithium iron, they can sit all winter without charging and be good to go in the spring).
Other things to check: voltage at the coils while the starter is engaged. Needs to be 11v+. If it's not, look up coil relay mod as a temp fix (multimeter to every connection and repair when you find the voltage drop(s) is the long term solution)
Clutch safety switch plugged in? Someone else last week did a clutch adjustment, unplugged this, and forgot to plug it in.
Side stand safety switch: plugged in?
With both switches you can temporarily jump them so see of they are the issue.
Break out the multimeter. Getting proper current at the kill switch? That's been a problem for peeps before.

Long story short, if the starter isn't cranking it's likely electrical.

[B-Man]

Everything you stated about how it just quit working points to two things - a battery that needs replaced and/or dirty/poor connections between the battery and the bike.

[ha3482]

Thank you very much for the replies Shpielers and B-Man!!!

That definitely sounds correct I will give it a shot and report back. Sadly I have to wait since I am out of town and wont be back till January . I Really hope it is the battery and or poor connection.

What about the Clutch thing? The resistance/sluggish I feel while the clutch is pulled in. It could be my imagination that there is something wrong and its probably perfectly fine lol. What do you guys think?

Thank You very much guys for all your help and suggestions!
-Humza

[Kreylyn]

Battery issues would cause hard starts.

Using external power sources to off set the battery can sometimes result in tripped breaker or blown fuses. There is a fuse separate from the the main block at the starter solenoid.

There are saftey switches associated with starting in/out of gear. The clutch switch, the side stand switch, and neutral selection puck all work together with a relay to prevent the bike from running/starting in gear with the kick stand down and other things like that. Sometimes there can be an issue there that will cause no start issues.

The clutch is a wet clutch. That means the plates are sitting in/soaked with the motor oil. Motor oil, especially when cold, has a viscosity that will cause "drag" to occur on the plates even when the clutch is fully pulled in. It's normal for a cold bike to have some "drag" due to this.

I'm not saying the clutch is adjusted correctly and it's not a problem, but even when it is... there is still some drag especially when cold. From your description, I might suggest you re-investigate the process your using for the adjustment to ensure your confident it's being done correctly.

Krey

[ha3482]

Thank you for the response Kreylyn and everyone else!

So this is all the things i have done/tried:

1)Got new battery
2)adjusted clutch (very tightly and normally and am confident in it now )
3)checked the 30 Amp fuse on the left side of the bike and it was fine. Could the solenoid be bad? Read that touching the two leads can kick on the starter, is that worth a try?

4)kickstand is up and made sure the button is fully pressed
5)In neutral
6) Clutch in, push red start button and sadly still nothing happens. Not even the starter ticking.

Even drained the oil (was dirty so it needed draining) to see if i get a difference in the clutch, was the same and the tire was still not spinning freely as it used to be i believe. Will fill oil back up.

So not sure what else it could be or how to go about checking it.

Thanks again for all your guys help on this!!
-Humza

[Kreylyn]

3)checked the 30 Amp fuse on the left side of the bike and it was fine. Could the solenoid be bad? Read that touching the two leads can kick on the starter, is that worth a try?

Yes, worth a try. That will a least narrow out the starter having issues.

Could also be a clutch perch switch issue. Check to make sure the leads are properly plugged in. You can also bypass the by putting a jumper on the plug at the bar to see if it's the switch.

Krey

[mxkaos]

I had a similar issue not too long ago, I just bypassed the switch and she fired straight up.

[ha3482]

Thank you Very much Kreylyn and mxkaos!!

At work atm but will try it when i get off! Will try the short first while pulling in the clutch lever.

If nothing then i guess will short the clutch plug together and retry.

Will report back!

Thank you very much guys for the help!!
-Humza

[ha3482]

IT'S ALIIIIVVVEEE!!!

So it was the clutch switch on the lever.

I first bypassed the solenoid and shorted the two cables together and the started kicked on so was like ok but bike was still not turning on. Tried the button again and nothing happened. So i unplugged the connector that goes to the clutch lever and shorted it like u guys said and hit the button and it worked! So I need a new clutch lever kit which i have from a kit that i purchased a while back because i just wanted the lever itself. So will have to do that swap.

Thank you very very much from all 4 of you!!!! Could not have done it without u guys!! So happy its alive before it starts getting worm again!

Thank you
-Humza