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ital916
22nd January 2008, 14:37
Okay this is for all interested in two stroke bikes...the bike wouldn't start again today, had to push start it myself downhill on a main road when nothing was coming after work lol. I've checked the plug and it's not fouled, it's fine and dandy. It almost started on the first kick but died and consequently didn't start on any further kicks....hmmm a mystery indeed. My hypothesis is the battery is screwed and there isn't enough juice to get a spark, thats why it starts on the first kick sometimes, cos that battery isn't drained yet. After that there isn't enough in her to get the plug going. Now, anyone else keen to throw in suggestions? Ixion...most knowlegable person in two strokedom, how does one go about checking the state of a battery? Mmmm the new nija250r looks..no must not be tempted....the rg is a great bike and i luvs her lol

Rosie
22nd January 2008, 15:02
I've had my KR running with the battery very flat (wasn't even enough juice to light up the neutral light lol). The indicators didn't flash, but otherwise, you wouldn't know anything was amiss.

Re: checking the battery. Go to Dick Smiths and buy the cheapest multimeter they have. I got one for $11 last year. The dial on the front should have a 0-20V (DC) setting, set it to that, put the red lead on the positive terminal of the battery, and the black lead on the negative terminal. Hold the flat sides of the probe things against the terminals, rather than the points. Wait for the number on the screen to come to a reasonable reading (generally somewhere around 10-14V, as a guess). The number will move around a bit, depending on how good a connection the probe things are getting, usually the largest number it gets to will be a reasonable indication of the voltage you are getting. A number larger than 12V means the battery is sweet. A number smaller than 12 means it isn't.

I'm a bit of a munt when it comes to electricity, but I have successfully checked a motorbike battery all by myself. With that in mind, any corrections to my method from those who understand electricity better would be appreciated.

Good luck getting it sorted! 2-strokes can be drama queens sometimes.

MSTRS
22nd January 2008, 15:11
2-strokes can be drama queens sometimes...

...and the rest of the time they are Satan's Spawn.

Str8 Jacket
22nd January 2008, 15:14
...and the rest of the time they are Satan's Spawn.

It's called "personality"!! Boy they have heaps of it too, that's why I love em!!

Ixion
22nd January 2008, 15:25
It's possible. But I doubt it. From memory the RG150 can be run OK with no battery at all (someone was doing it - Coyote ? ).

Are your lights working? If so, unlikely to be battery.

Once running does it idle cleanly and reliably at not much over 1000 rpm. Pull cleanly to the red line ?

ital916
22nd January 2008, 15:48
It idles under one thousand at the moment or just on one thousand. Once she's been thrashed a little then she'll idle at one thousand. I don't know whats wrong with it then. The bike shop will charge me an arm and a leg to fix it..so thats not an option. Yup the lights work perfect along with the rest of the electrics. Could it be the starter? Or the powervalves, or the...i give up lol

Ixion
22nd January 2008, 15:52
Does it live outside? Try a cupfull of meths in the tank, and if possible drain the carb. Won't be the starter. Powervalvces is a possibility but a very remote one

Hard starting , but runs OK once started is usually something simple. If anything were seriuosly deranged it wouldn't idle nicely (two strokes are fussy about idling), or there would be Noises or it would splutter and miss or have flat spots.

ital916
22nd January 2008, 15:57
Nein...it lives in a garage away from the nasty weather and bugs. Meths in the tank aye hmm how much meths *gut feeling tells me meths plus bike = bad lol*. She's got a minute crackle to her when she runs but nothing bad. She runs great once she gets going.

Edit: I'll take a cupful as an actual cup measurement.

Ragingrob
22nd January 2008, 15:59
Yo D, sounds like you're taking a lot of shit from this bike huh! Well done for persevering, I do hear lots of opinions that 2 strokes aren't too ideal for commuter style riding etc :rolleyes:. Has anyone had a good look at the bike lately?

Ixion
22nd January 2008, 16:00
small cupfull to one tankfull of petrol

Does your tank have a prime position on the tap.

ital916
22nd January 2008, 16:03
It has a mains (tap pointing down), off (tap is horizontal) and reserve (tap is pointing up). I just filled that tank so i'll go put some in now. I took it to stephens but i changed the plug and started her and she started, should have thought to off her and then start her again. How long do i leave the meths to settle?

avgas
22nd January 2008, 16:08
You havent mastered the 1/4 throttle, flick kick to starting an RG i suspect. Dont worry it will come little learner. Try not to flood the carbs too.

Squiggles
22nd January 2008, 16:11
asked ya last night if your batt was sweet :lol: chuck it on a charger anyway (cant hurt really)

I go with 1/2 a cup of meths to a tank, then just go for a wee ride

ital916
22nd January 2008, 16:14
I apply only a little throttle when starting her, but i've been starting her for two months no problem it's not like i will all of a sudden forget everything and start flooding her lol.

Ixion
22nd January 2008, 16:15
Oh. what fuel do you use, and have you recently changed brands or types?

ital916
22nd January 2008, 16:29
Only ever use 98 from bp, except for one time where i put a little 95 from mobil in cos there was nothing close.

motorbyclist
22nd January 2008, 18:27
Only ever use 98 from bp, except for one time where i put a little 95 from mobil in cos there was nothing close.

ok, how recent was the mobil fuel? i swear every bike i've seen that put in drops aleast one cylinder if not all of them

and you only have one cylinder to drop:(

meths will soak up the water which is typically a large constituent of mobil fuel


and the battery has very little to do with the sparkplug. will even run without it provided there isn't an engine immobiliser of some description. while a flat/buggered battery is a pain for those of us with electric start, on the RG it's there purely to run your lights


when was the last tune up? is the air filter clean? i have a feeling you're running rich, but i'm not a 2-smoke expert

HungusMaximist
22nd January 2008, 18:28
Man, I got nothing but praise for you Dushy.

Don't take this the wrong way but you're like the poster boy for the mother of all fuck-ups.

Good on ya for not giving up aye, I really admire that hard 'courage' you have in that heart of yours!

think it's a good time to upgrade to a HONDA aye.....

Magua
22nd January 2008, 18:35
Only ever use 98 from bp, except for one time where i put a little 95 from mobil in cos there was nothing close.

Go to 91 octane. Zorst ran 98 in his bike and he was having trouble starting the bike once hot, this is what's happening with yours? I seriously doubt it's your battery. Mine battery was screwed, headlight would be flat in the morning after it was last ridden.

Stick with your little Suzuki, I miss mine. :D

ElCoyote
22nd January 2008, 18:36
It has a mains (tap pointing down), off (tap is horizontal) and reserve (tap is pointing up). I just filled that tank so i'll go put some in now. I took it to stephens but i changed the plug and started her and she started, should have thought to off her and then start her again. How long do i leave the meths to settle?

Shake the proverbial out of the bike after putting in the meths. It needs to mix rather than settle. Meths mixes with petrol and also with water and BURNS. This will carry any moisture through the carb. Basically you can't put too much meths in but consider you have a near full tank so let it rip.

homer
22nd January 2008, 19:25
its possible yo uhave upset something in the carburetor ,im guessing it has one
maybe something to do with the bins you have had

when did it start misbehavin

ital916
22nd January 2008, 19:29
Hey guys the meths seems to be helping, took her for a little ride seemed to be running better. Not counting my chickens before they have hatched so going outside to see if she starts, ill be running her at home for the next few days, can't afford to be push starting her all the time.

PirateJafa
22nd January 2008, 20:30
Shoulda hung out with Xerxes more ya pansy. ;)

Squiggles
22nd January 2008, 20:48
Shake the proverbial out of the bike after putting in the meths. It needs to mix rather than settle.

Yeah, get it all pressurized in the tank so it'll just about explode

brilliant. :clap:


warning: extreme sarcasm in the above post

Squiggles
22nd January 2008, 21:04
Oh, and dush, heres one that made me think of you


"I want to thank you lord, so far this day. With your help i haven't been impatient, lost my temper, been grumpy, judgemental, or envious of anyone. But i will be going out in a minute and i think i will really need your help to start my bike. Amen."

ital916
23rd January 2008, 06:15
Hey dudes, an update from yesterdays startings of my bike. She started better than usual but when i went outside in the evening she was spluttering a bit when i started her. WHen i put some throttle on it was like there was a short delay, she would splutter and struggle a bit then hit three thousand and be fine, so many a carb problem? More meths time? Maybe some crappy fuel fucked the carbs....air filter maybe? lol when i ran her after the meths *bout twenty min* she purred like a kitty on crack. But yeah again will see what happens when i gethome and try start her.

koba
23rd January 2008, 06:29
Could be somthing as simple as plug gap too...
91 should be ok in an rg, no point in wasting $ on 98 if it is ok on 91.
It should be a bit stuttery when you first start it.
Aint powervalves, they have fuck all effect under 8000revs but check 'em anyway.
Cleaned carb?
Make sure you have no airbox leaks or leaks between the carb and motor, if you do It may blow up - mine did - be particularly suspicious of the the left bolt hoding the airbox on, if it rattles out it can take the carb with the airbox as i wriggles around. Loctite!

motorbyclist
23rd January 2008, 09:17
its possible yo uhave upset something in the carburetor ,im guessing it has one
maybe something to do with the bins you have had

when did it start misbehavin

it was running fine last time i saw/rode it, but you could be right

i might be making two trips out to look at bikes tonight now

Sully60
23rd January 2008, 09:35
Hi Drider87
I've been watching this thread since you started it and sorry, I don't know the details of your bike but gather that you've had a few "issues". Good on you for sticking with it though!

I have some questions:

How old is the piston and ring in your bike, or have you replaced this lately?

Does the bike not kickstart when hot as well as the second or third kick when cold as you mentioned?

When you crash start do you have to get quite a bit of speed up before it fires?

I think everyone so far may have overlooked something, I may wrong with my hypothesis but have had a similar experience in the past.

Awaiting reply

ital916
23rd January 2008, 11:16
Hey sully..it's got nine and a half thousand ks on it so i assumed that it doesn't require a rebuild right now. Yes it won't fire up even when hot , i just keep kicking and it just kept dying and another yes to her requiring a great velocity to get it push started.....do you have a theory..i smell a theory lol The not starting coincided with my gearbox being a little funny.

Sully60
23rd January 2008, 11:45
Hey sully..it's got nine and a half thousand ks on it so i assumed that it doesn't require a rebuild right now. Yes it won't fire up even when hot , i just keep kicking and it just kept dying and another yes to her requiring a great velocity to get it push started.....do you have a theory..i smell a theory lol The not starting coincided with my gearbox being a little funny.

Well the gearbox thing being funny is strange, does it do stand up or is it more of a sitcom type of comedian?
That doesn't factor into my theory at all but the other stuff you describe does.

9500k's isn't a whole lot if that is the actual mileage but I would be thinking that your engine is low on compression.
This could be due to the ring(s) being stuck/seized in it's groove (but then the probably wouldn't go at all) , worn ring(s) or broken,stuck, poked reed petals.

The crash start thing is what sparks my theory, most engines in a worn state will still work ok with a few revs but are pretty hard to start and are hopeless of the bottom.

Just another theory Drider, probably not one you want to comtemplate from the repair point of view but maybe worth investigating.

Ixion
23rd January 2008, 11:51
Worn rings or bore isn't usually erratic., it'll always be ahrd to start. This is different because sometimes it starts easily other times it is a pig.

Worn seals, it wouldn't idle.

My guess is water in the fuel. Or something tricksy like a failing coil or pulsar coil (or ECU I guess). But thoses engines are usually pretty tough. And if the meths in the tank helps that points to fuel.

Next thing I'd suggest is drain the carb, there should be a drain screw on the bottom.

OOPS: I just noticed something . 9500km ? So, is it still under warranty ? If so, just buzz it back to the dealer - his problem.

ital916
23rd January 2008, 11:58
lol i think it's warranty expired eight years ago :D, cool so at the mo it looks like a fuel problem. Basically turn fuel off, drain the carbs and then see what happens. UNfortunately that one time i topped up at mobil was the last time i topped up so the um tank has lots of mobil crappy fuel in it. I didn't know fuel could do that?? As for it being maybe a coil problem? Easy to check the status of the coil? Far out lol talk bout two stroke maintenance 101....but i luvs her lol

Sully60
23rd January 2008, 12:01
Worn rings or bore isn't usually erratic., it'll always be ahrd to start. This is different because sometimes it starts easily other times it is a pig.



Sorry, missed that bit.
Peeeeeooooow

There goes my theory!

ital916
23rd January 2008, 12:06
Thanks for the help tho sully always good to eliminate the options aye. Stupid mobil *until the mobil theory is discoutned i will curse them.....curses!* petrol.

Ixion
23rd January 2008, 12:09
lol i think it's warranty expired eight years ago :D,

Wooh - wait up. Eight years ? I assumed from 16000km that it was fairly newish. 8 years may add some possibilities.

ital916
23rd January 2008, 12:43
It's a 98 rg150 with super low k's last owner hardly used it.

bomma
23rd January 2008, 12:58
hehe sorry to hear about all this trubble you're havin man......its fucking hilarious though coz almost everytime i come on kb i find a new thread that you've put up askin for help with some random new shit that's gone wrong with ur rg :rofl:

hehehe very entertaining...but glad to see that you are sticking to your guns and not giving up......will catch ya at maddy's bday party at stevo's man-shed :niceone:

gud luck

motorbyclist
23rd January 2008, 14:10
It's a 98 rg150 with super low k's last owner hardly used it.

or they disconnected the speedo cable, or simply wound it back. you never know with bikes unless it's digital, and even then......

homer
23rd January 2008, 20:56
its possible that the carb keeps filling the bowl to full
this will cause hard to start and when is going will then die at idle by its self
my old 4 stroke trail used to do this '
so i suspect this is the case
the symptoms sound the same
and your saying it seems to be a fuel problem

maybe the carb needs a clean and to be reset
if theres a small hose from the carb heading to ground see if theres any fuel around the end of it or dripping to the ground
if there is id guess the carb bowl is getting to full

motorbyclist
24th January 2008, 13:23
ok, i suppose someone should mention the thread "moved" to here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?p=1393951

drained tank and carby, put decent fuel in, and it wouldn't fire... no spark it turns out