Oil light came on, bike wont start.

[GR81]

Pulled into work this morning and just as i was about to swtich the bike off... it cut out and the oil light came on.
now the bike wont start even when i switch the key on and off.

Is this a safety feature to tell me its low on oil?
does anyone have any ideas for me?
i havent had a chance to check the oil yet as im meant to be working! :O

i brought the bike yesterday :(

2004 GSX250

[bugjuice]

leave it to cool down. Around lunch time, go back and check that it has oil in it, you should find the dipstick/oil window on the crankcase of the bike on the right (as you sit on it). THe bike should be upright (not on the kickstand - centre stand is ok, if it has one) to check the oil, so be careful not to let it fall over. May be get someone to help you. If it's a dipstick, use a tissue to wipe the oil off the dipstick, then put it back in and check it.

The oil light comes on when there's no oil pressure. No oil pressure is often a lack of oil, so this is why you should check. Then find out why there's no oil in it. Could be a leak, could be burning the oil off somehow, but it's an '04 bike, so that shouldn't be a problem.. There could be a coupld of more reasons, but this is the most common - if it's oil releated.

There could be other reasons, and the oil light will come on because there's no oil pressure, cos the engine isn't turning over. When you try to start it, how does it sound?

[GR81]

its not turning over, so it makes me think its a safety feature.
thanks, ill check the oil at lunchtime, hopefully it just needs a top-up.

it spent 2 weeks in the shop showroom and im sure if it was leaking they wouldnt have been impressed with the mess on the carpet and would have looked into it.
Ill check on the garage floor when i get home for any leaks.

I have the service sheet with me and i dont think it has had its services done regularly so it may just need a good old service.

engine has 6000kms on the clock.

[FROSTY]

Pulled into work this morning and just as i was about to swtich the bike off... it cut out and the oil light came on.
now the bike wont start even when i switch the key on and off.

Is this a safety feature to tell me its low on oil?
does anyone have any ideas for me?
i havent had a chance to check the oil yet as im meant to be working! :O

i brought the bike yesterday :(

2004 GSX250
The classic bike shop customer -bike wont go.
dude that doesnt actually tell a lot
does the bike turn over on the starter?
Is there oil residue around your motor and a pool of oil under it.
did the bikes engine sound change as you were stopping??

with suzukis they have an oil pressure light as buggie said -either A .oil pump is nackererd or you have an oil leak

[bugjuice]

the bike isn't turning over at all?
Have you checked you didn't flick the kill switch on the handle bar? It's not in gear, and the kickstand being down has killed the starter?
Check it's in neutral and the kill switch is on (not off), then try again

[Ixion]

The oil light could be a red herring. Presumably it normally comes on when you turn the ignition on, before you start the engine. So what we have is a bike that stopped, with ignition on and would not restart.

Are you sure the oil light was not on BEFORE it stopped ? (ie as you were riding) That would be more serious. If it just came on AFTER the engine stopped that may be irrelevant.

You say it does not start. More info needed. Does the starter motor turn the engine over OK , but it just doesn't start? Do the lights work? And the horn sounds loud when you push the horn button?

Or does the engine not turn over at all when you press the starter button? Or turn over very slowly? Do you hear a clicking noise when you press the starter button ? If it does turn over are there "noises" .

Sure you're not out of petrol? (I know, I know, but it happens to everyone ).
Was it running OK immediately before it stopped ? Are you sure that you didn't just stall it when stopping (it should restart of course , but conked out and won't restart is a different matter to stalled nad won't restart)

Do you know how to do a bump start ?

[stify]

its not turning over, so it makes me think its a safety feature.
thanks, ill check the oil at lunchtime, hopefully it just needs a top-up.

it spent 2 weeks in the shop showroom and im sure if it was leaking they wouldnt have been impressed with the mess on the carpet and would have looked into it.
Ill check on the garage floor when i get home for any leaks.

I have the service sheet with me and i dont think it has had its services done regularly so it may just need a good old service.

engine has 6000kms on the clock.

from memory i think these do have a cut out for low oil level

[Ixion]

the bike isn't turning over at all?
Have you checked you didn't flick the kill switch on the handle bar? It's not in gear, and the kickstand being down has killed the starter?
Check it's in neutral and the kill switch is on (not off), then try again

VERY good point. That has caught me many times.

[thehollowmen]

Did you put the kickstand down?

you need to be in nuteral, clutch in to start with the kickstand down on suzukis. When you put it in gear it will stop too if the kickstand is down.
Mine shows an oil light and won't start when I'm in gear, powered up but with the kickstand down.

Good luck getting it sorted

[GR81]

fuel is full, kill switch is in 'go go' position...

i just went and checked the bike now... moved it to a flat piece of ground... and it started fine!! :)

i think the reason is it was in gear with the kickstand down as per above.
ill try and replicate the issue again to see if that was actually the problem.

thanks for the help people, much appreciated.
im off to crawl back under my rock now.

[bugjuice]

fuel is full, kill switch is in 'go go' position...

i just went and checked the bike now... moved it to a flat piece of ground... and it started fine!! :)

i think the reason is it was in gear with the kickstand down as per above.
ill try and replicate the issue again to see if that was actually the problem.

thanks for the help people, much appreciated.
im off to crawl back under my rock now.
it's ok, it's all part of learning..
What you've probably done is, while the bike is in gear (even with the clutch in), you've put the kick stand down, and that immediately kills the engine. Try it when you next jump on. Start it up (in neutral), pull the clutch in and put it in gear, then (with the clutch still in, and in gear but feet down so you aren't moving anywhere), just put the kick stand down. It'll cut out. So either pull the kick stand up and clutch in, or put it back into neutral if the kick stand is still down, then fire it back up..

[Sniper]

Mate, you have to learn one way or another. Congrats on figuring it out though and ride safe OK

[thehollowmen]

don't be embarrassed... we've all done something that stupid to do with starting our bike.


For the same reason, my brother never has managed to steal my bike off me.

Also, I could tell you a story about someone who did some damage trying to start a bike for ages, everything was fine except that the fuel tap was off and that last trip up to the shop had drained everything out of the carbs.

*cough*
is there room under that rock for two?

[vifferman]

thanks for the help people, much appreciated.
im off to crawl back under my rock now.
Like has been said, it's easy to get caught out. I've been riding for a very long time, but still sometimes go to start my bike in gear and it won't go, or start it in neutral, put it in gear, and it stops (sidestand stil down). Or the classic: I never use the killswitch, but a couple of weeks ago, I had to park facing downhill, so I pulled the clutch in, and turned the engine off with the killswitch. Came back out to the bike, turned it on, put it in neutral, nothing. Fiddled with the gearshift and kickstand. Nothing.
Oh crap. The ECU's gone, or summat. Turned it off, turned it on, to see if the EFI light was flashing an error code. Nup. No EFI light at all.
Eventually........ it dawned on me that the killswitch was still in the 'Off' position... :sherlock:

[bugjuice]

I actually use this 'feature' as a secondary 'anti-theft' measure. In a dodgy place that I have to leave the bike (which I avoid is possible), or even just in the open, it's left in gear and the kill switch on. That way, if the dirty little fucks manage to activate the ignition, they'll be so wound up, that hopefully the kick-stand being down and the kill switch off, they'll just give up, or take that bit longer that someone will stop them.. so it's not all bad ;)

[MikeL]

When I bought my Honda, it was the first bike I'd had with both electric start and side-stand cut out. No user manual, so there was nothing to alert me to this safety feature. I did exactly what you presumably did, and it took me a long time to work out what was what.

For a red face, I bet you can't beat this though (I cringe even now when thinking about it). Although I've had the Honda for several years, I rode home in the dark not long ago with no lights, thinking I had blown a fuse. Discovered later that the lights were turned off at the switch. Because my other bike has no light switch (permanently on), and I always ride the Honda with the lights on, I simply ignore the switch. On this occasion I must have bumped it and accidentally turned it off. Only when I checked the fuse later did I work out what had happened. I can imagine the conversation if I'd been stopped by a cop for no lights:
"No lights, sir.."
"I think I must have blown a fuse."
[Points to switch in 'OFF" position] "You could try turning them on..."

[Ixion]

I bypass all those damn cutouts. Stupid things. Cages don't have cutouts to stop you trying to start in gear, or with a door open. Why assume that bikers are less clued up than drivers

Also, being able to turn the engine with the starter motor when in gear is very handy if you need to ride with a broken clutch cable.

[bugjuice]

I bypass all those damn cutouts. Stupid things. Cages don't have cutouts to stop you trying to start in gear, or with a door open. Why assume that bikers are less clued up than drivers

Also, being able to turn the engine with the starter motor when in gear is very handy if you need to ride with a broken clutch cable.
can't start an auto in anything else but park or neutral.. some only in park..
I'm glad the door doesn't have to be closed on the bike tho..

[scumdog]

You mean there are bikes that won't start if you're in gear/side stand is down/don't have the clutch pulled in?? :shit:

Where have I been I feel SO ripped off, my bike doesn't have these 'features'.

[Ixion]

can't start an auto in anything else but park or neutral.. some only in park..
I'm glad the door doesn't have to be closed on the bike tho..

That annoys me too.

[thehollowmen]

You mean there are bikes that won't start if you're in gear/side stand is down/don't have the clutch pulled in?? :shit:

Where have I been I feel SO ripped off, my bike doesn't have these 'features'.

In our defence, we're more likely to tear off a side stand doing a racing start and heading around a LH corner because ours are flimsy where yours are chromed cast iron ... :-P

yeah, they're helpful for the newbies to stop them damaging anything.