Embarrassing starts!

**specter** · 22nd March 2010, 22:47

when i start my bike up in the morning for work (07 gpx250) it starts first pop......

this has never happed to me before but when i started night shift, id go to start my bike at 11.00pm and it would make some chocked popping sounds then just keep cranking over.... battery is all good all the lights work, and all i need to do to put it in first and walk beside it (with the clutch in!) and tap the starter and it starts in an instant!!!

i don't think its critical to the bikes health, but i feel like a dick having to push start my bike every single night!!!!!!

any help with my problem would be muchly appreciated

**SS90** · 23rd March 2010, 06:05

Just try this next time you have a problem.

Sit on the bike, side stand up, pull the clutch in, and push the starter.

see what happens.

**specter** · 23rd March 2010, 22:37

Originally Posted by SS90

Just try this next time you have a problem.

Sit on the bike, side stand up, pull the clutch in, and push the starter.

see what happens.

will do! ill have to check 2morrow though

**Big Dog** · 23rd March 2010, 22:57

You do not mention are you using the choke? Are you giving it any throttle?
Sounds like you might be flooding it.
This is likely if you are using the choke on a machine that has been run in the last 8-10 hours.

Unless it is trying to turn over but not quite catching you want to have no throttle or choke on any reasonably modern carb.

Far less likely but possible is that when it is really chilly the oil gets to be so thick that a poorly adjusted clutch does not fully disengage. (My Dr350 does this when cold).
To test for this you can either:
* put the bike in gear (engine off) and try to push it with clutch in and then compare to out of gear. if there is a difference this could contribute to your issue.
* start your bike stand beside it with the clutch in and it in gear. Relase the brake. If it creeps forward without you releasing the clutch this could contribute to your issue.

Another unlikely but possible cause. When you experience this try opening your fuel cap and then close it. If it then starts normally you may just have pinched breather hose on your fuel tank.

Another possible issue is the fluid levels in your battery. If one or more of the cells is borderline or sulphated you may find in the damp air of the night it cannot allow enough chemical reaction to give it the cranking amps to turn it over.

**specter** · 24th March 2010, 07:16

Originally Posted by Big Dog

You do not mention are you using the choke? Are you giving it any throttle?
Sounds like you might be flooding it.
This is likely if you are using the choke on a machine that has been run in the last 8-10 hours.

no choke! ive ridden this bike for 10,000k's now with flawless starts this has just happened last week when i started night shift

Originally Posted by Big Dog

Far less likely but possible is that when it is really chilly the oil gets to be so thick that a poorly adjusted clutch does not fully disengage. (My Dr350 does this when cold).
To test for this you can either:
* put the bike in gear (engine off) and try to push it with clutch in and then compare to out of gear. if there is a difference this could contribute to your issue.
* start your bike stand beside it with the clutch in and it in gear. Relase the brake. If it creeps forward without you releasing the clutch this could contribute to your issue.

nope none of these the clutch has always been good....

Originally Posted by Big Dog

Another unlikely but possible cause. When you experience this try opening your fuel cap and then close it. If it then starts normally you may just have pinched breather hose on your fuel tank.

dont think so, as i said the bike starts in every other situation

Originally Posted by Big Dog

Another possible issue is the fluid levels in your battery. If one or more of the cells is borderline or sulphated you may find in the damp air of the night it cannot allow enough chemical reaction to give it the cranking amps to turn it over.

yea i thought this is the most likely option, or something in the carbs freezing up a bit..

**specter** · 26th March 2010, 22:22

well ran some tests and concluded its the battery, and its a bloody dry cell so its fucked....

**whowhatwhere** · 26th March 2010, 22:31

Ahh well at least it's an easy fix.

**SS90** · 26th March 2010, 22:39

Oh, best get your charging system checked....if you have a dry cell there is avery high chance that your regulator is rooted (technical term for faulty), and causing an over voltage situation.

Batteries normally don't have dry cells if the charging system is working correctly.

**whowhatwhere** · 26th March 2010, 22:41

Good point above. Do your lights get brighter as you rev the bike? Voltage increase should happen around 4-5k rpm.

**specter** · 27th March 2010, 21:18

Originally Posted by SS90

Oh, best get your charging system checked....if you have a dry cell there is avery high chance that your regulator is rooted (technical term for faulty), and causing an over voltage situation.

Batteries normally don't have dry cells if the charging system is working correctly.

????? eh, its the factory battery i haven't noticed my lights getting brighter...... but ill check next time...

**whowhatwhere** · 27th March 2010, 23:15

Your lights run off the battery rather than the alternator. At tick-over, the bike will not be charging the battery, so the lights will be running of the 12V directly from the battery. When your bike is at around 4,000rpm, the alternator will be charging the battery, with the voltage going up to around 14.5V with the engine at this revs; this should make your headlight go slightly brighter – try this with the light shining against a wall.

If the headlight does not get brighter this suggests that you regulator/rectifier might be duff and is not allowing the battery to be charged. The opposite can also happen where the voltage is not regulated properly so more than 14.5V is being fed to the battery and overcharging it as SS90 said above, but this does not sound like your issue if the headlight isn't getting brighter at all.

Best bet is to get a multimeter and start measuring voltages so you can determine if either the regulator/rectifier or alternator is at fault. Google will help you here, but yell out of you need more help. Regulator/rectifier is an easy fix – buy a new one and plug it in!

**specter** · 28th March 2010, 12:23

Originally Posted by whowhatwhere

Your lights run off the battery rather than the alternator. At tick-over, the bike will not be charging the battery, so the lights will be running of the 12V directly from the battery. When your bike is at around 4,000rpm, the alternator will be charging the battery, with the voltage going up to around 14.5V with the engine at this revs; this should make your headlight go slightly brighter – try this with the light shining against a wall.

If the headlight does not get brighter this suggests that you regulator/rectifier might be duff and is not allowing the battery to be charged. The opposite can also happen where the voltage is not regulated properly so more than 14.5V is being fed to the battery and overcharging it as SS90 said above, but this does not sound like your issue if the headlight isn't getting brighter at all.

Best bet is to get a multimeter and start measuring voltages so you can determine if either the regulator/rectifier or alternator is at fault. Google will help you here, but yell out of you need more help. Regulator/rectifier is an easy fix – buy a new one and plug it in!

cheers for the technical know how! hope its not the rectifier or alternator because that costs $$$