Hi All,
I have just got hold of a BMW k1100lt Trike (Ex Police bike) which will not start. the lights all work other then indicators which will not turn off once turned on. (happens to both). Starter motor spins and Fuel pump kicks in when the starter is pressed, but machine does not fire up. Battery is showing 12.78 volts. Where should i be looking i am thinking it could be the sprang cluch but looking for other options before going there.
Also i have a heavy duty wire coming off the engine housing that does not go anywhere, any clue ?
i tried to add photo but could not do it. the wire comes from the Bolt that holds the engine to frame on the left side (spark plug side). its the forward bolt just behind the radiator. hope thats enough info. thanks

JWh01,

Because the transformation from a 2 wheels to a trike, it could be very difficult to know where this wire is going. I would think that this is a ground, but...
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Thanks crazy frog. any idea about the starting problem too.

I would think that this is the replacement for the ground wire going from the battery to the gear box.
What kind of connection do you have at the end of this wire?
The ground is very important on these bikes. This wire is the first issue to be dealt with.

it goes in the direction of the arrow to where the tax disk is. but does not connect to anything at that end. Just laying their. it could reach the starter motor. not sure if it would reach battery as its on other side of trike

John

the starter, abs, battery have been removed in that pic

It looks like to be a ground wire.
Where is the ground from the battery going?

That goes to the starter motor. one of the two bolts that hold it in. you can see it in the photo laying on the clutch box with red tape around it. (just below where starter motor would be.

No, impossible! the wire with the red tape cannot be the ground if it's attached to the starter. This wire must be going to the starter relay (under the gas tank).
Please follow the wire (with the red tape) and report where is the end point.

That is where it was connected the other end went to the negitive on the battery.

The wire from the negative of the battery is going to the leg of the starter.
The wire from the starter relay goes to the the top of the starter.
The big wire from the front of the engine must go where the original ground was going (on the side of the gear box) or maybe on the other leg of the starter.
This wire connection is not essential, but it's great to have it as an extra ground. The ground is very critical on these bikes.

thanks mate i will gound the other end at some point will ground it to the other leg of the starter. any ideas around why she may not be firing up.

as one end was ground to engine i could not think what it sould be grounding

[quote="jStarter motor spins and Fuel pump kicks in when the starter is pressed, but machine does not fire up[/quote]

Is the engine turning or is the starter just spinning freely?

Crazy Frog wrote:The wire from the negative of the battery is going to the leg of the starter.

Ok I didn´t know that!
Thanks
JAP

This is only on his bike (modified as a trike).
Yours is going to the side of the transmission.

Good, I was on my way to change it.
Thanks
JAP

I think the starter is spinning freely. not sure how i would know if its turning the engine unless you can give me a heads up on some way of checking.

Is the engine turning over? You said the starter runs but not if the engine turns over. If it does turn over forget the sprag clutch that is fine, since having a faulty sprag clutch means no engine turn over, the starter just whirs.

So have you gone through the step by step troubleshooting guide?
Do that and let us know what you find.
Regards,
K-BIKE

Hi K-Bike
The starter just whirs as far as i can tell. Is the Step by step troubleshooting guide part of the forum, in a book. I have looked about the forum but cant see anything named this way.
Thanks John

Click here to see the EFI troubleshooting page.

A lot of information are in the download section too. (click the home button on the top menu, then scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the download section).

Thanks for the info I will run throgh the guide over the weekend. looked at download section crazy frog lots of good stuff usefull when i have found the problem and need the fix. Happy days that i find the problem lol.

Thanks john.

If there is just a high pitch spinning sound when trying to start and no discernable "shaking" or exhaust "puffs" while pushing the starter, its your sprag clutch...needs cleaning, de-gumming....

Yes,
If the starter motor just spins without actually engaging and turning the engine, then it will be your sprag clutch gummed up. Easy way is to flush it by changing your oil to sythetic or use flushing oil and give it a good run. I had the same problem with one of my bikes (bought cheap for that reason). I bump started mine and gave it a hot run. solved it OK and running fine since.
Can't you get a tow to start the trike?
Ajays

mate you have probably solved the problem by now but just in case
do the lights go dim on the instrument cluster when you press the starter button?
if so then you need to clean the contacts on your ignition barrell and this should solve your problem
if not then grab a test light and check all of your circuits