So the RR took a dump on my 96 900RR. I put a new battery in and have the RR unplugged. My question is this, I have lights/signals and so on with the ignition key turned on, when I hit the engine start button, I hear the starter relay click, but the starter won't turn over or attempt to crank the engine. This is with the RR UNPLUGGED. So my question pertains to the electrical loop. Does the RR need to be plugged in to continue the loop in order for the starter to get current to turn it over?

I can jump the starter direct to battery and it turns over fine, but won't turn over from the start button with the RR unplugged. Again, I can hear the starter relay click when pusing the button but it won't turn the starter.

I ordered the new RR today so I am hoping that when I plug in the good one, it will complete the loop/circuit and turn the starter. Am I correct in this thinking?

 

I'm pretty sure that's how it goes, sounds just like what mine was doing before I replaced the RR. Get the new RR hooked up and all should work fine. Get a multimeter and check the charge going to the battery once it's completed too, should be 13-14V when running, and around 12V at the battery when off

 

Thanks for the reply. Thats what I was pretty much figuring, since essentially it is a open loop right now with the RR unplugged. It would make sense that the starter wouldn't get the power from the battery to kick it over without the RR plugged in.

I did test the stator last night and it should be charging just fine.....as soon as my RR arrives at my doorstep.

One of the wires on the RR at the connection point was nice and crispy/melted/charred.

 

RR came in today, it is all wired up. Now my problem is that I still have no starter engagement when hitting the start button. I hear a click from one of the three relays located in the back, however I do not hear a click at the starter relay where the 30a main fuse is located. I do believe that this is the starter relay. Correct me if I am wrong.

I will attempt to jump the starter relay this evening and see if that works. If so then I'll be buying a new relay tomorrow first thing. If it doesn't work then I guess my next step is to bypass the side stand switch for a day and see if that is causing me to not get a start.

 

I'm pretty sure there is a way to use a multimeter to test a relay, if you have one. I'm not sure on what the setting/readouts should be, it's been awhile since I tested one but you might want to look into that before buying a new relay.
Check all the fuses too, if you haven't already.

 

To respond to your original question: I looked at the service manual, and it shows your starter being connected directly to the battery, so no, you don't need the R/R to start the bike. Your current problem is most likely that your battery is dead from running the bike with a burnt R/R. It is also potentially fried, as a bad R/R can send improper voltage back to the battery and kill it dead (render it unchargable). If charging the battery doesn't fix your problem, replace it.

Also, if you bought a Honda OEM R/R, you may wanna sell it off and put in a better one from another bike. The Honda ones are crap, as you've found. Like "Why the hell wasn't there a recall" crap.

 

Yeah the battery is new, took it out of one of my jet skiis for testing purposes on the bike. The main positive wire from the starter goes to the starter relay which in turn goes through the relay then on to the battery, so if that is bad, then it's not letting the current pass through the relay to the starter (stuck open) not completing the loop. I am going to bypass the starter relay switch tonight just to get it running since the relay takes 5 to 7 business days to come in.

The RR is a aftermarket one, much better design than the oem.

 

I don't get it. If you're hearing the click, that means the relay is working. It sounds like it's your starter that's bad.

 

Ok to sum it up, I went to the stealership today to have them test the relay. There are (2). One is located at the main 30a fuse junction. Thats the starter relay switch. That provides the power from the battery to the starter and also powers the coils. This is the one I jumpered so I could get power to the starter. Problem is I have no spark. Therefore the copper coils inside this relay are shot and not letting the actual ignition coils get power.

There is also another relay they call the starter relay. This is located in the bumdle with the turn signal relay and so on. That one works fine as you hear the click when you hit the start button. However there is no power going from the battery to the starter, bringing me back to the Starter Relay Switch/30a main fuse block.

Starter Relay Switch price - $88
Starter Relay price - $36

 

Just a update. So after replacing the R/R ($150) and the Starter Relay Switch($94) (relay with the main 30a fuse on it) it still wouldn't turn over. I got fed up and started going through every wire on the entire harness and checking every single connector and all other switches related to the ignition system for continuity. Everything checked out fine....well lets just say that I was just ready to beat it with a hammer until I remembered reading on the forums that someone just tapped on one of their relays and their bike started. For craps and giggles I figured I'd give that a try. Tapped on all the relay's in the harness and then tapped on the CDI a few times. I figured what the heck, may as well try the start button. Hit the start button and vroom...it fired right up and ran for a few seconds, just enough to burn out the gas that was in the carbs. At this point, not expecting that to happen, I got scared. LOL. Headed inside and grabbed a beer (first one of the night).lol. Now I am in the middle of putting it all back together. I even keep hitting the start button just to make sure it is still working every few minutes.