I have parked my '04f since Thanksgiving day, and I just had to start her up this morning.

OOH, the exhaust fumes smelled SOOOOOO good!!! :lol:

Anyway, I had the motor running for about ten minutes after three minutes of trying to start.  I had to keep the choke on longer than usual, and the engine didn't seem to have much power when I turned the throttle.  This could have been due to the fact that the engine wasn't warmed up all the way.

The disturbing thing was that everytime I turned the throttle, it would backfire. (I think...  I've never had a car bad enough to backfire)

Any ideas as to what could be the problem?  IS there a problem???  As soon as the weather warms up permanently, I need to take her in for the 4000 mile checkup.

it's been sitting and it's cold, it will take a little longer to blow out the cobwebs

try it again tomorrow.  It could have been flooded.  If it persists, check your plugs.  I've never had gas go bad on me

everything should be fine

stake bikes run funky.  get out and ride her around the block a few times and she'll love you.

That propper maintanance...I think it's even in the manual..."ride around block twice weekly, minimum, for propper care."

I forgot to mention that the tach didn't work.  It stayed down at zero for most of the time.  It only budged when I turned the choke off then it moved to right under 1000RPM, but when I gave it just a tad bit throttle, it dropped back to zero.

I realize I haven't been on her in a month and a half almost, but I'm still worried.

...case closed.  She's cold as f%$k!  What was the standing temp when you went out to start her up?  She's kept outdoors?

Electrical equiment has funny reactions to the cold.  Even in my bimmer the guages and my onboard computer display don't read right if the temp drops below 0*f.park her in the garage...in the house...anywhere warm for a while.  Make sure she's got a good charge on the battery.  Change your fluids.  Ride her more than once a season.

There's two things you'll want to do.  First, go buy some Stabil and put the recommended amount in the tank.  Run the engine for a few minutes to get the stuff circulated through the fuel lines and into the carbs.  Second, go buy a "Battery Tender Jr.", ~$20.  Hook this up to the battery for a few hours every couple of weeks.  

jeff

Prevention: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=4354.msg34764#msg34764

Thank you ALL!!

I feel a bit better now, but time will tell...

I've found that prolonged slumber usually behaves the way you've experienced.  

Even though I'd prep the bike just like Adam Glass's Winter Storage for Motorcycles, it still take a bit of work to get'er going and some 15 minutes of running to get'er running normal again.

Believe the only way to prevent this behaviour is to idle your ride for 10-15 minutes every other week.  Agree with the STA-BIL recommendation -- a few ounces of this prevention is worth a pound of carburetor headaches.

As for your Tacho problems, suggest a loose or bad connection may be the cause.  Never yet had the symptoms you suggest with awakening the GS500 after a period of inactivity.

Quote from: RedShiftAs for your Tacho problems, suggest a loose or bad connection may be the cause.  Never yet had the symptoms you suggest with awakening the GS500 after a period of inactivity.

Actually, based on a post in this thread, the tach is electrical.  If this is the case, I know exactly what's going on.

Get ready...  Here's the dumbest dumb person...
You have to understand...  I was being lazy and I all I wanted to do was to hear her roar and smell the fumes...  I decided to try and start the bike without the battery in her.  YES I KNOW!  STUPID!!!

Anyway, after being unsuccessful twice and having to roll the bike uphill TWICE, I decided to just jump it from my car.  It obviously worked.  Then I wanted to test something out, so I disconnected the jumper cables, and guess what, IT STAYED ON!!!  YeeHaw!

I did notice the lights flickering because all that was powering them up was the bike's generator.  So the lights I understood.  I thought the tach was cable or something non-electrical.

Come to think of it...  Could the lack of a battery cause the engine to display those symptoms? :dunno:

Quote from: annguyen1981Come to think of it...  Could the lack of a battery cause the engine to display those symptoms? :dunno:

Yes.

Hopefully I'm gonna have time to put the battery in this weekend and give it a whirl.

now the big question.....





was the car running when you started the bike.......?

I would expect that a bike that runs without a battery can easily have trouble running.  

I recently put a voltmeter across the battery contacts and it took at least 2000 RPM to generate 13volts -- 3000+RPM to max out at 13.6volts.  I've never run my bike without a battery, but if you're idling at 1200 RPM or less, you're likely to run under the 12.6volts of a charged battery, and likely generating insufficient amps to keep accessories operating.

(Back in the Adding Piaa lights thread we figured it took at least 120 watts to run all accessories and the ignition.)

But hey, thanks for trying this -- life is just a series of experiments.  You've added to the pool of knowledge.  I never knew what would happen when you jump start without a battery and then let it try and run on its own.  

Quote from: werase643was the car running when you started the bike.......?

I tried to start with just the cables, but it didn't work, so I had to start my car.  Then the bike started.

Quote from: RedShiftI would expect that a bike that runs without a battery can easily have trouble running.  

(Back in the Adding Piaa lights thread we figured it took at least 120 watts to run all accessories and the ignition.)

But hey, thanks for trying this -- life is just a series of experiments.  You've added to the pool of knowledge.  I never knew what would happen when you jump start without a battery and then let it try and run on its own.  

The funny thing is I did read the thread you're talking about, but it didn't properly register in my head about he voltage thing.

I usually try stuff people haven't though of...  I'll take something apart and try my little experiment.  If it works, great!  If not, oh well...  Either way, I put it back together afterwards...

But after I put it together, if it doesn't work...
"I didn't even touch it!!  I swear!!!"
:lol:

Quote from: annguyen1981... But after I put it together, if it doesn't work...

Yeah, I've noticed that the "Fixing phase" of the repair is usually the toughest.  Heck, even I can tear something apart so it won't work again.  

Running without the battery could cause problems. The battery is a stabilizing part of the overall circuit, producing current when the charge rate is low, and absorbing current when the charge rate is high. Without the battery, you might cause a high peak in voltage which could burn a light or overload some other electrical device. You wouldn't want to mess up the electronic ignition, that would be a mother to replace.

put the batt in the bike

get it running

get a voltage meter on it

Volts at 1000-1500 rpm?

volts at 5k?

a car(not running) will easily start a bike...but the car ALT runs higher volt than a bike....   it might kill the bike volt regulator.

check yours  

Its not reccomended to run without a battery in circuit. The voltage regulator takes into account the internal resistance of the battery as well as  its output voltage and current at any time. If its not in circuit the regulator could  allow a higher voltage into the electrical system, as a result  this will burn out bulbs and possibly the electronic ignition module. Its ok to start the bike from a non running car but a running car will have the ability to deliver much more current (not voltage, cos a car runs on 12v too) than the bike generator and battery can deliver and this may confuse and also damage the bikes electronics. A servicable battery must be able to deliver current (measured in amps) as well as voltage and a satisfactory voltage output is no guarantee of  satisfactory current capacity. This can only be tested when the battery is under load. ie when it has a high current demand on it such as powering up the starter motor. This current capacity is measured in amp/hours. For instance a 12v/10A/Hr battery will deliver 12volts at 10amps for 1 hour, or 12v at 1amp for 10 hours.  Voltage, current and power are all related (as proved by Ohms law) and all play a part in the bikes electrical system but the thing to remember is that the voltage always stays the same at 12v, this is governed by the voltage regulator and that current flow in the system will increase as the power demand increases, i.e when more bulbs are illuminated. The biggest draw on the battery is the starter motor, thats why it has a heavy lead going to it and will flatten the battery in seconds if the engine wont start.