Bike wont start with electric start?

it had been sitting for a few months before i bought it, and the guy said the battery was flat. It starts fine with the kickstart, but not with electric obiously...so the headlights arnt working, but the indicator/break lights are, why are they working, but the headights arnt?

anyway, i would have thought that it would still turn over when pressing the electric start, but when i press it, it makes no sound atall.

i have it in neutral
choke on
clutch it
killswitch on
then press the starter

am i doing everything right?, i dont understand why the starter makes no noise atall.

If the battery is dead, the starter won't do anything as it is receiving no power.

Either replace the battery or see if the existing one can be recharged.

see if you can trickle charge the battery (preferably for 24 hours).

check and see if it's running over 12 volts (13.8 max).

if it's still doing it in the morning you'll probably need a new battery.

not sure if bikes have alternators (i guess they must tho) so that might need repair also.

push it to the top of a small slope and clutch start it like you would a car (ignition on, in 2nd gear with cluth in then start rolling, when you have a little speed let the clutch out).

Also try spraying with WD40 (or RP7) on the wiring and spark plugs. This helps if it got wet but doesn't really sound like your problem.

If the first solution works which it probably will then go for a ride for 20 mins and hopefully the battery will recharge a bit. If it has no power again after a 20 min ride then you need a new alternator (the thingy which recharges the battery).

You don't say what model and year your motorcycle is so some of my answer is based on my experience with Harley's, Suzuki's, and Honda's. Most (but not all) motorcycles use the starter motor as an electric generator to charge the battery while the bike is running. The first order of business is to replace the battery as small motorcycle batteries easily and permanently fail if not properly maintained during storage. It is not unusual for a dead battery to fail to power the starter to the extent that it will make no sound at all. Another possibility is that the starter is seized up and cannot be spun.
You have symptoms of multiple electric problems. The lights are generally all wired in a complete circuit so if some work and we assume that all the wiring is intact, the rest should work as well. If there are lights that aren't working the first item to check would be the bulbs. If the bulbs are OK the next would be to verify that power is reaching the lights and they are getting grounded to complete a circuit. Obviously the next step would be to check switches and wiring.
Different makes of motorcycle have different inherent problems and the best source of information I have found is usenet groups. Find a group which has owners of a bike similar to yours and you will find a ton of people willing to offer advice specific to your make and model. Good luck!

These little batteries are short lived and die quickly if not properly maintained. I've replaced dozens over the years.

Your battery is just so low it wont bump the starter or power the headlights. You can try charging it but it is probably hosed anyway. Just throw in a new battery and keep it warm and charged next winter.

A clue what kind it is ? if it is a mag engine it wont need a battery to lick start After starting the alt will supply power to the lights -head light may be burmed out if the battery is stone dead running the bike prob will not charge it
I would think a new battery would be the first step or a jump just to see for sure if you dont want to buy a new one then ck the headlight & starter if you jump with a car dont have the car running while your connected -to many amps-

If it is making no noise at all, it isn't doing anything - definitely not working. Could be the starter, the battery, bad connection...

you probably need a new battery next time when you stop your bike for over a month make sure you take the battery off and charge it, good luck i hope you get your problem fixed soon

Sounds like the switch behind your starter button is dirty or burnt.

The switch has two positions
Out: The headlight is on.
In: The headlight goes off and its juice is directed to the starter solenoid.