HARD START

[Krabill]

Re: Very hard starting today

I'll add another one here since I was asked to.

This is the 2nd time I've had this problem. This time was the same as last time. I washed my bike ::010::

I thought that maybe last time I didn't get the bike warm enough after I dried it off and "put it away wet", which lead to the hard start the next day. This time I let the bike warm up completely after I dried it off. Even rode it around the block before I parked it back in the garage.

Get up this morning to go to work and the damn thing didn't want to start at all. Cranked and cranked and cranked. I guess I just finally got lucky and she fired up, but she sure wasn't happy about it. Kinda sucks that my "adventure" bike isn't waterproof.

 

[dcstrom]

Re: Very hard starting today

I'll add another one here since I was asked to.

Thanks mate! When it finally started - anything you did different? Full throttle perhaps? Fuel smell? White smoke when it finally started?

Trevor

 

[Krabill]

Re: Very hard starting today

Last time it happened, full throttle got me going pretty quickly. This time it didn't seem to do much.

Yes, there was fuel smell.

In the end, it finally caught at full throttle, but I tried full, none, and everything in between many, many times.

 

[20valves]

Re: Very hard starting today

Cold weather? Alcohol in the gas or 100% gasoline?

 

[maddog5150]

Re: Very hard starting today

I have been scared of this thread, but luckily so far have not been affected by it. I did wash my bike yesterday and made certain to drive a lot hoping to avoid any issues. This was the first time that I washed it at one of the commercial drive in pressure washer car washes. I shut the bike off while I was washing it, but then started it right away afterwards while I dried it. I watched the temp gauge as I dried and it did 2 full cycles where it hit 221 degrees and the cooling fan came on. I left it running and took the "long way" home which was about an additional 10 mins of run time. I parked it after that and it fired up no problem this morning despite being 24 degrees.

So luckily, I have not had the problem, but I have to say that the bike since new has always sounded weak when cranking over. It always starts after 3-4 cranks, but it just seems weak to me. Like others have stated it could either be too small a battery, or too small a starter motor. It would be nice if we can collectively pinpoint the exact issue so we can do something to avoid any future issues

Also tank was full of 92 octane and 6 ounces of Seafoam at time of wash and startup.....

 

[Krabill]

Re: Very hard starting today

Cold weather? Alcohol in the gas or 100% gasoline?

I just now went back through and read the rest of this thread where people are trying to figure out if it is weather/gasoline related.

Let me just get something out right now.

I have 9 motorcycles in my garage. They all start just fine in the same weather conditions and with the same gasoline in them . . . except the Tenere.

The Tenere will not start the day after I wash it and put it away for the night. I've washed it twice and both times it would not start the next day. This weekend I washed 4 of my bikes. All in the same weather and all with the same gasoline in them. 3 of them would start just fine this morning. The Tenere would not. There is no other explanation I can come up with other than something is getting wet that shouldn't be.

 

[dcstrom]

Re: Very hard starting today

Good to know... washing seems to be the problem in your case. BTW you are the only person I've heard of that has had this problem more than once...

In my case water wasn't involved, but the bike had been sitting for 2 weeks. Some other cases didn't involve washing, so it's not JUST a water issue we are chasing...

I just now went back through and read the rest of this thread where people are trying to figure out if it is weather/gasoline related.

Let me just get something out right now.

I have 9 motorcycles in my garage. They all start just fine in the same weather conditions and with the same gasoline in them . . . except the Tenere.

The Tenere will not start the day after I wash it and put it away for the night. I've washed it twice and both times it would not start the next day. This weekend I washed 4 of my bikes. All in the same weather and all with the same gasoline in them. 3 of them would start just fine this morning. The Tenere would not. There is no other explanation I can come up with other than something is getting wet that shouldn't be.

 

[Krabill]

Re: Very hard starting today

Yeah, I just wanted to clear up the weather/climate/gasoline issue. It is a bike problem, not some outside source problem. The issue is with the Tenere itself . . . somewhere ::010::

 

[HoebSTer]

Re: Very hard starting today

Krabill, If you continue to see the pattern of not starting, then give it another bath then park it at the dealer and let them do a series of tests with electronic various devices unitl they find the issue!!!! It is under warranty!!!!

 

[Kevhunts]

Re: Very hard starting today

I was going to suggest someone look to see if water/condensate is gettiing into the stop switch but not everyone's issue involves water

 

[Behmer]

Re: Very hard starting today

Just like Eric V I've been through this many times with an FJR, usually after sitting for an extended time. I finally tracked it down to a flooding problem on mine. If I unplugged the fuel pump it would start to fire, plug it back in and no fire. The way I got it to start is to hold the starter button down and then turn the key on. This way it isn't pushing fuel into it before being cranked. It still takes some fiddling with the throttle but it would start this way for me.
I've since started running Yamaha Ring Free through it a few times a year and knock on wood haven't had the problem since. In my case I think it's the oxygenated fuel causing problems with the fuel system. I haven't had the issue with the Tenere yet but around here I'm able to use Premium that is non oxygenated and I think that may make a difference. Time wil tell as I get around the country on it and fill up with other fuels.

 

[GrahamD]

Re: Very hard starting today

Well looky here...

Does this sound familiar?

http://www.tiger800.co.uk/index.php?topic=3800.0

 

[dcstrom]

Re: Very hard starting today

Well looky here...

Does this sound familiar?

http://www.tiger800.co.uk/index.php?topic=3800.0

Interesting - I ran across these vids yesterday. I hate to say it, but the F800GS has far more problems than the S10... Y'know I get no pleasure out of putting the boot into BMW right? ::025::

F800GS Stalling

F800GS stalling when cold

F800GS won't start

 

[GrahamD]

Re: Very hard starting today

I'm starting to think that the emissions regulations are getting a bit hard to cope with...

I wonder how the new V-Stroms / Gladys' motors will go / are going.

I must see if I can find any...

 

[markjenn]

Re: Very hard starting today

Had my first hard-start episode last night.

Conditions: About ten days since last run, battery presumably in good shape (cranked over normally), 40-deg temps. No washing involved. Only slightly unusual thing was clear skies but high humidity due to recent rain/snow on ground - it ended up being a ground fog night with lots of black ice.

Rolled bike out of garage, attempted stat with no throttle (as usual). Normally, the bike would immediately fire up and go to a fast idle. Bike wouldn't "catch". It would crank for a second or two, then fire briefly for a few revs, but wouldn't keep running. I attempted about five starts this way, all the same. Cycled ignition off for a few seconds, then back on. Tried again. Same result - sporadic firing, but no normal transition from start to fast idle. I was really getting the impression I could have done this for hours with the same result.

So after about ten attempts, I paused, went to WOT, and cranked again. She immediately fired up and ran normally.

Puzzling problem.

- Mark

 

[Koinz]

Re: Very hard starting today

Had my first hard-start episode last night.

Conditions: About ten days since last run, battery presumably in good shape (cranked over normally), 40-deg temps. No washing involved. Only slightly unusual thing was clear skies but high humidity due to recent rain/snow on ground - it ended up being a ground fog night with lots of black ice.

Rolled bike out of garage, attempted stat with no throttle (as usual). Normally, the bike would immediately fire up and go to a fast idle. Bike wouldn't "catch". It would crank for a second or two, then fire briefly for a few revs, but wouldn't keep running. I attempted about five starts this way, all the same. Cycled ignition off for a few seconds, then back on. Tried again. Same result - sporadic firing, but no normal transition from start to fast idle. I was really getting the impression I could have done this for hours with the same result.

So after about ten attempts, I paused, went to WOT, and cranked again. She immediately fired up and ran normally.

Puzzling problem.

- Mark

This is pretty much how mine occurred. The prolonged humidity seams to affect it as well. I haven't ripped into it yet to seal everything with di-electric silicone, Has anyone done that yet and had persistant issues?

 

[pluric]

Re: Very hard starting today

After never having an issue I tried to start mine. It had been sitting in the garage for about 2 weeks.
Acted like it would start, died and then just cranked and cranked with an occasional sputter.
Smelled flooded. ??? I kept it up a few more times and then cranked the throttle some.

It finally started. I let it run for a minute and shut it off. Next morning started fine. It has been
raining or snowing off and on this week too.

 

[dcstrom]

Re: Very hard starting today

I haven't ripped into it yet to seal everything with di-electric silicone, Has anyone done that yet and had persistant issues?

I don't know of anyone that's had "persistant" issues - I heard of it happening twice to someone, but that doesn't qualify. I would actually be good if someone DID have persistant issues, then Yamaha would have to get to the root of the problem.

For the di-electric silicone, sounds like a big job. When you don't know which connections are the problem, do you do them all? I don't think it's a water issue anyway - otherwise it would happen more often after a wash.

 

[bikerdoc]

Re: Very hard starting today

I'm wondering if there's an element in this concerning humidity or some other temperature/environment variance that could cause this AND that this has an affect on EFI motorcycles. In this thread I'd already outlined in an earlier post that I'd had some similar starting issues with my 2010 maxi scoot which has EFI (Euro3 compliant) whereas my 2007 Dragstar classic 1100 which is carburetted started with out drama event if its just been sitting for weeks without being started. My maxi scoot had several episodes where it wouldn't start as per the usual starting routine from cold i.e. ignition on, allow the ECU/computer management to do its checks (speedo needle would sweep back n forth, little red light would momentarily flash, fuel pump or similar sound would seem to go quiet) then press the starter button without any use of throttle and the engine would start first time. However during particularly humid days throughout this past summer, sometimes this would not occur. As others have mentioned here I resorted to sometimes opening the throttle wide open as the starting sounded as though it was starving fuel. This would sometimes work, other times the battery would run out of puff. I'd connect up a little trickle charger in these instances. Naturally there'd often be a strong fuel smell too as would be expected when the throttle was wide open. Though on occasion there'd be an accompanying fuel smell in the absence of me cracking the throttle. Sometimes, I'd open up the air filter and remove the foam element and this would work - bike would start and other times, I'd go through the hassle of removing the spark plug, clean it some and dry it out then she'd fire right up afterwards. Hasn't happened since the really hot part of the summer. Now at the tail end of winter here.
Remember this was on my maxi scoot, before I'd bought the XT12/S10.

Like I say, I'm wondering if this is a common issue that plagues motorcycles with EFI systems when the air/environment is hot/humid etc.

 

[Kevhunts]

Re: Very hard starting today

I just remembered something my former BMW dealer had told me regarding the starting of BMW fuel injected bikes. He said to avoid starting issues, always wait for the gauge needles to sweep and warning lights to finish cycling before hitting the start button, otherwise strange things can happen. Granted we were talking about BMW's at the time but....

How many of you with starting issues wait for the ECU to cycle through it's little checks before hitting the start button? Just a thought :question: