Ok so when i bought my GS (about a month ago) the only problem was a dead battery.
In need of new charger i just jumped the bike off from a 12v car battery, (car NOT running!!) it started fine and have been riding up and down my street (need to insure it for full ride :cry:).
Anyway, last weekend i changed the oil, oil filter, air filter and spark plugs and charged the battery and now, for some reason, i can not get it to start. The starter turns and so does the engine but it just will not fire. The old plugs looked like the bike may be running a little rich but i can't see that being the main cause.
Does anyone have any ideas on what could be the cause, i have tried everything i can think of. :dunno_white:
Thanks for any help...
Richmore
May sound dumb.. but.. Gas?
Do you have spark?
Funnily enough the gas was not the first thing i checked, it just seemed so obvious, but i did check it eventually and there is loads in there, i have tried the petcock in all positions.
i do have spark, although i have checked my HT coils, the primary resistance was around 8 ohms which seems a little high, the secondary was fine at 25 Kohms.
i did, however, forget to mention that i did manage to jump the bike from my car and get it started, but... i could only get it to rev upto about 6,000 rpm and only for about 10 seconds then the revs just dropped to almost nothing and it struggled then died, if i just touched the throttle after the revs had dropped it died immediately. :dunno_white:
this was with the old, almost flat battery.
Alternator? Fueling?
I recently had a similar problem, loads of revs very quickly and then nothing. I am pretty sure it is the battery.
I will try a new battery today... although I am not entirely convinced that the battery is the culprit, after jumping the bike from the car battery i still had the same problem, i could rev it upto only about 6000 rpm for a few seconds then it would struggle, revs woud drop and then die.
I am just praying it isn't the carbs, that is one place i do not want to go, i only know fuel injected engines, jetted carbs scare the bejeezus outta me :icon_lol:
Having a full tank doesn't mean that you don't have a problem with the gas. Gas goes bad. After a month things start to get iffy. For future reference, go get a bottle of Sta-bil and use it as indicated whenever you won't be riding for a few weeks.
There's a lot of things it could be. Restricted flow from a pinched fuel line, or a clogged petcock might do it too. You mentioned charging the battery, so I assume you have a charger. If not, the "Battery Tender Jr." is a great deal at $20 for keeping your battery in shape. Is the water level in the battery ok?
Lastly, instead of jumping the bike with a car battery, try the run starting method. It always does the trick for me:
Get on the bike, preferably at the top of a gentle decline.
Make sure the key is in, the ignition is on, etc. Full choke.
Pull in the clutch, and put the bike into 2nd gear. Yes, second gear. It works better this way. Keep the clutch pulled in.
Start running down the hill as fast as you can, while on the bike. You'll look silly.
Once you're up to a good speed, say close to 10 mph, release the clutch quickly. What should happen here is the momentum of the bike will provide the power (through the rear wheel & drive chain) needed to get the crankshaft turning. This in turn provides the tiny bit of juice needed for the plugs to fire, even with a dead battery, and once that happens the engine will continue to run on it's own.
Here's the trick to make sure it works - once you hear the engine fire a time or two, pull the clutch back in. Very shortly after you let the clutch out, that momentum you used to get the engine turning will be gone, and now the engine will be trying to move the bike. By pulling the clutch back in once the engine starts, you remove that load and make it easier for the engine to keep running.
Let the bike run for a while, take it for a spin, and let the battery get a charge back. If all is well, it'll start right up the next time.
jeff
So i guess the next course of action would be to drain the tank, put new fuel in, check for blockages and pinched lines, put the new battery in and try push starting the thing.
I don't want to drain the new battery trying to start it using the starter motor.
Thanks for the help so far.
Quote from: Richmore on February 14, 2006, 07:58:20 AM
So i guess the next course of action would be to drain the tank, put new fuel in, check for blockages and pinched lines, put the new battery in and try push starting the thing.
I don't want to drain the new battery trying to start it using the starter motor.
Thanks for the help so far.
Not exactly. Do swap out the gas and check the lines, and maybe add something like Chevron Techron Concentrate to the tank as well. When you get a new battery (assuming you get an OEM style lead-acid), you'll have to fill it up with the supplied electrolyte/acid mix or whatever it is then charge it prior to use. The bike's "alternator" is not really designed to put out the sort of juice required to charge the battery - it's really just designed to run the bike's systems and maintain the charge in the battery. It'll do it in a pinch, but it's much better practice to use a charger. Once the battery is charged up and ready, starting the bike will be no problem for it at all. I've been down the same road before so I speak from experience! :cheers:
jeff
I forgot to mention... I bought a new battery over the weekend, it's topped up and fully charged and ready to go, so i'll put that bad boy in their and hope for the best. :thumb:
I had a similar problem recently where I let the bike sit for a few weeks due to rain, and I was able to start it and ride it to the gas station, where it wouldn't start up again. Still had lights, starter was drawing current, but not enough to get it to turn over. I replaced the battery and it started right up. Further note, not for the original poster since he has one but for any other noobs like me: many shops will prep and charge your battery for you when you buy it. Sometimes they'll ask but if they don't, ask about it. It's convenient to be able to stop on by, pick up your battery after work, and drop it right in. It makes it easier to know right off whether your fix is going to work. :)