Why oh why are bikes SO unpredictable?

[Bob]

I will never understand bikes. Ever. The XV535 Virago I bought for my wife Laura for Christmas. It wasn't starting, but then it had sat there for a fortnight. So put it on the trickle charger... and the story goes as follows:

Charge one battery to max, connect to bike. You struggle to get it to start. Eventually managed to get it going - took for quick blat round locally. Running nicely, so put it away again.

Leave for 24 hours, come home, push bike out, choke to max, get wife to sit on it (rather, she insisted she had first go), let her sit it up - but with sidestand still down, turn key, thumb starter... and it fires up first time.

Madness. If anything, 24 hours sitting there since taking it out should have made things worse surely?

Perhaps it sitting with the saddle off for 24 hours whilst charging got some damp in the electrics or something? Or going for a quick 7-mile whizz cleared some carp out of the carbs?

[MrMelon]

I think you might be overlooking a small but significant problem. Bikes generally don't run too well if they've got fish stuck in their carbs

[XTC]

I think you might be overlooking a small but significant problem. Bikes generally don't run too well if they've got fish stuck in their carbs

That's what I thouhht too.... :
Carp in the carbs!! Oh my Cod!

[Artifice]

isnt it obvious? bike sits there for 2 weeks, oil drains into sump, carbs evaporate most of the fuel in them. when you try to start it on coke you eventually either drain the battery trying to suck fuel through or flood the thing. but after a run the carbs have fresher fuel in them theres a bit more lube in the bearings and a fresh battery =
if you keep letting the carbs run dry like that you'll end up with the jets varnishing up.
just remember carb cleaner destroys rubber so dont get it on your seals/vacuum bladder thingy.

[Lou Girardin]

isnt it obvious? when you try to start it on coke

Try using gas.

[Artifice]

Try using gas.

ok ok, you got me.

i've had similar problems starting my gsxr. need to put the petrol switch on prime for a bit and then spray a bit of engine start in the airbox. beats running up and down till your blue in the face trying to push start it.

[SlowHand]

some carp out of the carbs?

Oh my Cod!

start it on coke

Hmm Albin sees a pattern emerging.. Give me a sec, I've almost got it..

[Qkchk:Me]

Are you sure it's not a Mazda? Had an Mx5 which had electrical probs when I first got it. Drove it around for a while and it cleared up. Maybe the bike just loves to be used and sulks when it's parked up? Funny as it might seem......

[mstriumph]

.... mebbe that's why they call them 'she'

[SlowHand]

.... mebbe that's why they call them 'she'

meh, doesnt count when a girl says it, just justifying their own actions

[mstriumph]

... justification? ... who needs JUSTIFICATION?????

[Gremlin]

Why oh why are bikes SO unpredictable?

Its because they are a part of us, an extension of our limbs and they needs love they does.

Don't love them, they don't love you. Chat to them, cuddle them, love them, they return the attention.

It's only a problem when you start trying pickup lines on it and trying to take it to bed. Its too heavy for that, you'd put your back out.

[Bob]

isnt it obvious? bike sits there for 2 weeks, oil drains into sump, carbs evaporate most of the fuel in them. when you try to start it on coke you eventually either drain the battery trying to suck fuel through or flood the thing. but after a run the carbs have fresher fuel in them theres a bit more lube in the bearings and a fresh battery =
if you keep letting the carbs run dry like that you'll end up with the jets varnishing up.
just remember carb cleaner destroys rubber so dont get it on your seals/vacuum bladder thingy.

First off - sorry about the "Carp" thing. This was also emailed to a couple of mates... one of whom picks it up at work and they've got a 'bad language' alert (all incoming stuff has keyword searches on it and I'm pretty sure bad language is something that gets searched for).

Second - do you really think two weeks is enough for that to happen? The battery running down I can believe (Viragos have a bad rep I understand for the battery draining). If that was a problem than you could never go on holiday for fear your bike (or bikes) would seize up! Over a period of months, then I could see it. But two weeks really isn't long. I could walk away from my SV for a couple of weeks, hit the button and it'd burst into life happily (and it is one of the older, carbed variety), first hit of the button.

That said, I think it (the Virago) sat in the previous owner's garage for a long time (and we are talking months) before selling on to the dealer we got it from. So getting a few miles under it's belt will do it the world of good.

[bluninja]

Glad I'm not the only one with starting problems. The X5 will start from cold on the electric start most times, or a quick kickstart if it hasn't caught after a few goes with the electric. However when it's warmed up it just refuses to start until I bump start it...go figure???

[Bob]

Just remember carb cleaner destroys rubber so dont get it on your seals/vacuum bladder thingy.

Sorry to come back to this, but I knew there was something bugging me in the back of my mind... such as it is.

You say "Carb cleaner destroys rubber". Don't carbs contain O-Rings, which are made of... rubber? So carb cleaner would destroy the very rubber components inside the carb that is needs to function, would it not?

Or am I missing something here?