Intermittent Beta electric starter problem or issues?

[betajuice]

a constant string of problems with my ktm starter motor eventually saw me get rid of the bike and swap to beta, in part due to the bulletproof nature of the starters - out of interest, it seems for 2017 ktm is finally buckling in to pressure about getting rid of that ridiculous two stroke starter design... woohoo.

good news? yes the beta starter motor is great. search around and you'll see talk of the occasional bendix issue, but these seem to be normal wear and tear instances. but there's a small number of cases where the beta starter occasionally won't work, then the frequency picks up over time. if this happens to your beta, in my experience it's very likely to be an issue in the wiring loom.

first case. within three months, a mate's RR300 has this problem. turning the handlebars one way increases the chances the starter will work. this leads the mechanic to the wiring loom under the fuel tank and he finds a loose connection. problem solved.

second case. my RR300 purchased a few months later. the mechanic thinks it will be the same problem, but it's a bit deeper in the wiring loom this time. i wish i'd got pics of this, but he said a clip that holds the wiring loom in place is missing... possibly not put on at the factory. it allowed muck to accumulate and increasingly corrode one of the connectors. cleaned and all fixed.

there is a guy in a another state here who said he had the same issue, haven't heard back so i assume he got it fixed. there's also a guy on this forum who reported starter issues with both a RR300 and Xtrainer so figured i would start this thread as it looks like the wiring loom is the first place to start looking.

if there are only half a dozen cases worldwide i wouldn't call it a known issue... possibly a new guy on the assembly line did a dodgy job with the wiring loom on his first few bikes. who knows? but just wanted to post this in case others have similar problems. if you ever have your tank off, i'd suggest make sure no wires are touching your frame at all, look for any signs of corrosion or mud collecting. easy fixes.

SOME BASIC CHECKS
is the battery fully charged?
are both terminals secure? few guys said the negative works loose sometimes.
has the positive terminal been rubbing on the bottom of the seat pan?
wire going to the starter motor secure?
tank off, check all connections in the wiring loom for corrosion, wear or looseness.
is moisture getting into the starter button, or is it corroded?
check the wiring harness where it flexes around the head stem of the frame.

some very basic diagnostics, use jumper leads from your car battery to your battery terminals first to see if it's just the battery
next jumper leads directly to the starter motor to make sure it's not the problem.
after that, it's the voltmeter and start digging deeper.
after that you are starting to look at the relay, the starter motor itself, testing the wiring loom etc.

[ossi]

Thanks and I have yet to take the tank off and still under warranty, I am thinking dealer should deal with it.
So two Beta's to my name and both had this same issue. Not to mention the float level ( both had the issue), why do the let this shit go to production
is beyond me.

[betajuice]

Thanks and I have yet to take the tank off and still under warranty, I am thinking dealer should deal with it.
So two Beta's to my name and both had this same issue. Not to mention the float level ( both had the issue), why do the let this shit go to production
is beyond me.

agreed, make it a warranty issue and at least in theory it should get back to the factory that there are at least six cases worldwide, probably more.

the float level thing is happening on every beta from what i hear, ridiculous if this continues after all the feedback they must have got. or possibly they don't even look at forums? my personal bugbear is the pointy sidestand sinking into soft ground.

but i don't think beta is any worse than other manufacturers out there in this regard.

[ossi]

I agree all new bikes have bugs, it is just a issue they downplay, ignore, or deny.

[NZMarkb]

Thanks and I have yet to take the tank off and still under warranty, I am thinking dealer should deal with it.
So two Beta's to my name and both had this same issue. Not to mention the float level ( both had the issue), why do the let this shit go to production
is beyond me.

Had my new 16 RE out twice now with no float level issues
When I first put it together I half expected it to leak all over the garage floor but to my surprise it was and still is all good
And so far the jetting has been fine

[ossi]

Thanks and I have yet to take the tank off and still under warranty, I am thinking dealer should deal with it.
So two Beta's to my name and both had this same issue. Not to mention the float level ( both had the issue), why do the let this shit go to production
is beyond me.

And so far the jetting has been fine

Seems a tad fat and that's a good thing.

[mistico]

Add me to the list of starter problem. 16 300RR RE

Took bike for first ride and it only cranked 3 times. Hopped on it for another ride, hit the button, and nothing. Battery is OK and starter cranks if I bypass the relay. It seems to be a problem between the starter button and the relay. I was out riding when it happened so I didn't remove tank to check connections there.

My dealer is about an hour away but they're pretty booked and I don't want to loose riding time, so I'm leaning towards troubleshooting at home first.

Yes, float level too high on mine too. I noticed when I got home I had some gas on the pickup bed.

[betajuice]

Add me to the list of starter problem. 16 300RR RE
Took bike for first ride and it only cranked 3 times. Hopped on it for another ride, hit the button, and nothing. Battery is OK and starter cranks if I bypass the relay. It seems to be a problem between the starter button and the relay. I was out riding when it happened so I didn't remove tank to check connections there....

i figured if there were three cases in australia there would have to be more, i did a very thorough online search on all sorts of forums but just assumed they hadn't been reported. i spoke to the australian distributor who said there were no other cases reported to him or his dealers so definitely looks like a rare issue.

but i hope it gets back to their head office so that a bit more quality control might happen on how the wiring the harness is secured during production. and the horn wires don't short out on the frame. and the seat base doesn't eventually wear through the positive battery terminal.

while we are on known issues i did do this vid a while back which has a list of the common probs and mods for the RR300: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YZ1nJxPY6M

[mistico]

After removing the tank and testing the switch I followed the harness towards the starter relay. There is an area underneath the tank where a few connectors are zip-tied together to the frame very tight. One of the connectors had the release tab squished against an edge of the frame and it was pushing down on the safety, causing the connector to separate a bit, just enough to loose contact. I cut the zip tie and put a new one in place on a different spot and not as tight.

I'm attaching three pictures. One how it was before cutting the zip-tie so you can see how it would cause the connector to pull apart enough to loose contact. Another picture with the connector a bit looser and finally one of the area where it is located in case someone else runs into the same problem.

Dealer also said they hadn't of these issues.

1.jpg (68.1 KiB) Viewed 19246 times

2.jpg (61.63 KiB) Viewed 19246 times

3.jpg (78.88 KiB) Viewed 19246 times

[NZMarkb]

Good find mate
I'll check mine
Thanks