What does your wife or girlfriend think about that?..........oh right your single, hmmm go figure. Of course I'm just jealous.

 

OK fellas...I bought a new plug and attached it to the spark plug wire, grounded it and hit start...good spark coming so I thought WTF? I got gas and spark. So I figured I'd pull the plug and take a look. Not so easy, that crappy wrench in the kit doesn't even fit. Off come the shrouds and the 3 bolts to hold the tank on. Jimmy the tank out of the way and you can get a deep socket on the plug...out she comes, a little bit dark, not too bad. In goes the new one..why not?

It fired right up.....WTF? Put her back together, but now I'm wondering why the fouled plug. When is that going to happen again?

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

Ok I know to some of you this is going to sound redundant, but look over this information again. do the procedure, and then if it doesn't work, let us know. I need feedback good bad or indifferent. I know it will work. I have three bikes and it has worked every time. And every time I don't do the procedure, the bikes would not start. So for me at least it has a 100% success rate.

Shut down procedure.

1. After riding as you are pulling into your driveway, or to speed things up you can do this a block from your house, turn off the gas.
2. Let the bike run until it actually dies from gas starvation, (this may take 2-5 minutes) But that's OK it will give you time to put away your gear.
3. Park it and now you're ready for the next time you ride whether that be in a day, or a month.

Start up procedure.

1. Turn on the gas
2. Wait for 10 seconds
3. Start the bike as you always do

 

You know there might be one factor that has been overlooked and forgotten. I have a battery maintainer, and I always keep the batteries topped off, in fact because I have the 12V accessory on each of the bikes, all I have to do is plug in the bikes and charge the batteries up to the top. So I wonder if because my bikes are always starting with a full battery they are starting easier? Remember a battery looses something like 1% each day it sits without a charge of some kind. Here is some good information for reference.
Tip: There are dozens of parts on a motorcycle that could be checked on a regular basis and there is nothing wrong with check all those parts. But try to slim the list down to the most important items so you still have time to ride. [/i]
The Battery
THE BASICS
First things first. A 12-volt battery is not a 12-volt battery. Twelve volts is just a nominal, convenient term used to distinguish one battery from another. A fully-charged 12-volt battery, allowed to "rest" for a few hours (or days) with no load being drawn from it (or charge going to it), will balance out its charge and measure about 12.6 volts between terminals.
When a battery reads only 12 volts under the above conditions, it's almost fully depleted. Actually, if a battery's resting voltage is only 12.0 to 12.1 it means only 20 to 25% of its useful energy remains. It's either a goner or it has been deep cycled, and a battery can only be deep-cycled a limited number of times before it is indeed dead.
12-volt batteries supply useful energy only through a limited range -- from over 14 volts (when fully charged and unrested) down to 10.5 volts in use/under load (when lights dim, your motorcycle is hard to start). No 12-volt battery will remain at over 14 volts for more than seconds unless it's being charged. The lowest limit is 10.5 volts (used in testing) and obviously unsatisfactory in practical use.
Maintaining Your Battery
Tip: Check the fluid levels on each chamber. If any chamber is low, carefully top it up. Use only distilled or deionized water, NOT tap water. Tap water has minerals in it that will not do the battery any good.[/i]
The humble battery is a very common cause for motorcycle breakdowns! Unfortunately they are awkward to get to and therefore do not get checked as often as they should.
A battery only requires a little monthly maintenance to perform perfectly. Keep the battery charged to 100%, recharging when the lights dim, the starter sounds weak, or the battery hasn't been used in more than two weeks. Other than that, follow this simple check list every month:
- Check the electrolyte level
- Top up only with distilled or deionized water, wear gloves and protective glasses. Top up in a well ventilated area, Beware of fumes.
- Keep the top free of grime
- Check cables, clamps, and case for obvious damage or loose connections
- Clean terminals and connectors as necessary
- Check inside for excessive sediment, sulfation or mossing
- Make sure the exhaust tube is free of kinks and clogs
- Replace caps firmly
- Finish up by testing the battery with either a hydrometer or voltmeter. To extend the service life of your battery, make monthly battery maintenance part of your routine.
Use only distilled or deionized water, NOT tap water. Tap water has minerals in it that will not do the battery any good.

Storage can be hard on batteries. In fact, non-use can leave them unable to hold a charge.

Store your bike in a place that is always warmer than 32 degrees. If your bike is outside remove the battery from your bike and store it in a location that is always warmer than 32 degrees. This will insure that your battery does not freeze and crack.

If you remove the battery from your bike DO NOT store it on a concrete or metal surface, place the battery on a wood or other non-conductive surface. Batteries stored on concrete or metal will discharge over time.

Place a charger on your battery. Trickle charge your battery at least once a month. A battery that is fully charged will have a longer life and is less likely to freeze during cold winter weather.

 

When you pulled the boot off to check spark, you didn't happen to notice if it was loose, did you? Once you checked and put the new plug in,you would have unknowlingly fixed that.I subscribe to DEEJ's procedures, they workeven after the bike sits in the winter for a month, but not all hard starting problems are feul. I've seen batteries, spark plugs and occasionally coils be the culprit...the worst is when that kill switch (stock or the kind you add and hook to you) malfunctions. Anyways, glad you got her runnin' again.

 

I did pull the boot and reconnect without success.

In the winter, I do run her dry before putting her up. The battery had plenty of crank...but the plug was fouled.

 

Hey Deej...please tell us more about the 12v acc plug you added and maybe include a how too and pictures...sounds like a good idea.

 

I added a Powerlet plug to my bike to run my GPS. Its sort of like a car cigarette lighter, but a litle more robust for motorcycle applications. (Its also refered to as a BMW typepower outlet, since apparently they've used this style connector for quite a while.) The basic kit connects to the battery and runs up to the steering head.



There are all sorts of adapters for hooking up electronic devices, heated clothing, and battery tenders. Here's a link to their products: http://www.powerletproducts.com/products.php?mid=1

Mike

 

Actually YYY Guy posted a good picture, its all about preference. But one thing is for sure, you will want to connect the plug right to the battery. Here are a couple of pictures of mine.




Here is the battery maintainer, with the 12v plug for easy charging.


And finally the 7ft set of jumper cables, they work great, already tested. And compact too.

 

Spark plugs are a lot likelight bulbs.Most will last a long time before they quit working and and a few will quit pretty quick. I would still bet it was low voltage though. These batteries don't have near enough cold cranking amps to start a bike in the cold weather easily. And when the battery is cold and has not recently been charged, it makes it even harder to start. And then, add the fact that our tailight and headlight are on while trying to start our bikes. I had to charge my battery before I started my bike yesterday for the same reason. The fuel trick helps out a lot to compensate for our battery and carb.