my buddys got a 93 carb xl1200 it was having problems starting so we replaced the battery, worked for the first couple startups, then the starter went back to the click click click sound it did before, another rider told us the starter was shot, so 1, where can i find a 93 xl1200 starter cheap, 2, what else do you think may be wrong?

 

have you checked your battery voltage when the bike is running??? Just make sure it isn't a charging issue, you should read between 13-15 volts on the battery when the bike is running. Have you tried either starting the bike using a battery charger start boost, or simply jumping from another good battery after you started starts acting up??? From there if you check that the running voltage is fine, then check and clean as many wire connections as you can, from the battery, grounds, wire harness connectors, starter switch, ignition switch, to insure you don't have a poor electrical connection somewhere. Then for the starter itself, it is rebuildable, and a service manual will guide you through the rebuild, but replacement starters are not cheap, so i'd check the basics out first so you don't end up blowing a wad of cash and find out that the starter itself wasn't the problem.

 

Maybe the starter relay.

 

My sentiments exactly.

 

Hanks everyone ill try all of that tonight

 

hey one more question, how would i go about cleaning the male and female ends on the wire harnesses?

 

simplest cleaning method is to use electrical contact cleaner spray, and this will pretty much wash away dirt and grim on the terminals. The spray is available from any hardware, auto parts store or radioshack. My have to get a small brush or q-tip to help clean if the grim is heavy. I've also gotten in the habit of putting di-electric grease on all the harness connecters also after i've cleaned them to keep them clean and moisture free. And if you find any of the terminals is badly corroded...you can temporarily fix it by using a fine sandpaper to clean it off, although in some cases you may have to put new terminal connector on.

 

hey guys, took the starter off brought it to a starter shop guy said nothing wrong, cleaned it put it back together, first try to start it up, nothing but click click click any more ideas?

 

Do you have a meter to check the voltage in the battery? tell us what the voltage is in the battery. It might be you don't have enough in there to start. which will cause the click click sound. you might have to recharge the battery first then try and start. after that we need to know the voltage output with the bike running. also if you don't have a meter you can get one of them cheap. i bought one about 4 moths ago for $11 and some change and it works great.

 

Sounds to me like the Starter Relay. If you remove the seat, put your finger on the starter relay and you'll actually feel the clicking.

Try jump starting the bike, from the Pos. battery terminal to the solenoid. If it starts up, it's either the wiring or the relay.