Hey folks, newbie Guzzi owner having picked up my 2010 V7 Classic only two weeks and less than 200 miles ago.
Been loving everything about it but got stranded following a starting issue and had to push the bike home last time out.
The bike hasn’t done a lot of miles in the last year under the previous owner, (has a total of 22K on the clock), but always started, following what to me seemed the ‘normal Guzzi slow turnover before firing’.
I’d ridden a couple of miles, stopped to pop in a shop and jumped back on the now warm bike five mins later.
Thumbing the starter only prompted the clicking sounds from solenoid/starter motor and under the seat.
I did manage to bump it into life but it ran as rough as a badger before stopping again half a mile later and refusing to then fire.
Having pushed it home I put my smart charger on the battery and left it overnight.
Tested in the morning it once again refused to do anything other than make the ticking sounds.
Having been away all week for work I returned to it today to test the ‘usual suspects’ and pull/refit all connectors etc.
Again no more than ticking before the battery was too weak.
Tried jumping it from my Vstrom (from which I’ve started cars in the past), no joy, tried starting it from the car, again, no more than the ticking noises. So pulled the starter motor off, and this seems to spin happily, refitted and although it tried to turn over it just wouldn’t crank motor than what seemed half a revolution before returning to the clicking state.
Any/all suggestions/advice much appreciated as I’m scratching ma head a bit right now.
I have my battery on charge again and will try again once fully juiced up (though if the car won’t turn it over with the engine running and the jump leads starting to cook… who knows.??)
Cheers, Mick
get a different battery, if it isnt a gel battery and its been left discharged too long it won’t recover.
I’ve recently tried reviving two of my bike batteries after them being left over the winter using a long slow trickle charge, one is holding a charge and the other is deader than elvis and needs replaced.
Wot SId said, get a decent battery, and when not using it keep it on a charger
plus do the wiring mod for the starting circuit as well, there is some weirdness and the supply voltage drops to the starter motor, so you wire in a clean supply via a fuse, did that to my Breva and never had the click click problem
those Valeo starters are the work of the devil, fitted to both of my daughters French cars, never give a moments trouble, but they sit under and behind the exhaust and under a bonnet
always worth popping the round black cover of the starter and checking for corrosion as its not waterproofed
plus making sure the piston is free to move in the starter, coat it in Graphite and remove and corrosion
I have had my Breva 22 years, first production run
5 new starters in that time !!! and I am a sparks by trade, last one was a HD one supplied and fitted in Italy, but the magic escaped from it it so I fitted a new one
PS sent you a PM with a link for the mod
I think the later machines with Canbus avoid this problem
Thanks folks, and yes the battery may well need replacement, but why won’t it start when connected to my Vstrom battery, or even that of my car.?
The car battery happily starts a big diesel lump.
I also added a chunky bypass wire to directly supply power to the relay, that seemed to make minimal difference.
As mentioned, the starter does spin, and the piston moves freely, so I’m guessing there’s electrickery getting to, but not sufficiently ‘through’ the solenoid.
On the plus side, I’m learning more about my bike, and have cleaned/checked stuff that’s probably not been touched since it left Mandelo 
P.S thanks for the PM Raphael, good info there 
Cheers, Mick
its a horrible thing that starter but also very clever, its geared down to save energy and improve starting, however the starter works thus
applying a small current to the terminal, it energises the coil inside, and causes ( in most cases) the piston to move forward, this engages the drive gear, and the contactor to energise the motor, however any corrosion on the piston, and its no go, also they motor brushes at the back are prone to corrosion, I always smear silicon grease on the outside as I assemble them
early ones had a problem with the windings coming unglued, but that should be sorted by now
one the back of the solenoid you have two big wires, once coming from the battery and one to earth I think
also worth checking is the fuseholder assembly on the side of the battery, if its the same as the Breva ( likely) there are tow red fuses in a rubber clip, one of these supplies the battery, if some one has been trying to start the machine with low battery, low volts = higher amps and it melts the fuseholder, also the cable to the starter motor can melt and lose its current carrying capacity
on my machine I have had to replace the fuseholder and local wiring a few times, when I had started it repeatedly with a knackered battery, my fault, the connector for the optimate had corroded, and i purchased a replacement but promptly lost it typical electrician
and a moron of the first order ( my brother got the brains and the looks !!)
if you need a new fuseholder, I bulk purchased them and can post you a new one
Thanks again.
I charged my battery and am getting 12.8, slightly more than the 12.4 of my Vstrom, but it does nothing other than lighting the instrument/head lights, thumbing the start does not prompt any clicking, connecting jump leads to my Vstrom does so will source another.
In the meantime I shall continue to dig and will update.
12.8v is fully charged, if its maintaining that voltage off the charger for a few hours the battery is ok.
Try holding a wire onto the small spade connector on top of the solenoid and touching the other end onto the battery +ve terminal. That should get it turning over.
Check your battery earth connections to make sure both ends are clean and tight.
check the positive supply cable and the red fuse in the holder, it may well have blown, or even burnt the cable through one terminal should go to earth the other should have s strong positive supply
Thanks all.
Currently when I turn on the ignition I’m getting clicking from a relay under the seat, as there’s two identical ones there I swapped them, again the second relay connected to the same connector started clicking.
When thumbing the starter button I can hear a new faint click from the ‘normal’ start relay (the one with connectors 30, 85, 86, 87 and on mine there’s also an 87a), but that’s all.
I will re-check the battery and try those steps you suggested , well I will tomorrow, I’m off to the pub now to… er… ‘concentrate’.
A bit miffed I’ve not yet sorted it as the local branch had a meet today and there was also an Italian owners do at East Kirkby Air Museum…
Reckon I must be jinxed re that event, last time I went on my DT175MX and it broke down on the way home.!
Still no joy with my V7…
Checking the battery this morning it still has over 12.5v despite my multiple start attempts so I’m happy that’s not the issue.
Still, turning on the ignition results in a clicking from one of the two identical relays beneath the seat. Interestingly flicking the Kill Switch to off, or selecting a gear stops the clicking, so I think that proves each of those interlocks to be working as they’re supposed to (I need to re-check the side stand one). Removing the starter from the bike was also interesting, on pressing the start button it’s clearly getting power to the coil as the gear moved happily into position to apply drive, the shift was clean and the gear moved smoothly, however, this only seems to happen once, releasing the button the gear moved back into its normal position, but re-pressing the button did not make it move into a drive position again. Getting the gear to move could only be repeated later, (after a few turn offs at the ignition or disconnecting the battery I think), upon which it once again move into the drive position and reverted to its normal state, but again would only do so once.
Clearly I’ve more investigating to do.
the chemo is affecting my brain, but I think their is some weirdness whereby current flows through the coil to earth via the case, I cant recall exactly how, but it may need a multiple earth path, some sort of inbuilt design that prevents it locking in place, if not buy a cheap replacement starter motor, thats what I ended up doing, also change the fixings to allen bolts, makes it easier to remove
you also need to ensure that these little things are holding the brushes correctly
the current runs through them to earth
this was the fuseholder that got toasted on my bike
You say one of the relays is clicking when you turn the ignition on? That certainly isn’t right. Lookin at the wiring diagram, I would imagine that the two relays are 36 Start up relay and 37 Light logic relay.
Here’s a link to the wiring diagram.
Thanks again, and you’re spot on re the bolts, top one - piece of pisch to access, bottom one - eh.! Had me digging a bit to find something suitable, Mr Guzzi clearly likes to ‘entertain’ owners…
i use those fancy ball ended allen keys as well, one thing to watch for, you can get a heavy duty starter motor, but the brute is about 14mm longer, and on my breva, I had to remove the footrest mountings
here is a picture of the standard one and the heavy duty one side by side
I think the replacement one was about 60 quid plus postage,
That is a very useful link, thanks very much
Well, rather than finding any solution, I seem to be encountering more questions…
At the moment, with my battery showing 12.45V (and seemingly holding a charge happily overnight) turning the ignition switch is accompanied by clicking from the four wire relay (the one with the following connections - orange/green x2 wires in one, black/white x2wires in one, single purple/black and single red/brown, which I believe is the Secondary Injection Relay, #12 in the wiring diagram link kindly supplied by Don) , flicking the Kill Switch to Off stops the clicking.
I can feel discernible clicks when pulling in the clutch lever and also if moving the side stand down with the bike in gear, so I’m confident they’re behaving correctly. I’ve had the Start Button and Kill Swith apart, cleaned and continuity tested with my meter, again, both appearing to function as designed.
I removed the starter again, and whereas before the gear would move on the shaft when earthed and power connected to the spade connected, this would no longer do so, and neither would the motor now spin, it previously did both. I’ve dismantled and cleaned the starter. Including the brushes (that’s fun putting them back together.!) there was no obvious damage or problematic wear (to my untrained eyes), but still, when connected to power the gear does not move or the motor spin.( I’ll take it to a local specialist and get them to check my work just in case).
The only ‘usual suspect’ I’ve not looked at is the ignition switch, I’ll address that next but would welcome your thoughts folks.
Clearly I need a starter motor that spins, but that aside, it doesn’t explain why the bike ran like a bag ‘o sh!te after I bump started it.
I’m definitely running out of ideas (other than the ignition switch), anyone able to recommend a good Guzzi mechanic in the N.Lincs area…? (or at least somewhere reasonable close for when I finally throw in the towel 
).
Its really testing you isnt it, its a pity I am not very mobile or I would ride up and work my magic
it sounds like a faulty starter motor, my last one did exactly the same, and with all my skills at keeping the smoke in, I was unable to sort it
so I bought a new one and it worked first time, did you check the the fuseholder by the battery was not burnt out ?
Thanks again, and yes, if I had hair I’d likely be pulling it out by now 
Fuse holder looks undamaged, taking the starter to a local specialist next week, he’s got a good reputation (and is a motorcyclist).
The relay continues to click even with the starter removed, is that normal.?
I assumed it’d only click due to an intermittent signal or lack of power.?
I’ll dig through to take a look at the condition of the ignition switch while I’m doing nowt this weekend, see if I can remove that from the list of potential causes too.
As I said… I’ll look at it as a ‘learning opportunity’