Why do I need to push start?

[chishen]

Bought new Yuasa battery, its fully charged - most of the time, the bike fires right up.  Sometimes, especially when I let it sit over the weekend, it won't start up on the first try.  Sounds like its about to catch, but doesn't have enough gas.  So I wait & crank - waiting at intervals of 30 seconds.  After about 3-4 minutes (8-12 tries), the bike fires up.

Recently, the bike won't start up even after 10 minutes of trying - so I've been push starting - and that works.  What's going on?  Should I be starting it on PRIME and if so, how long is it safe to leave it on the PRIME position?

[callmelenny]

My suggestions:


Are you sure the battery is charged (did you charge it after you bought it?) Also is the fluid level correct?

All your contacts clean and tight?

I leave my bike in "ON" for several days at a time without any problem starting. I would check out electrical stuff before considering carbs. If it was a fuel problem, push starting shouldn't help.

[mjm]

Bought new Yuasa battery, its fully charged - most of the time, the bike fires right up.  Sometimes, especially when I let it sit over the weekend, it won't start up on the first try.  Sounds like its about to catch, but doesn't have enough gas.  So I wait & crank - waiting at intervals of 30 seconds.  After about 3-4 minutes (8-12 tries), the bike fires up.

Recently, the bike won't start up even after 10 minutes of trying - so I've been push starting - and that works.  What's going on?  Should I be starting it on PRIME and if so, how long is it safe to leave it on the PRIME position?

The carbs may be drying out if you are letting it sit for several days between rides - put it on prime for 5 or 10 seconds to fill up the float bowls.  Check the action of the  choke as well - if that is off it could cause hard starts - as could about 1000 other things - but those are the ones to check first.  One more thought - check the safety lock-out switches - clutch, sidestand, neutral -  they might be in a different position when you try to bump star vs hitting the starter switch.