Anyone ever heard of this?:

My bike won't start after a ride as short as 15 mi. Once I stop it doesn't start and sounds like a dead battery (clock also resets). After about 1 hr the bike will start fine, which tells me the battery isn't actually dead. This doesn't happen on short rides, so something may be heating up and malfunctioning? There are many posts talking about the regulator & stator. The dealer checked the stator & regulator, and they are fine. They said it's my battery. Would a battery cause this kind of behavior? It seems like maybe the battery is ok, but something is keeping the power from battery to start the engine (at least until the bike cools off). Any insight/experience to share? My bike is a 02 F4i with about 20k mi...

Thanks!

 

Bad battery maybe? Poor connection somewhere? Bad starter?

I'd start by getting my battery checked. Autozone, my friend.

Start simple then work your way to the less likely problems.

 

+1 to what Chuckbear said.

If you have any friends that ride an F4i, having them put their battery into your bike could help you diagnose it, but if not, then getting it tested at an auto parts store would be my first recommendation too.

Most auto parts stores won't charge you any money to test the battery.

Start there, then post some results so you can get some more replies.

 

share your pain Gdub.. i have the exact same problem on my 02 F4i.. i have replaced the stator,regulator,battery,starter and starter solenoid.. still have not figured out the problem..

 

I had a problem like this last year. The bike would only do it intermittently, it ended up being the regulator/rectifier.

 

i know that didnt work for me.. i replaced mine and it still has the same problem

 

I would always make the mistake of starting out with the harder problems and working back "when I was younger", but now it's easier foward. It was because it seemed to always be the last worse thing, you know, Broady, that's Murphys brother and we all know about Murphys Law! LMAO

It sounds like a heat-soaked starer motor. You said it happens after you ride it, even for a short ride, so the heat to that starter could cause issues with the brushes. Now IMHO, that would be the "start hard" way of lookin at it, thanks to Broady! The easy way would say just like everyone else and test the battery and connections.