Topic: I give up

[starion88esir]

This is getting rediculous. I should've bought a new sport bike as ugly as they are. Now I can't even get the bike to kick over at all, let alone "idle" with me gassing it to make sure it runs. I don't know what I'm doing. No one around here works on old bikes, I don't have a trailer to haul it, or a truck that could haul a trailer anywhere even if I could find a place to work on it.   

Anyone want a bike for $600? I'm still waiting for the p.o. to recieve the title but I do have the tile number for it around here somewhere so you have verification there is a title until it comes in.

I found out I was too stupid to work the choke right and attributed that to my non-idle, won't warm up issue. So I hook the tank and line back up and go to kick it over. Nothing, not a damn thing. This time I had the choke open (not fully but definately open) nothing. Open a little more. Give it a little throttle, and kick until I can barely stand and the bike is lurching forward as I kick. I give up. Please, someone save me from this misery.

[my78k]

don't know whether to laugh or cry with you on this one...believe me I for one have felt the very same way!!!

Just a thought as this is what cured my issue and something you can look at...

What happened was I had to run the choke due to plugged slow jets (even though I had sworn that I had gone through them twice!) while trying to diagnose carb issues etc I had no idea that the plugs had fouled  due to incorrect fuel/air mix...

I would try pulling the plugs and look for deposits i.e. carbon etc and either give them a good cleaning or put in new ones for 10$. Also double check that the battery is fully charged. (when I put the new plugs in it kicked over almost immediately!!)

You may have noticed that I am not even addressing you trying to sell me the bike because that is not an option...don't give up on it man! Have a pint sit down and post here...someone will help figure it out! Hell look back at my posts and you will see I posted damn near the exact same post as you just did...but with some encouragement and even taking a little break from it I got it going again...and I'm not even a good mechanic (or all that bright for that matter  )

Dennis

[starion88esir]

The battery has enough power to turn the dummy cluster light on but that's about it.   I don't know aything about motorcycle batteries but figured I could kick it over regardless.  Right...      (afraid of the answer here)  But for the most part the battery has been like that since I got the bike. Only difference was before I could get a slight (1 or 2 seconds) of kick on the electric starter.  But after it wouldn't do it anymore, it would still kick over for me (this was with the choke closed). I'll pull the plugs and check them.

[number13]

The battery has enough power to turn the dummy cluster light on but that's about it.

Well, there's your problem.
These bikes require a fully charged battery to start.
Try a new battery, or if you think it is good try
just recharging it.

[dusterdude]

ok guys,this man lives in the charlotte nc area,i know there has to be somebody close to him,give him some help here.

[starion88esir]

Ok, can I hook it up to a normal 12v charger?

[my78k]

That could definitely be part of the problem!!!

I'm not sure of the exact type and year etc of your bike but as far as I know all of the sohc's are the same in this regard but if I am wrong someone will correct me!

The battery has everything to do with it starting...I am an electrical moron so can't get into details of exactly why without referring back to old threads etc but basically our bikes need a decent charge in order to start. Do a search on charging issues etc on here and you will get all of the technical info etc. but basically without that charge the ignition system won't fire.

I am purposely trying to keep it really simple here so not even going to try to explain it because it doesn't matter...just trust me you need a decently charged battery in the system to get spark. Take a voltage reading of your battery if less than about 12.4 volts (if memory serves) then you will need to charge the battery. Use a bike battery charger with low amperage i.e. 1 to 1.5 amps otherwise you will fry the battery if it is not fried already. Also a large part of the problem is that our bikes won't charge the battery at idle...infact it won't even maintain a charge until around 1800-2000 rpms. This would explain why it is getting worse (and now totally dead).

I would basically kill this thread and do some reading in the tech section on charging and electrical questions and FAQ's. If the charging doesn't help the battery and ultimately your starting issues then repost this in the tech section but put  the thought of selling it out of your head dude...this too shall pass! It will rise again!

Another option although I don't recommend it but I know others have tried it and not broken anything is to "jump" it via a car battery briefly...I caution I against this and strongly suggest throwing it on the charger over night instead. As a last resort you could try it VERY briefly just to test my theory that it is just a dead battery preventing it from firing...

Dennis

edit - sorry someone less talkative beat to answering this post...as for the charger comment I would only use the "normal" battery charger if its a trickle charger or has a low amperage setting i.e. 1 to 1.5 amps as stated above

[TwoTired]

Ok, can I hook it up to a normal 12v charger?

There are several thousand varieties of "Normal 12V chargers", where normal is referenced to the battery they are charging.

You need a charger that limits charge current to 1.5 or 2 amps at most.


Philosphically speaking...
If you no longer wish to understand how your machine works and operates, and you do not enjoy working on the machine, and if your goal is to just ride a motorcycle and are impatient to do so, then you are quite right to sell your current machine needing TLC and purchase another that is ready to ride.

Cheers,

[eldar]

well I am looking at getting a new agm battery tonight. BUT, my current batt which is going bad, does not allow me to use the electric start but I can kick it over and it starts very easy and this is with the batt running 11 - 11.5 volts. No mods to the charging system or anything. I am just stating this since a fully charged batt is NOT required to start. I also run points and my stock coils. NO changes to the electrical system in any way. Other than a higher wattage headlight.

[starion88esir]

My charger won't work. It charges at 10 amps. Much more than everyone is stating.     I guess I need to break down and buy a motorcycle battery charger.  I guess I'll make sure it has a trickle option so when the bike sits I can just pull the battery so that it won't  die out on me.    I can't seem to find my multimeter to check the battery. I hope it's not one of my tools our old roomate took with him.

[ieism]

A charger is a pretty usefull item, even if you would have a brandnew bike.

When I first got my bike, it drove 100 miles and then stopped working altogether. I spend weeks trying to figure it out, and I even wanted to drive it into the river at one point.
I'm not that great at fixing bikes, prior to my CB i've never worked on any. It had so many things wrong with it the first year that I'm now at the point that I can name most parts on the bike and do my own maintanance. 
These are really reliable bikes. I've done more than 15.000 miles this year without a single problem.

Don't sell the bike. Fix the bike.

[eldar]

So your charger does not have a setting below 10 amps? Wow, most I see do. Well you dont need a motorcycle charger. a general purpose charger will work just fine. Just make sure it has an auto shutoff.