Hey guys, first post here. I recently bought an 88' cbr 600 of craigslist as a project bike. I have been trying to figure out whats going on with this starter, and was hoping to get some help. So when I turn the bike on and press the starter and the solenoid clicks, (so the switch inside is working, I assume). So I then check the starter motor, when I pull it off and hook it up to a 12v battery it scared the **** out of me as it spun to life in my hand. (So the starter motor works?) I then hook up the starter motor back to its wiring on the bike but leave it not attached to the motor, and when I press the starter switch the motor spins! So I put the starter back on the bike, attached to the engine and press the starter and once again the solenoid just clicks when I press start.... I have never seen this happen before... What the hell is going on??

 

Are you doing the testing with a fully charged battery? That would explain why the starter wont work with a load on it.

 

does the engine turn over by hand?

put it up on a rear stand, put it in gear, and see if you can roll it over.
or... try bump starting it if its in a condition to do so.

 

The battery is brand new, they tested it at the shop and its got plenty of juice. I dont have a stand but I tried turning the wheel with my hands and couldn't get it to move, I cant bump start it at the moment, the clutch doesn't work %100. But I have another clue for you guys and its kind of odd, when you press the starter button the solenoid clicks regardless if the kill switch is on Off or On. I found that odd, maybe the previous owners disabled it? ( I wont be able to try and bump start yet but in the meantime do you think I should put a few drops of oils down each cylinder so it can try to loosen them up?

 

you really need to get the engine to turn over. if its seized, everything else is pointless until that is addressed.

 

Try going over the contacts from the battery to the starter relay and using a wire brush or some steel wool to break down some corrosion. Same thing was happening to me .

 

Thanks guys, I will try both things you guys mentioned and let you know how it goes.