Starter button

[Dapper 14]

Hi All, I've had my bike stored for 7 years and decided to put it back together this weekend.
All went well except that it wouldn't start off the button, so I hotwired the starter motor with another battery and jump leads which got it running beautifully.
I've tested the starter button and power comes in and goes out when pushed but it won't turn the engine over, not even a click in the starter relay.
Now since doing that test the relay in the rubber sleeve below it has gone into over drive and just clicks on and off really fast, almost like a rattle. Now the neutral light wont come on and I can't start it anymore.
Has anyone got any pointers for me? Do I need to replace a relay? The lights and indicators still work and all the fuses are good. Help!!

[Hooli]

Charge/change the battery before anything else. A quick check is use the other battery you started the bike with as a jumppack to the bike's battery & see if everything works then.

A flickering relay is a classic sign of a lack of power, when the electromagnet energises the relay works but there isn't enough power in the system to keep it engaged along with the circuit it powers so it drops out again.

Then check the earths, the big one on the back of the engine, the pointless spade connector under the RH side cover & the others I can't remember where they are.

[Hooli]

Oh yeah & a quick intro in the intro section keeps the long term grumpy members happy, as I see it's your first post.

[hard road]

+1 on the battery. a fully charged battery should read 12.6-12.7 Volts. saying that it doesn't always mean the battery is good. treat it to a new one   

[Hooli]

Most shops can do a 'drop test' on batteries these days, to prove it's failed. It applies a high ampage load (like starting the engine) and checks if the volts stay up.

I've got a chinese battery test that does the same thing, hardly used it but it's handy to confirm what I already know.

[Dapper 14]

I charged the battery overnight and that cured the relay rattle.
I still can't start it off the button but it does jump start.
Maybe the starter relay is stuffed.
Thanks for the advice, I'll keep tinkering and hopefully fix it.

[Speedy1959]

That still indicates a battery to me..
You CANNOT just go off Battery voltage!!
If your bike starts fine whilst being attached to another battery (Jump started) then its your Bikes Battery that is ferked !

[Hooli]

What Speedy said.

Most places that sell batteries can drop test them in my experience, that'd be my next step to confirm the battery is duff. They often fail so they've got normal volts but sod all CCA.

Assuming you're jumping with the second batt connected to the bike batt then that proves all the rest of the bike works fine.

[mlivkovich]

When my battery died (literally overnight) I couldn't start the bike even with car battery jump wired. Tester indicated over 12v but it didn't want to start. Try new battery just to save you time and nerves