Startup backfire?

[Cal Price]

This morning around six it's wet but not too cold, no danger of ice anyway. I hit the starter, nothing, plenty of battery but no startup. I play around a little with the choke, still nothing. I wait maybe 20 second and try again, after about 2-3 seconds of starter motor there is a huge bang behind me and I mean HUGE, not like a handgun, more like a cannon.

I look, see nothing, not a whisp of smoke, nothing. I press the starter and off she goes, sweet as a nut. Started her a couple more time through the morning, perfect. Whats going on ? ?

[MarkusN]

Nothing sinister. Just some unburned fuel blown through the cylinder into the exhaust, then ignited. Can happen when cold. I had it happen to me when the plugs were carbon fouled by rich carburetion.

But this can happen anytime when the bike is slow to start due to cold weather.

[Cal Price]

Thank markus, classic backfire then. I will have to get the wire brush on the plugs if it happens again.

[se7enty7]

hmm... with mine, sometimes it will not want to start... as in, the starter won't turn.  I wait about 5 seconds and it will start, ableit barely (not from the engine carbs not wanting to start, but because the starter will *barely* turn the engine over)

I suspect I have a bad battery.. bleh.. gotta go buy another from wally world (I returned the last one..)

[Dom]

That happened with me this past week while trying to get carb issues sorted out.  My girlfriend was standing there and said that flames that shot out were the size of a 2-litre bottle.  I didn't get a chance to see them

Any way to fudge a backfire?  I have seen kits that run on propane that shoot flames out the exhaust...I think it's www.flamethrowers.com

[Anonymous]

To make a backfire:

Ride along at a decent speed, turn off the ignition, keep giving it gas, turn the ignition back on....  Bang!

You DO know that backfiring isn't good right?