aftermarket starter solenoids

[Walter Walker]

bought a used vmax last year, in barely running condition; ended up having to tow it to my house as the throttle cable snapped out of the holders.

starter would barely turn, so i replaced the solenoid with a $8 Chinese piece as the oem is like $80.
solenoid worked for awhile then started sticking after a week.

bought another Chinese solenoid from a different brand, ended up being the same exact one, started sticking after a day.

had to replace the starter since it got burned out from running constantly.

then went on dbelectrical to buy a "real" solenoid, paid $20 bucks for the same Chinese crap.

verified solenoid was sticking because it was trying to start even with the signal wire disconnected and the key out.
already checked the starter wire to make sure there's no arcing anywhere.

has anyone had bad luck with the starter solenoid?
or is there something I'm missing.
i was contemplating rigging a relay but i think the amps would just melt it after awhile.

got an oem one on the way already at this point tho, but three bad solenoids seems unlikely.

 

[Fire-medic]

I would wonder about the health of the starter.

A dragging, defective starter could be drawing excessive current through the points, causing them to weld-together.

An ammeter would show the amount of draw.

 

[Walter Walker]

I would wonder about the health of the starter.

A dragging, defective starter could be drawing excessive current through the points, causing them to weld-together.

An ammeter would show the amount of draw.

ive already replaced the starter, maybe ill check the resistance on the starter wire when i get the chance.

 

[Fire-medic]

ive already replaced the starter, maybe ill check the resistance on the starter wire when i get the chance.

Was it a 'known-good' starter swapped-in? New, or used? What was the issue with the one in the bike?

 

[Walter Walker]

Replaced with aftermarket new, the old one was burned out from constantly running from the stuck solenoid.

 

[desert_max]

Make sure that your hot connection through the solenoid to the starter is solid. Also ensure that the ground cable onto the engine is clean and secure.

Beyond that, I would stay far, far away from the cheap Chinese solenoids. They are nothing but trouble. You would think after so much time on the American market, the quality would have improved, but I have yet to see it. The battlefield is littered with dead starters and melted wiring due to those pieces of crap. Splurge and either by the OEM unit, or put one from a Fiat, Ford or garden tractor in there. Pretty much anything that’ll fit and originally was intended to spin a starter motor will work.

 

[Walter Walker]

Make sure that your hot connection through the solenoid to the starter is solid. Also ensure that the ground cable onto the engine is clean and secure.

Beyond that, I would stay far, far away from the cheap Chinese solenoids. They are nothing but trouble. You would think after so much time on the American market, the quality would have improved, but I have yet to see it. The battlefield is littered with dead starters and melted wiring due to those pieces of crap. Splurge and either by the OEM unit, or put one from a Fiat, Ford or garden tractor in there. Pretty much anything that’ll fit and originally was intended to spin a starter motor will work.

I tried using a universal starter solenoid, for whatever reason it would not turn the starter, the signal wire wouldn't activate the solenoid so I tried using a relay with battery power, and it wouldn't work still, just gonna have to wait on the OEM solenoid for now I guess

 

[user 16790]

have you checked the battery

 

[Walter Walker]

4/07/20 update
replaced starter solenoid with an oem unit.
has been working great the past couple days.
i guess chinese and db electrical units are crap.