BIKE STARTING PROBLEM- Not sure if it is the battery or i am low on gas?

[inexplicable718]

HEYLOOOOO... How is everyone doing?


Okay so i tried starting my bike today after 2-3 days. And it wasnt starting but i gave it alot of throttle and so it did. After riding it 5-6 blocks down my house and all of a sudden the rpm goes down eventhough i am giving more and more throttle but it just went down and died. Then i tried to start it by push start. It started and just like before, it died down. I checked the gas and the tank is almost empty but not exactly empty. I also tried putting the bike on reserve but same thing....


When i try to start the bike there is clicking but no respone other than that.

What is the problem? battery or gas?


Also the headlight is working fine... so if its the battery then why would the headlight work?

I dont exactly know what is the problem.. It happened to me before aswell... Is the battery no good and do i need to get a new battery? Does anyone know how much does it cost to get a new battery? my bike is 98 gs500e. (i think its easy to change the battery ..just unplug the red and black and battery comes out easy..no?)


Thanks

[BeerGarage]

Fill it up and charge the battery and post the results.

[NF11624]

I second the motion of adding more gas, but you might want to try a battery tender (good to have regardless) - I bought one for about $35 (Battery Tender Jr).  Now that it is getting cold I am putting the battery on the tender every night esp. with my shorter rides right now.  The battery loses its charge quickly on my GS, leaving the lights on for a few minutes without the engine running is more than enough to do it.

Also, you may be up for a valve check/adjustment.  That can also lead to hard starts.

[inexplicable718]

Fill it up and charge the battery and post the results.

I am lazy man. I dont want to walk the bike to the gas station. its like 10-15 blocks. Walking with this bike feels like you are doing weight lifting!!

[inexplicable718]

I second the motion of adding more gas, but you might want to try a battery tender (good to have regardless) - I bought one for about $35 (Battery Tender Jr).  Now that it is getting cold I am putting the battery on the tender every night esp. with my shorter rides right now.  The battery loses its charge quickly on my GS, leaving the lights on for a few minutes without the engine running is more than enough to do it.

Also, you may be up for a valve check/adjustment.  That can also lead to hard starts.

Great!! more expense lol..

dude my motorcycle is parked on the street so i dont know if i am going to be able to use the battery tender on it?

how much do u think valve adjustment should cost me around?

[NF11624]

Well you could bring the battery inside the house .

Valve adjustment - well if you do it yourself it would probably be cheap (just a new gasket?).  Some of the elder gods on this site can do it in under 20 minutes.  Maybe another GSTwinner in the area can help you out and it wouldn't take long.  I myself have not done it yet because I couldn't get the screws out - they are extremely soft and after I started to strip them a little I stopped and gave up, but the time is coming up where I will try again.

Also, about the gas - you could get a gas can/container for $5... I know more expense right?  I've got 3 old ones sitting in my garage that were for the lawn mower

[jeremy_nash]

you could always siphon some gas out of your car, or pour some out of you lawn-mower, or get a milk-jug and get yourself a gallon.  then get back to us

[inexplicable718]

Well you could bring the battery inside the house .

Valve adjustment - well if you do it yourself it would probably be cheap (just a new gasket?).  Some of the elder gods on this site can do it in under 20 minutes.  Maybe another GSTwinner in the area can help you out and it wouldn't take long.  I myself have not done it yet because I couldn't get the screws out - they are extremely soft and after I started to strip them a little I stopped and gave up, but the time is coming up where I will try again.

Also, about the gas - you could get a gas can/container for $5... I know more expense right?  I've got 3 old ones sitting in my garage that were for the lawn mower

[inexplicable718]

you could always siphon some gas out of your car, or pour some out of you lawn-mower, or get a milk-jug and get yourself a gallon.  then get back to us

Good idea... thanks man.. i might just go do this tonight..

[black and silver twin]

sounds like petcock or gas lines arent flowing. If more gas doesnt fix it look at those.

[jeremy_nash]

Good idea... thanks man.. i might just go do this tonight..

no, dont do it tonight, people may call the cops, thinking someone is stealing gas   and please, use your own car, cause u never really do borrow gas, u just keep it

[inexplicable718]

Fill it up and charge the battery and post the results.

[inexplicable718]

i guess now even the battery is dead... I took it to a shop a couple of days ago and he said the carborater needs cleaning. SO is that it?

[NF11624]

A dirty carb could be a problem, but if it was running a few days ago then I don't think it would manifest itself so quickly.  The likely culprit (especially since there is no clicking) is that the battery has been drained.  The GS seems to eat batteries - two or three attempts is enough to drain it, or five-ten minutes of lights on/no engine running.  Try bump starting or getting a jump (make sure the car is NOT RUNNING) - not good to get repeated jumps in the long haul but once probably won't be too damaging.  Once that is done, go on a nice hour ride on the highway to get the battery tender somewhere cheap - any auto parts store will have one.  The hour should charge your battery somewhat so you'll be able to get home.

Hope this helps... once its running you should be OK, the frustration will end and the joy will begin . 

Also, the GS is pretty much unchanged throughout its life (minus small things) so anyone with a GS in NYC can help, not just an E model .

[~*STEPH*~]

Check out WalMart. I got a trickle charger for my battery that also jumps my bike if/when need be.  It was cheap...like $35

[ecpreston]

This thread is all over the place.

Your battery was low. That's why it only cranked fast enough to start with the throttle open.

Then you ran out of gas. The tank will never look "empty".

You have gas now, but your low battery is now dead from all the attempts to start.

Turn fuel chicken to prime, wait about 30 sec to make sure fuel has made it's way to the carb, and either push start or use jumper cables from a non-running car to start it. Turn fuel chicken back to run and drive around for a while.

It's not rocket science, take care of the simple stuff first. If there's a click when you turn the key, why are we talking about carbs and valve adjustments? 

[inexplicable718]

This thread is all over the place.

Your battery was low. That's why it only cranked fast enough to start with the throttle open.

Then you ran out of gas. The tank will never look "empty".

You have gas now, but your low battery is now dead from all the attempts to start.

Turn fuel chicken to prime, wait about 30 sec to make sure fuel has made it's way to the carb, and either push start or use jumper cables from a non-running car to start it. Turn fuel chicken back to run and drive around for a while.

It's not rocket science, take care of the simple stuff first. If there's a click when you turn the key, why are we talking about carbs and valve adjustments? 

You are right! that was exactly the problem.


before i had battery but i was out of gas but then when i put gas in then i was out of battery. lol