1993 ST1100 not starting. I have video.

Joined
Sep 17, 2023
Messages
144
Location
Chicago
Bike
Royal Enfield INT650
He all,

I rode my bike last week and I think I got the gas really low in the tank. It didn’t start this morning and I just filled up a gallon, but no start still. I took a video of how it acts when starting. Battery should be good in my opinion. Oh, the oil light is on.

Video

Thanks,

Doron
 
1. Cranking just slowly enough for no/weak spark. Jump it.

2. Couldn't see the choke, so don't know what to advise.
Thanks. I tried with both choke on and off. If I jump it, and as far as I can tell, tue battery is ok, I trickle charge it, could this happen again?
Thanks.
 
I don't believe it is turning over fast enough to start.
Charge the battery and give it another whirl.
It might have eventually started if the battery held on.

I keep it trickle charged most of the time. The battery supposedly was fully charged before I tried to turn it on. Just a bit confused. Could this mean, battery might be dying?
 
that doesn't sound anything like a fully charged battery. If you have a multimeter, measure the voltage across the battery terminals when its cranking. It shouldn't drop much below 11.0v under cranking if its a good battery. High 10's might be OK, but anything less than that and the battery is the prime suspect. If the battery checks out OK the next thing to check is the starter relay to see if there's any significant voltage drop across it while cranking.
 
that doesn't sound anything like a fully charged battery. If you have a multimeter, measure the voltage across the battery terminals when its cranking. It shouldn't drop much below 11.0v under cranking if its a good battery. High 10's might be OK, but anything less than that and the battery is the prime suspect. If the battery checks out OK the next thing to check is the starter relay to see if there's any significant voltage drop across it while cranking.
Thanks. I will follow your recommendation. Might be time to replace the battery soon…
 
Batteries can fail by developing internal shorts. They will show a decent voltage when charged but just can't sustain much current when called on to start the engine. If the shorts are bad enough, even adding a jumper from a good battery won't help. I nearly convinced myself that my daughter's car had a dodgy starter solenoid as it just clicked on the installed battery and still did the same with a jump battery across the installed battery. A new battery magically fixed everything...

You could try using the jump battery again but this time pull your installed battery out of the loop (e.g. remove the ground terminal connection).
 
Batteries can fail by developing internal shorts. They will show a decent voltage when charged but just can't sustain much current when called on to start the engine. If the shorts are bad enough, even adding a jumper from a good battery won't help. I nearly convinced myself that my daughter's car had a dodgy starter solenoid as it just clicked on the installed battery and still did the same with a jump battery across the installed battery. A new battery magically fixed everything...

You could try using the jump battery again but this time pull your installed battery out of the loop (e.g. remove the ground terminal connection).
Been thinking that I might just buy a new battery. No clue how long since it was replaced anyway.
 
Batteries can fail by developing internal shorts.
Not to mention internal resistance (hence proportional voltage drop) of batteries under load...
Some models/types are notorious for such... a gel type in my GF's NT700 caused really hard start, required like 20~30 seconds cranking each time and you could hear the starter RPMs drop each revolution due the battery draining... threw a LiFePO4 at it and it cranks like a new bike, spinning two rotations and it fires... every time...
High and stable voltage keeps starter RPM up and ensures a clean spark...
 
This bike is a 93, the battery is run down after a long ride….I would also check the charging system. Has the alternator been upgraded in this bike? If it hasn’t, a new battery isn’t going to last long and you will still end up with the same issue.
Check the alternator, is there any evidence of oil drips under the bike where you parked it? If so the 28 amp alternator is on it’s way out.
 
You are lucky if it‘s just the battery (likely is) and you’re home in the garage. I had a battery quit while on a ride (just completely electrically flat…I was not too far from home so my neighbor came out with a new battery so I could get the bike home). As others have stated, even if on a charger, batts can develop internal shorts and you don’t want the battery quitting when you’re on the road. Assuming it’s the battery that came with the bike, you don’t know how old it is and sometimes they just don’t last that long (I had an AGM in my 94 and only got about 3.5 years out of it).
 
This bike is a 93, the battery is run down after a long ride….I would also check the charging system. Has the alternator been upgraded in this bike? If it hasn’t, a new battery isn’t going to last long and you will still end up with the same issue.
Check the alternator, is there any evidence of oil drips under the bike where you parked it? If so the 28 amp alternator is on it’s way out.
I have not checked which alternator that is yet. I don’t think there are oil drips, but I’ll check.
 
You are lucky if it‘s just the battery (likely is) and you’re home in the garage. I had a battery quit while on a ride (just completely electrically flat…I was not too far from home so my neighbor came out with a new battery so I could get the bike home). As others have stated, even if on a charger, batts can develop internal shorts and you don’t want the battery quitting when you’re on the road. Assuming it’s the battery that came with the bike, you don’t know how old it is and sometimes they just don’t last that long (I had an AGM in my 94 and only got about 3.5 years out of it).
Thanks. I was lucky as I returned last week from a trip I took to adjacent state. I can imagine how much of headache that is if stuck on the road. I’m looking Yuasa YTX14-BS AGM battery.
 
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