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Thread: HALP: Typical “bike won’t start” post

  1. #1
    Join Date
    7th December 2018 - 16:22
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    Honda vt250 spada
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    HALP: Typical “bike won’t start” post

    92 Honda Spada
    Has no spark - can’t work out why.

    Plugs are new, coils just don’t both fuck out at once - will measure resistance tomorrow.
    Starter cranks it over; sometimes it coughs and chucks the starter, but as of now it just won’t go.
    Started and ran very poorly with stator cover off. Wouldn’t start again after that.
    Certainly has fuel and compression.

    Was an intermittent fault until this morning, now it’s fucked my weekend and the time until the car is back from the garage.

    Any ideas?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    1st September 2007 - 21:01
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    1993 Yamaha FJ 1200
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yokomama View Post
    ... Any ideas?
    Do you enjoy walking ... ???

    The best way to fault find is when the fault is intermittent ... Ignore that fault and you have one issue. It wont go. Who can you blame for not sorting it ... when it was "Just" an "Intermittent" issue ... ???

    A. Have you actually looked at the plugs ... ??? IS THERE SPARK ... or NOT.

    B. "Coughs and chucks the starter" .. ??? Fuel ... is it getting any.

    C. "Started and ran very poorly with stator cover off" ... did you put the cover on again .. ??

    To run it needs fuel, air, and heat (spark) Figure out what it's NOT getting ...
    When life throws you a curve ... Lean into it ...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    28th January 2015 - 16:17
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    2000 Ducati ST2
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    Ideas:

    - check voltages at the coils, make sure they're getting the full 12V

    - check voltage drop at the battery on starting - perhaps the starter motor is pulling too much juice and the battery is sagging to the point where it can't spark? If so then check for carbon fouling across the starter brushes and commutator, or stuffed bearings

    - check voltage drops through the loom: battery fully charged, bike switched on, go looking for connectors / relays / fuses which seem to have a volt or two being dropped across them

    - new plugs maybe? What state are the old ones in?

    - how old is the fuel in the bike?

    - go through the bike and check earth / grounding connections, high resistances across one of these will cause all sorts of grief. Can oxidise underneath apparently tight connection

    - kill switch: strip, clean, check, a short or bad connection here could do this

    Hope this helps.

  4. #4
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    28th October 2012 - 13:59
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    Possibly your trigger coil failed ( or associated wiring) or kill switch or any other safety switch.
    Political Correctness, the chief weapon of whiney arse bastards

  5. #5
    Join Date
    1st June 2014 - 21:23
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    Ducati 748R
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    nelson
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    feed it some ether while turning over, if it starts you have no fuel.

  6. #6
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    7th December 2018 - 16:22
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    Turns out this was a complete fib.

    Left the poor thing at the old mans house overnight. Googled every god damn thing else I thought I might’ve missed relevant to the spada (which is coming across as a bit of a unicorn in the bike world).
    The one thing I found I didn’t manage to try once I was home was to try start it with the fuel cap open.
    It worked - the por thing spluttered into life, but died again.

    There is a vacuum line from fuel tap to one of the carbs: This is our culprit. I don’t know why. Pop it off and the bike starts. Put it back on once it’s running and it’s happy enough. Likelihood of it starting again with the vacuum line on (whilst hot) is minimal.

    So - what the fucks going on here??? Wonder if it’s ok to just leave the vacuum line off.
    Mods please move to appropriate board :3

  7. #7
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    1st March 2017 - 06:23
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    Ahh. Gunge in the air breather in the cap?
    High miles, engine knock, rusty chrome, worn pegs...
    Brakes as new

  8. #8
    Join Date
    1st September 2007 - 21:01
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yokomama View Post
    Turns out this was a complete fib.

    Left the poor thing at the old mans house overnight. Googled every god damn thing else I thought I might’ve missed relevant to the spada (which is coming across as a bit of a unicorn in the bike world).
    The one thing I found I didn’t manage to try once I was home was to try start it with the fuel cap open.
    It worked - the por thing spluttered into life, but died again.

    There is a vacuum line from fuel tap to one of the carbs: This is our culprit. I don’t know why. Pop it off and the bike starts. Put it back on once it’s running and it’s happy enough. Likelihood of it starting again with the vacuum line on (whilst hot) is minimal.

    So - what the fucks going on here??? Wonder if it’s ok to just leave the vacuum line off.
    Mods please move to appropriate board :3
    The fuel tank vent and the vacuum lines are two separate issues.

    Clean out the vent on the cap to prevent one issue.

    The vacuum tap needs a clean probably. Your fuel tap usually has three settings ... Off, Run (normal use), and prime (to shortcut the vacuum valve). Set your fuel tap to prime and fuel should flow.

    Check vacuum mechanism by sucking on the bottom of the vacuum line (engine off and tap set to run/on. Fuel should flow as you suck, no fuel should come out the vacuum line.
    When life throws you a curve ... Lean into it ...

  9. #9
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    7th December 2018 - 16:22
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    I’ll have a hoon on the fuel cap - often wondered how it breathed.

    Fuel tap has RUN - OFF - RES(erve). Gave it a proper clean out having read the horror stories about spada fuel taps.
    The issue was present before then.

    I’ll give the vacuum line a cheeky gobbie too and see what it does.


    Thanks gents - will report results later on.

  10. #10
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    1st September 2007 - 21:01
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yokomama View Post
    I’ll have a hoon on the fuel cap - often wondered how it breathed.

    Fuel tap has RUN - OFF - RES(erve). Gave it a proper clean out having read the horror stories about spada fuel taps.
    The issue was present before then.

    I’ll give the vacuum line a cheeky gobbie too and see what it does.


    Thanks gents - will report results later on.
    Reserve MAY prime it ... maybe ... try .. ??

    A quick Google of Spada fuel taps said Honda can no longer supply them. Repair kits may be available. Thus ... be careful with your tap.
    When life throws you a curve ... Lean into it ...

  11. #11
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    1st September 2007 - 21:01
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    When life throws you a curve ... Lean into it ...

  12. #12
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    7th December 2018 - 16:22
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    Yeah believe me I found those threads about the fuel taps.

    Cleaned the fuel cap out - not the problem.
    Unsure what the vacuum lines doing but it tends to like starting without it

    We are back to intermittent spark - have plonked me old plugs in the leads and earthed them against the frame. Sometimes LOADS of spark, other times null.

    So now I’m assuming there’s one stupid little dicky wire somewhere fucking up my life, cuz once it’s going, it’s going.

  13. #13
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    7th December 2018 - 16:22
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    Fired straight up this morning and got me to work.
    Didn’t want to get me home, so that’s where it’s staying.

    No spark.

    Intermittent electrical gremlin: short of chucking a match at it, is there a gum and paper clip fix for it or am I taking it to someone and paying shitloads for a diagnosis?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    28th January 2015 - 16:17
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    Check voltage at coils, be certain that you aren't dropping volts through the loom.

  15. #15
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    7th December 2018 - 16:22
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    I’ve admitted defeat. Dads lent me a scooter of all things.
    As soon as the little guy starts, it’s going to the honda shop, conveniently about 200 metres from work.

    Will post results.

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