My bike won't start :(

[James Deuce]

Mangell6: the way you put it has made me wonder whether you are serious or not about testing batteries with bare hands......

I've seen him. He's bald on top but it's not total - if you look carefully it looks like a crop circle. His ear hair sticks straight out and cell phones refuse to work in a 30ft radius around him. He starts his bike by tapping the electronic ignition, and even though his bar end weights sometimes melt after a particularly frantic ride, he CLAIMS it's due to incorrectly wiring his heated hand grips.

Sounds (and looks) suspiciously like an electro-junkie to me.

Jim2

[mangell6]

Marmoot - My brother assisted me with my first battery removal, 24v, from Grandfathers tractor, we were five and six. My grandfather couldn't workout how we got it down on to the ground. Try a car alternator for a kick, but I could never get the hang of tying up electric fence gates, no insulation just loop the wire together.

Jim2 - The hairstyle is a family trait and the earhair is now removed to allow the XR1000 to fit and the wifes bike has the heated grips. (see ya tomorrow )

Mike

[Jackrat]

Ok.If she,s turning over as per normal it,s not your battery.
Pull the spark plug an test it by pluging it back into the HT lead an while holding it with insulated something against head or barrel of bike,Crank it over an watch for spark,If no spark then you either have a very stuffed plug or it,s time to check your coil,If you have spark then don,t asume the plug is ok,
as it may still fail under load.When you first pull the plug make sure you notice if it is wet with gas,if you have cranked it over a few times it should be.If when you check the plug you are geting a nice fat spark,hopefully it is good so do this.Trikle about a tea spoon of fuel into plug hole and put the plug back in,fast so the gas don,t dry up.hook up the HT lead an hit the button.If the plug is good it should fire an run a few seconds.Don,t put more than a tea spoon of gas in,it will be heaps.If it won,t fire then there is a chance your plug is failing under load,Take your spare plug,(You do have one aye)Yeah course you do.Test new plug same way as before.If plug is good then you probably have a fuel problem but try the trikle priming test again.If the bike does fire an then stop after priming then you do have a fuel problem
It is now time to strip an clean your carb,put a fuel filter in the gas line,drain an refill the tank ect ect.If you get no spark at all when checking your plug.
Take off your kill switch,spray with WD40 or that other shit I never use myself
and work the switch a dozen times or more making sure it is clean ect.If still no spark.Get your little brother or some other suitable sucker to hold the end of the HT lead while you crank it over.If there is power coming out that lead your bro, or ex mate will let you know.If not then it is time to vist your local bike shop.
Cheers.

[Magua]

errr oh um, sorry. Thanks for all the help but it turns out that I wasn't using the choke properly

Thanks anyway guys for all the help and suggestions.

[James Deuce]

errr oh um, sorry. Thanks for all the help but it turns out that I wasn't using the choke properly

Thanks anyway guys for all the help and suggestions.

It's all part of the learning process and at least you have a whole bunch of information about trouble shooting starting your bike!

Happy New Year

Jim2

[Jackrat]

errr oh um, sorry. Thanks for all the help but it turns out that I wasn't using the choke properly

Thanks anyway guys for all the help and suggestions.

Yep been there too
All part of the curve,have fun.

[Indiana_Jones]

-Indy

[k14]

Dont worry. I once tried to get my bike going for a few hours just to find i hadnt turned the kill switch off

[georgedubyabush]

Dont worry. I once tried to get my bike going for a few hours just to find i hadnt turned the kill switch off

Turning the key to slightly past the 'On' position is a good one too.

[jrandom]

or you could be like me and panic when the bike stutters and stalls approaching the Harbour Bridge, oh shit, thought there was enough gas in there, fortunately I haven't run out of mway shoulder yet so pull over and scratch my head for five minutes contemplating the best way to push it back to a gas station until I realise that

- I've been happily running the fuel tap on reserve and relying on the fuel gauge and tripmeter, thereby getting out of the whole 'switch to reserve and fill up' mindset; and

- the guy at the shop turned the tap back to main before handing the bike back and there's still 1/5 tank left...

d'oh!

[Hitcher]

My Dad told me there were only three things responsible for successful ignition: fuel, spark and compression. After having played around with sulky two-stroke engines over many years (remember when lawn mowers had two strokes, not to mention the first two-stroke farm bikes), I have to concede that he was right.