Intermittent dead short while starting

Might be worth checking with your battery manufacturer what the "tipping point" is for the safety circuit (your starter should draw between 60-80 amps)

I'll attempt to contact them, it was an Amazon special. Even though I've got about $300 into the lithium batteries, reg/rec, and starter solenoid trying to diagnose this issue, I am very close to throwing a standard AGM or flooded battery in there and seeing what happens. 

I would think you can remove the battery and then jump with another 12DC source, like a car/truck battery. Just use jumper cables or the like and connect to the bikes battery cables and then try to start it. 

I've done just that with a lawn tractor battery I picked up and had no issues. Only started it up 4 or 5 times but had no loss of battery and it started up fine each time.

84_GPz750 wrote:

I've done just that with a lawn tractor battery I picked up and had no issues. Only started it up 4 or 5 times but had no loss of battery and it started up fine each time.

the potential issue with that is, if as I suspect one or more loops of the armature are breaking down- should the armature come to rest with the shorted loops aligned with the brushes when you push the starter button there’s a risk of fire or the battery exploding. If the armature is the issue, when it’s turning the short would be “momentary” which would allow it to still work but the protection circuit in the lithium battery is likely sensing it. This is of course all theoretical as I am thousands of miles away so it’s your call 

When I first bought my zx7 it had a dead spot in the starter and would not start when it landed on a certain spot. Then if I jumped it would start. Took me a while to figure it out. Changed out the starter and never had the issue return. Not saying its definitely your problem but might be worth taking the starter apart and at least checking it out and cleaning it up in there.

What is the exact model of each battery?
Your lithium ion batteries may not have the current to start your bike.

Do you have a voltmeter?

84_GPz750 wrote:

I'll attempt to contact them, it was an Amazon special. Even though I've got about $300 into the lithium batteries, reg/rec, and starter solenoid trying to diagnose this issue, I am very close to throwing a standard AGM or flooded battery in there and seeing what happens. 

I think given the batteries origin confirming the specs is your first job. You could still do the ohmeter check I explained earlier to check the motor for shorts. It is starting to look like you may have learnt an expensive lesson regarding "diagnosis by part changing". I have just ha a quick look at the batteries on Amazon and they have some interesting specs !!!! the example below looks to have great capacity at 30ah but the BMS cuts in at 30 amps (your starter will draw between 60-80 amps)

^^^ CCA is missing from those specs. ^^^  Looks sketchy.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Perhaps just a rambling but noteworthy. While i've not yet gone down the lithium path, seems excessive for these older machines. I know person's Have been successful using them but i don't really see the benefit at this time for conversion. They just last week opened the DeSoto, KS Panasonic Battery factory 15miles away from me! Hope it doesn't blow-up, ha. I have been buying batteries from the box-store O'Reilly for years but their stuff is Crap now! The last 3 i'd bought, skid-steer, Jeep and Ford have all failed within 6mos. Called the headquarters in Springfield, Mo and talked to a gal. She too understood because they have been getting soo many complaints for the same issue. Also have bought a couple AGM batteries off ebay/amazon and they too failed. Seems they "hit" initially but plates/internals went south quick and only holding a "surface charge" thereafter. Soo i went a different path, Motobatt, AGM. Have been using these for over 3yrs in all kinds of Motorcycles/Side-by-sides/ATV's etc without a hint of an issue. They are a funky flowerchild color but WORK.   Food for thought...