Topic: 400F won't start

[petercb750]

Folks - the wife's mint 400F has been sitting un-started for about 2 months. It's always been a bit of a #$%* to get started after a long spell (still talking about the bike here  ), but with persistence usually fires up and runs sweet. This time I have run the battery down a bit, but noticed that I have very little spark in #1 and #4 (held plugs against engine and only a little spark every now an then) whereas #2 and #3 seem a lot stronger and consistent. Have cleaned and gapped the plugs, cleaned a gapped points. Bike was running fine last time out, and always starts on the button after its been run. Its getting fuel because the plugs were a bit wet from the attempted starting (dried them off and turned motor over with them out to dry out the cylinders a bit).
I don't know if you are supposed to do this, but I cranked it over a few times with the charger connected to the battery which gives it a bit more kick, but still didn't seem to be a very strong crank, and the same sparks were still weak.
I have removed the battery now and put it on charge and retired to the bar to await its new life, but could the weak spark in 1 and 4 be attributed to the weak battery? A search of the FAQs suggests this might be something to suspect. Could I reasonably expect stronger spark (and perhaps a running motor) after the charge-up? Or do you think I have coil problems? I have no equipment that I could use to test any electrics, and even if I did, I doubt my ability to dig much deeper than I already have.
Any thoughts/ideas would be great - cheers!!
Peter.
 

[750goes]

Have another drink at the bar, retire for tomorrow brings another day and a freshly charged battery

the morning after.......

check for a brighter spark now that it hopefully has full capacity battery....how's the hangover...... .

[Trevor from Warragul]

My CBX does the same thing.  Simple solution - drain the carbies, refill, & she'll start right up.

[Uncle Ernie]

First of all, these little guys need to be run, and run hard.  Get Stab'l and use it religiously. 
Second, how old is your battery?  If it's less than 2 years old, does it have fluid to the proper level?  If the battery has sat for a long time or it's getting close to 3 years old, you need a new battery. It may take a charge long enough to get a decent reading, but it's not getting to the plugs.
3rd (just found this out myself)- when is the last time you adjusted the valves.  One of mine was so far out I couldn't even start the thing.

[Klark Kent]

unky ern

for those of us not baptised unto the church of stabil, can you define "religiously"  I use seafoam with regularity, just because it makes me feel like  am doing something, and I am still working out the kinks so i do not run it as often as i will one day soon.  It feels like foamy cheap insurance.  I forget how much stabil is but somehow i got the impression that i'd be better off with seafoam care to change my mind?  seafoam vs. stabil.  and if either one saves peter's wife's 400 then it wont be a threadjacking. 
-KK

[petercb750]

check for a brighter spark now that it hopefully has full capacity battery....how's the hangover...... .

In a word - #$%*. But lots of spark (bike, not me!).

Er Houston, we have lift off. Yeeha. But still had to resort to the kick starter to avoid running the battery down again. Helped by an hour of grunting, swearing and threatening to bury it, removing air cleaner seemed to help too - time for a full tune-up and some of that sta-bil stuff I reckon. You're right Uncle Ernie - been a while since valves done, and the battery levels were a little down, but not too bad.
Now to take it out on the road and give it a damn good thrashing. Should fix the hangover too!

Thanks guys for your ideas.
Peter.

[Uncle Ernie]

Mr Kent, I guess we're even because I don't know what Seafoam is.  Stab'l is  a brand name fuel stabilizer. They usually come in a plastic bottle that you squeeze and a pre-measured amount comes into the spout.  In the bikes that I don't "rotate" as often, I add it to the gas everytime I stop. That way I'm sure that it's in the carbs. I always turn the gas off before I stop, but just to make sure... On some bikes I use a one-two of Stab'l and some Marvel Mystery Oil. I actually think they do similar things, but the MMO lubes the cylinders a bit as the bikes runs.  I learned that on '50s era BMWs. I could be full-o-shyte on that count, but I've run all day in hot temps and never had a seizure. 

[bryanj]

All the Hondas, using todays gas, need the carbs drained if they stand for more than 7 days max, some less than that

[malcolmgb]

All the Hondas, using todays gas, need the carbs drained if they stand for more than 7 days max, some less than that

why should you need to drain after 7 days with modern fuels? I'm away for 14 days you have me worried now about my return home

[bryanj]

You dont HAVE to but it will strt a lot quicker if, immediately before trying to start, you drain out the float bowls and let fresh fuel in. The high octain aromatics just aint in the new fuels and what is there evaporates off quicker. The more modern Hondas, starting at the CX500 and twin cam 750/900's, even when new did not like standing for more than 7 days