ZXR250 starter motor probs

[masterofpuppets]

hello people.....
got back from a long holiday a few days ago... and of course one of the first things to do was go for a ride. bike had been sitting for over a month. the battery seemed like it had enough charge, but after turning over once or twice, it seems like the starter motor disengages or something, and just winds over by itself without turning over the engine. after pushstarting it and a warm up, it seems to engage no probs, but in the cold it just disengages. so at the mo the bike is sitting outside and wont start . looking for some suggestions as to what the cause of this could be. hopefully a solenoid or relay, but maybe gears or clutch?????
open to suggestions

[TLDV8]

Option one is the cheapest.Is the noise the starter motor or the starter relay/solenoid poles jumping due to low battery power.?
Put the battery on the charger overnight and see if there is an improvement...

[masterofpuppets]

i dont think it will be the battery, as i took it fora long long ride once i started it up. unfortunately i am in palmy at the mo and all my tools are in wellington so wont be able to open it up for another week or so. what i want to find out is how the actual solenoid/relay works. once the engine is running is the starter shaft actually connected to the starter clutch or not.
so is the gear not engaging because of a faulty relay, or is it the starter clutch that is knakkered? i know its a pretty open question, but i just wanna get my bike started.

[imdying]

i dont think it will be the battery, as i took it fora long long ride once i started it up.

If the battery is well rooted matey, no amount riding will charge it back up ZXR250s are pretty picky about their batteries as well... I guess because it's a tiny wee tot.

[masterofpuppets]

yeah but i dont think it can be THAT rooted, it was only a month old before i left the bike, so about 2.5 months old now. plus ive had a flat battery bofore and this is now what it does. now it turns over but it is just the starter thats winding. but yeah i guess its a place to start.