Zongshen bad solenoid?

[IncitedTortoise]

Was a little unsure where to place this so I figured this was as good as anywhere else.

Anyway, after the raid we've experienced here lately the zongshen won't start. The next day it started and then it rained again. Lights are working fine and the engine sounds like its trying to turn over but wouldn't.

Now the engine doesn't sound like its trying to turn over at all and a clicking noise from near the battery goes off every time I try to start the bike. Is it a bad solenoid or battery? Does that explain the rain issue as well?

[MICRider]

Sounds like a dead battery... I would give it a trickle charge and see what it does. Perhaps the rain shorted something out? Chinabikes are notorious for poorly sealed electrics.

[IncitedTortoise]

Went on youtube and learned how to do a rolling start. Did that and it fired right up. So I'm thinking it may be time to replace the battery. How often do you need to do that on Chinabikes or motorcycles in general for that matter?

And are batteries somewhat standardized or am I going to have to order one from somewhere?

[MICRider]

Not too sure about the Zongshen bike batteries but the ones on my GIO ATV's didn't last long. I replaced em with the nearest Walmart alternatives. I would check the battery connections and give it a charge first just to make sure that it's not just a loose or corroded connection though.

[SpudRider]

Tortoise,

Since you own a Zongshen 200GS street bike, I moved your thread into the Street Forum. :)

I don't think the rain caused your problems. ;) I suspect you might have a bad CDI unit. These CDI units frequently fail intermittently at first, before they stop working altogether. ;)

My Zongshen 200GY2, dual sport motorcycle came equipped with a very good, Yuasa battery, which lasted for two years, and many miles. :) I suspect you drained your battery attempting to start your motorcycle, but the main problem might be something else. ;)

Spud :)

[Barnone]

And are batteries somewhat standardized or am I going to have to order one from somewhere?

Pull the battery and take it to Walmart and see if you can match it. Make sure it's the same size and the positive and negative posts are in the same location to avoid cable length problems. I've had good luck with Walmart batteries. Prepare the new battery according to the manufacturer's procedure.

Hard to predict how long a battery will last. Depends on a lot of factors.