new to ST

dang

New Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2019
Messages
25
Location
Northeast Tennessee
HI Folks. Thanks for the add. i bought this 2014 SuperT Z in October. I've been on a KLR685 for off road and Royal star for street and road trips. Hoping the SuperT can do both so i can sell these other two bikes and maybe get a honda CFR250X. So far so good. i love this bike. i have plans to upgrade the bike and also some trips to Panama and Alaska when i retire in about 4 year. I have had two occasions when the motor turned over but it did not start. So i"m looking into why and what can i do. Glad to have this place to come to. thanks and looking foward to wearing this bike out!
 

JJTJ2

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2018
Messages
349
Location
Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Welcome to the forum. The forum is full of a great bunch of riders who are way more knowledgeable about the bike than I am. However, based on what I have read in other posts, the second gen bike (2014+) are very sensitive to battery voltage. My guess, and it is just a guess, is that your battery is on its last leg and needs to be replaced.
 

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
15,015
Location
Joshua TX
….My guess, and it is just a guess, is that your battery is on its last leg and needs to be replaced.
Welcome from Texas, Dang. Once again, I'm not saying he's not right, but my battery is definitely on it's last legs. Mine cranks hard, but always starts. For ME, the key is to let it go through it little cycle when you turn the key on, before you hit the ignition. The two times mine failed to start was when I put the key in, turned it on, and immediately hit the starter button. Since I started waiting, no fail to starts.
 

dang

New Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2019
Messages
25
Location
Northeast Tennessee
hey thanks Sierra 1. supposedly the previous owner put a new battery in it. i was told it had a new tire installed on it but it didnt. it turns over good but it's not hitting a lick. i do use the kill switch every time. i wait for the dashboard to get fully energized and to hear the fuel pump stop it hum before i hit the starter. i smell fuel. does fuel injection flood the engine? this is my 1st FI bike and not familiar at all
 

EricV

Riding, farkling, riding...
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
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2014 Site Supporter
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
8,292
Location
Tupelo, MS
Welcome to the forum dang. Please take a minute to add your location to your profile, it gives context to your posts and can help others give better answers to any questions you may have. The bikes vary a bit from Canada, EU and US markets.

EFI can flood the engine. This bike can suffer from wash down in some cases, where the fuel runs down the cylinder walls and washes off the oil, greatly reducing compression and making it hard to start.

As Sierra1 said, and you are doing, key on, wait for the gauge sweep to finish, then crank until it starts. If it seems like it's not catching, go to 3/4 to wide open throttle while you continue to crank and it will often fire off. If you have to repeat, remember to turn the key off since after the first start attempt the headlights will remain on. Turning the key off both 'resets' the ignition and turns off the headlights. The headlight relay only gets power when you let off the starter. But then it will stay on until the key is turned off.

A weak battery can make this problem occur. There is an upgrade battery option for the bike. Instead of the standard YTZ12S with 210CCA, you can opt for a YTZ14S with 230CCA. More lead and a noticeable improvement for most people in how fast it cranks. Some have gone to LithiumIron, (LiFe) batteries with good results too. More $$, more CCAs too.
 

dang

New Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2019
Messages
25
Location
Northeast Tennessee
Well she still will not start. I have had the battery on a charger for 3 days. Today I disconnected the battery then pulled the FI fuse. It omed out and looks good. Hook everything back up. Hook jumper cable from truck to bike. With truck running I Hit the starter and the voltage across the battery was 12.8V. Thing was spinning like a top but not hitting a lick. I can smell fuel. I guess next step in get into the plugs. Anyone suggest a good tutorial for that? Also, what else could it be? I’m getting close to hauling it down to the dealer. I really don’t want to do that l. I’ve only had this bike since October. My excitement has taken a nose dive. If I can just get past this it’ll be ok. I hope....
 

bigbob

Well-Known Member
2014 Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
Messages
1,671
Location
Des Moines, IA
Try pulling the FI fuse and cranking for 20 seconds OR until it pops. That should clear a flooded condition. Replace fuse and crank with full throttle.
 
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