Help - 08 cbr600rr won't start - battery issue?

**E. Honda** · 05-20-2011, 06:24 PM

I rode around town during the morning, just running errands, etc. and everything was fine. Washed the bike, after which it started fine and I drove it out of my underground parking garage. I turned it off, and dried it off a bit more outside. I walked into my place to grab some things and 2 min and when I came back out it wouldn't start.

It was making a loud clicking noise when I pushed the starter, but didn't sound like the engine was turning over at all. I tried to do a push start, but that didn't work. I also tried to get a boost from someone which also did nothing.

I would guess this is a battery issue, but why would the push start/boost have no effect? Does this mean I need a new battery? It's a 2008 so I wasn't expecting the life of the battery to be so short. Is it possible I disconnected something while cleaning? I checked all the connections and everything seemed fine as far as I could tell.

Help please.

**Brian P** · 05-20-2011, 08:30 PM

You didn't get excessive water into the ram-air intake, combined with a plugged airbox drain hose ... did you?

It's odd that it would run once, and then not afterward, but stranger things have happened.

Take the crankshaft end cover off and try turning the crankshaft with a socket. If it's locked up, that's why the starter motor cannot operate.

**Gryphon** · 05-20-2011, 10:03 PM

I would say it's spark, possibly water eventually penetrated wires etc. if it was cranking but not starting, but that clicking sure sounds like dead-battery starter-solenoid-click to me.
Should crank with a boost, though.
Like Brian says, LoL, it's all you can do at this point - there are a million reasons why your motor might not crank, but if it won't crank you're gonna need more than a new battery.
Could be something as simple as cam chain, or ?
But hopefully, with a known-good battery hooked up it will just crank.

I also tried to get a boost from someone which also did nothing.

Really? That's not a good sign actually...

**djltoronto** · 05-20-2011, 11:24 PM

Originally Posted by E. Honda

I also tried to get a boost from someone which also did nothing.

So with or without a boost, the same result? Just clicking?
Are you 100% sure the boosting battery was charged? Good cables? Good contact?

Hard to imaging you just getting a standard dead battery clicking without a boost, and then the exact same thing with a boost.

**oRRange600** · 05-20-2011, 11:28 PM

I had the same issue. My battery was done. Got a new one from Pete's Superbikes for $98 shipped....shipped in a day...and bike is awesome now. I've got an 08 Cbr 600rr as well. Good luck!

**Stewart** · 05-20-2011, 11:45 PM

if the bike wont start because of water it should have dryed out by now. get jumper cables and hook up to a car and your own battery still hooked up in your bike and try starting it..if the bike ran fine before there should be no reason to take off crank end covers to rotate the crankshaft, hook up a volt meter to check the voltage once the bike starts. the volt meter should show you if the bike is charging, you might have loose battery connections, the battery should be load tested.

**Phillymon** · 05-21-2011, 05:45 AM

Check the FI light. and play with the kill switch to make sure the FI light turns on.

Me and 2 other 07/08 600rr had trouble starting our bikes at random times. It would also die when we were stopped at a light. it turns out that the Engine Kill switch has some issues, the FI and HESD lights would not turn on when Kill switch is in off position and bike is turned on.

One of the 600rr's got the kill switch replaced and it works like a charm. I've yet to experience the problem again the last 4500km for the time being.

**E. Honda** · 05-21-2011, 09:49 PM

Thanks everyone for the responses.

The problem seems to be fixed, for the moment at least. I found out that canadian tire will check out your battery and charge it for free. So I pulled it out and took it there. They just charged it, but didn't really provide any explanation as to why it discharged fully in the first place. I put it back in the bike and it started up fine. Rode all day today and had no problems.

I suppose there must have been some problem with the cables or contacts or something during the boost. I got pretty nervous when that didn't work and thought it was something more serious than a dead battery. Hopefully it maintains the charge now. I'm guessing this may have had something to do with the fact that I didn't take out the battery over the winter and keep it charged.