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Help - She Won't Start!!!
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:52 pm
by sloopy_farklehump
At the tail end of last season, my bike was hard to start. She'd cough and sputter, spew a little "smoke" but she would eventually run. I was told by the dealership that the symptoms were normal since temps were in the 40's and below. That dealership went out of business and the new dealership that I brought her to for winter storage said that the other guys did a poor job at syncing etc.. I picked her 1.5 weeks ago and she made the 150+ mile trip back home fine. She started up this weekend and promply died before we could even think about leaving the driveway. I added some seafoam, topped off the tank and put her on the battery charger. Tonight she wouldn't start. She was in neutral, the kill switch was in the right position, the fuel pump was making its noise. She tried really hard to turn over and came close but no cigar. Any idea what could be plaguing me?
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 9:30 pm
by bransan
Try giving it a little air.Are You using the enrichment lever? Is it pulling the throttle open a little? Check Your air filter for a mouse nest. Valve adjustment, tb synch, spark plugs, etc. Good luck! It's warming up so You better get it figured out.
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:16 pm
by iowabeakster
Sounds like a battery issue.
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:24 pm
by ProductUser
What year is your bike? How many miles?
I agree with iowabeakster; it sounds like a battery issue. The engine needs to turn over quickly or else it will not start. I know this from personal experience. Even though the battery is on a charger, the battery may not hold a charge if it's really toast. Buy a new battery, I believe most like the PC 680.
ProductUser
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 12:17 am
by CycleRob
Sounds like the battery is on the way out. When it's life is nearing the end, it cannot put out the full current (Amps) or voltage. What happens is the starter eats so much of the battery's reduced available power that the voltage falls below 10 V and the ignition will not fire the plugs every time and maybe not even at all. That's why you hear the slow turning and no signs of combustion at all. It's push or jump start time to get home because the battery will no longer charge up to the full power needed to start the bike.
You need a new battery and to make it last forever there's
excellent info here.
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 5:39 am
by sloopy_farklehump
My bike is an '05 and I bought her new last year. She only has 7000 miles on her.
Out of all the potential problems, I suppose a battery isn't the worst. However, I would be severely disappointed that I couldn't even get one full year out of it!
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 8:01 am
by Max Continuous
You need the three basics, air, fuel and ignition. Pull out a plug and see if you have fuel in the combustion chamber. While the plug is out, turn over the engine to see if you have spark. That should confirm what CycleRob is saying ( which I agree with ) Before you remove the tank and buy a new battery, I would also try putting a voltmeter on your accessory socket to see what sort of votage you have across the system. Have someone measure the voltage while starting too and see how far it drops. This should confirm the suspicion.