Starter can be activated when the engine is runnin

[beemer]

I pressed the starter button by mistake when the engine was running,i thought this shoudn't happen?do you think it's the relay?info please,thankyou,J.

[nhmaf]

Umm, are you meaning the relay in your head that is supposed to tell you not to try to restart your car/bike ?
 

The relay, a diode, and the clutch & neutral switches are there to prevent the starter motor from running
when the driveline is connected to the crankshaft so that you don't press the starter button and launch the bike
out from under you, or off the sidestand.

[beemer]

The bike was idling and i pressed the starter button by mistake,i could hear the starter kick in!!i thought you couldn't activate the starter once the engine was running?thanks,J.

[trolle]

Makes an interesting sound, doesn't it?  

greetings from a warm and sunny north - we are expecting temperatures up to 86 F this weekend which means that the roads and tires are warm and good for narrow turns at 50 degrees   Not the turns but the angle of the r65 from the vertical position when going round the turns

trolle

[montmil]

I pressed the starter button by mistake when the engine was running,i thought this shoudn't happen?do you think it's the relay?info please,thankyou,J.

LOL! I do that on occasion with my car, too. Irritating noise and a reminder, "Note to self: Engage brain before operating equipment."  :-?

[Justin B.]

Beemer, I think you can tell from all of the "hints" dropped here that this is "normal" operation.  I suppose you could rig a circuit that would prevent this this such as looking for oil pressure or ignition pulses, but I guess the engineers felt the operator needed to have  something to do!  

[beemer]

Yep i got the message!!! ;)just that my jap bike didn't engage the starter if you hit it by mistake when the engine was running!!! ::)cheers,J.

[nhmaf]

My mid-80's Japanese bike would - a friend of mine really pissed me off one time as he repeatedly stabbed the starter button, thinking it was the
horn.   But, the Japanese starter had a well made, fast-acting over-run clutch, better than in the Bimmer.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I used to do it when the button would hit a loaded tank bag while on a trip.

Now I have accessorized myself beyond full-lock!

(leg shields and G/S handguards.)