Frustrated that used bike I bought is not starting now!

[ra2ras]

Is it possible to diagnose any timing/valve issues from the sound of the engine? Any experts here? Thanks in advance.

New video by Rajesh Acharya

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I also noticed some weird sounds and hesitations at ~3,000 RPM. Hope they go away.

 

[Ss1]

Great sound)) Yamaha, this is a bucket of bolts, as we call it))

 

[Madhatter]

my 2012 after a long trip (which it performed perfectly) , on the next day being home would not start no matter what I did for a week , then it started .... never could figure out why.
glad yours has started .

 

[Fordf350]

I wonder if during the general dusting you may have ”fixed“ a loose connection or wiring issue. About ten years ago my Toyota Tacoma had the same crank/no start issue. Fortunately I was at home . Did all the things you did with no luck. Let it sit about a week, took apart every electrical connection I could find and cleaned and greased them. Started right up no problem since. I wish I knew which one was the culprit. Glad for your success. Happy trails

 

[whisperquiet]

The S10 requires a firm push and some duration of the start button. It doesn’t just spring to life like other bikes I recently owned. My Versys 300, Tracer 900 GT, and Tenere 700 started instantly with just a brief touch of the starter button……not so with any of the Super Teneres I’ve owned.
I had a hard start issue twice with my first Gen bikes and none with my second Gen.

 

[Cycledude]

Glad to see it Finally started !
Unfortunately hard or no start has been a very common issue with the Super Tenere but Yamaha likes to pretend it never happens. Don’t know if it still exists but there was a more than 50 page thread about the no start-hard start issue.
Happened twice to my 2013 but fortunately it happened at home in my garage both times. Thankfully it Has never happened to my 2018, I suspect the no start issue is mostly caused by the weak starter Yamaha uses in the Super Tenere but as far as I know there is no more powerful starter available that fits the Super Tenere.
I do carry a battery jump pack just Incase .

 

[Squibb]

Glad to see you are back in action.

Let's not forget the slow crank initially sees the engine turning over with the automatic decompressor activated. Once spun up, then the exhaust valve closes & the motor can fire up. Hence a lengthy press of the starter button may be needed, max 10 seconds, to make sure it catches cleanly.

Those of us running more recent tech on bikes/cars have got used to the idea of just jabbing the start button & leaving the rest to the ECU, which will only lead to pain with an S10.

 

[sheikyerbooty]

good news you got her going. i'd still shell out for a new batt and a decent batt tender, if you hav'nt already

 

[ra2ras]

@Fordf350 may be possible. Over the winter I plan to do a thorough tune-up and overhaul, so whatever it is may be resolved.

@whisperquiet good to know. Will keep that in mind. Thanks.

@Cycledude I bought a Costco lithium jump start kit too. Itis surprisingly compact and light.

@Squibb Will keep that in mind. Thanks.

I am getting to know the idiosyncrasies of this Gen 1 bike. Questions for the experienced re. starting:

When I start, I understand I have to press the start button for up to 10 secs firmly. What do I do with the throttle? 1. Do not touch, 2. WOT or 3. 3/4 turn?

 

[whisperquiet]

I went with option 1…….do not touch and do not attempt to start until everything has cycled when you turn the key on.

 

[Sierra1]

I went with option 1…….do not touch and do not attempt to start until everything has cycled when you turn the key on.

Yeah, I mentioned that early on, and he said he was doing so. 'Cuz I know until I realized this tid bit of info, I would occasionally have an issue.

 

[lund]

@Fordf350 may be possible. Over the winter I plan to do a thorough tune-up and overhaul, so whatever it is may be resolved.

@whisperquiet good to know. Will keep that in mind. Thanks.

@Cycledude I bought a Costco lithium jump start kit too. Itis surprisingly compact and light.

@Squibb Will keep that in mind. Thanks.

I am getting to know the idiosyncrasies of this Gen 1 bike. Questions for the experienced re. starting:

When I start, I understand I have to press the start button for up to 10 secs firmly. What do I do with the throttle? 1. Do not touch, 2. WOT or 3. 3/4 turn?

Anything that is EFI you never touch the throttle. The only exception to that rule is if the motor gets flooded which is extremely rare but happens. Then it is WOT only.
Here is the deal with the XTZ1200 and hard starting at times.
Yamaha used a starting motor that is too weak from the get-go and unfortunately there are no options available.
The amp draws from the starter even when new is very high on these and in little time as the battery ages the draw go's even higher to the point that the ECU will not activate. On occasion the fuel injectors will start to inject fuel, but the ignition will not happen because of the high amp draw taken from the starter. Thus, a compounded problem now causing a flooded situation.
It is very important with the XTZ when starting to allow the ECU to completely activate and even allow the fuel pump to prime 100% on first start up in the morning. Doing so will give the starter the max amount of battery current available without possibly shutting down the ECU.
To add to this, dudes running aftermarket lights with no off switches, in other words on when key is on can be more prone to having this no start.

 

[ra2ras]

Anything that is EFI you never touch the throttle. The only exception to that rule is if the motor gets flooded which is extremely rare but happens. Then it is WOT only.
Here is the deal with the XTZ1200 and hard starting at times.
Yamaha used a starting motor that is too weak from the get-go and unfortunately there are no options available.
The amp draws from the starter even when new is very high on these and in little time as the battery ages the draw go's even higher to the point that the ECU will not activate. On occasion the fuel injectors will start to inject fuel, but the ignition will not happen because of the high amp draw taken from the starter. Thus, a compounded problem now causing a flooded situation.
It is very important with the XTZ when starting to allow the ECU to completely activate and even allow the fuel pump to prime 100% on first start up in the morning. Doing so will give the starter the max amount of battery current available without possibly shutting down the ECU.
To add to this, dudes running aftermarket lights with no off switches, in other words on when key is on can be more prone to having this no start.

Thank you so much @lund . This is the best explanation of what is really going on in the start-up process for S10. Coming from a carburetted motorcycle, this is very valuable info for me, to understand the differences and the idiosyncracies of this bike.

@lund, hmm... how does one know that the ECU is completely activated and fuel pump primed after turning the key? Wait for the dashboard green light or listen to some specific sounds?

I do plan to add aux lights and other electrical mods, so important points re. current draw. Will make sure to have on/off switches and use the factory connectors rather than going to the battery directly.

 

[whisperquiet]

Thank you so much @lund . This is the best explanation of what is really going on in the start-up process for S10. Coming from a carburetted motorcycle, this is very valuable info for me, to understand the differences and the idiosyncracies of this bike.

I do plan to add aux lights and other electrical mods, so important points re. current draw. Will make sure to have on/off switches and use the factory connectors rather than going to the battery directly.

A YTZ14S battery is your friend when replacing the stock battery……same size dimensions with more oooomph!

 

[ra2ras]

A YTZ14S battery is your friend when replacing the stock battery……same size dimensions with more oooomph!

So a NOCO NLP14 (lithium) with 500 CCA would be even better right? If I get a new one, I will get a lithium battery.

 

[Bill_C]

I run a lithium battery and run all of my aux gadgets through a PDM60 by Rowe Electronics. The PDM60 is small, simple, and programmable. It allows me to set a delay for all of my auxiliary electronics.
I turn the key, wait for the fuel pump sounds and dashboard lights to stop doing their thing, and then start my bike. The other aux items come to life after 20 seconds. This has proven to be pretty foolproof. Might be a bit of overkill, but I like it.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

 

[Sierra1]

. . . . hmm... how does one know that the ECU is completely activated and fuel pump primed after turning the key? Wait for the dashboard green light or listen to some specific sounds? . . . .

Bill is right, that's how I do it. I have no aux anything. But I also learned to not release the starter 'till the motor starts completely. If you release the start button to soon, and it doesn't keep running, it can be a bitch to get started.

 

[Purnong]

Yamaha used a starting motor that is too weak from the get-go and unfortunately there are no options available.
The amp draws from the starter even when new is very high on these and in little time as the battery ages the draw go's even higher to the point that the ECU will not activate. On occasion the fuel injectors will start to inject fuel, but the ignition will not happen because of the high amp draw taken from the starter. Thus, a compounded problem now causing a flooded situation.
It is very important with the XTZ when starting to allow the ECU to completely activate and even allow the fuel pump to prime 100% on first start up in the morning. Doing so will give the starter the max amount of battery current available without possibly shutting down the ECU.

I wonder if it's worth upgrading the cables to the starter? There could be a fair bit of voltage drop happening here as well which wouldn't help
I might have a play with that next weekend

But I also learned to not release the starter 'till the motor starts completely. If you release the start button to soon, and it doesn't keep running, it can be a bitch to get started.

I noticed that too and do the same thing, haven't had any problems since doing it this way

 

[2aroundtheworld]

We just took Three(3) 2012 Super Tenere down to Baja and all of them are a little bit slow to start. It does not seem to matter which batteries they have (they are all different).

It is very interesting to have 3 bikes of similar mileage (~28000) riding together as you can compare the behaviors.
As far as I remember none of them have had the wiring recall done, or the cam tensioner replaced.

 

[Strummer]

We just took Three(3) 2012 Super Tenere down to Baja and all of them are a little bit slow to start. It does not seem to matter which batteries they have (they are all different).

It is very interesting to have 3 bikes of similar mileage (~28000) riding together as you can compare the behaviors.
As far as I remember none of them have had the wiring recall done, or the cam tensioner replaced.

View attachment 97399

Is it just me or one is missing?