HELP!!! my 2001 Baghira wont start :(

[Levi Nash]

Hi Guys,

Im in a bit of a panic. I've been using my baghira on and off every 2 - 3 days recently due to purchasing a new car. The last 2 times i got on it the starter button only worked when i twisted the handlebars to the right from the normal steering lock position. I got up this morning tried to start the bike with the electric starter and nothing happened in every position the handlebars were in. It cant be a flat battery becuase the bike dosent make a whining noise when pressing the button or even the crackly noise when the battery is really bad.

I wasnt in the mood by that point so i had a cup of tea and calmed down. Took it up the road and let it roll down the hill to bump start it. After a few attempts it started easily enough and ran as it should with no issues.

Does anyone have any idea what it might be. I need to be using the bike for a daily commute in a weeks time

Thanks in advance
Levi

[DAVID THOMPSON]

one of the first things that died on my rt125 was the starter relay
or you may have a weak battery
will send you a pm Sunday some time on how to check the relay

if it starts ok after running it a while its probably a weak battery
dave

[Levi Nash]

Thanks Dave,

Any help would be very much appreciated.

[Bill Jurgenson]

I'd say parr for the course with those MZs without a fairing. More probable than not, the wire from the starter button to the relay is simply broken in that part of the harness that gets flexed when the bars are turned. What you report about having to turn to one side to start points directly to that.
Take off the seat and shortcircuit the starter relay - the wire to the solenoid, not the two power connectors. In the MZs the solenoid gets +12v from the button, so connect that lead directly to the battery. This will show whether or not the relay is defect as well.
It may also be a wire from the kill switch or the relay it switches or the sidestand switch or the neutral switch...
Try the starter relay first. Measure if the 12v. does get to the connector of the relay.

on my first Skorpion Tourit was the starter button wire and it showed exactly as you describe and after only about a year.
I just connected a new wire between switch and relay, taping it to the outside of the harness.

[Levi Nash]

Hi Guys,

Phew i've fixed it. For once it was something very easy. Where the wiring to the starter button and kill switch was the wire had become very tight with no slack. Turning the handlebars had gradually made the wire tight which pulled it out of the switch. A quick mess about with the wire in different positions and hey presto it worked. I've now added a lot more slack to the cable and will keep an eye on it in future.

Thnaks for all your advice

Levi

[DAVID THOMPSON]

slack can be a problem
my rt125 had the rear turn signal wires routed in a manner
that had them so tight that you could have played a tune on them
and i hate plastic tie wraps people cinch them down so tight they can cut the wire loom
dave