hi all im new to the forums and this will be my virgin post :P. anyways..i have a 92 ex500 and im having issues starting the bike...at first it would die while riding it on longer trips til i discovered messing w/ the res/on/off gas switch and or opening the gas tank, then the bike was fine...lol ok..now about every 3 or 4 starts it refuses to start ..everything sounds normal except it wont run..after about idk 20-45 minutes of trying it just starts like nothins wrong..im lost i have been told its possible the res/off/on switch could b the issue(man what a mouthful...whew)

 

Sounds like possibly vapor lock. Does popping open the Gas cap help when it won't start? Basically all engines need 2 things to run, Fuel and Spark. Of course this is assuming that there are no major engine/compression problems. The piston comes up and compresses the air & gas & then the spark plug fires and "boom" a Controlled explosion. The real trick is just determining what isn't happening. Is it lack of fuel or no spark?? When it's trying to start, are you smelling raw fuel??? If so, then pull the plug wire and either plug it to a Spark plug tester(Or a plain old spark plug with the electrode held near a metal part of the frame).
Hope this helps.

 

the last time it happened it was after i filled the tank up so idk..i smell the gas when attempting to start it so i guess move onto the firing next unless someone comes up something else :P thanks

 

I'm not sure about the 49-state model, but if you overfill the fuel tank of a California model, the excess fuel will overfill the charcoal canister and all associated evaporative hosery, causing the bike to run poorly as you describe.
So if this is a California model, you can do one of two things:
~Get the bike running and take it for a long ride (at least two full tanks' worth) which will draw in and use up that excess fuel in the evap system.
~Remove the charcoal canister and assocated hoses and drain all that excess fuel out of there, then just be patient, because the bike will run a little strangely through the first tank of gas.

And here's a good warning for all you guys, those extra few clicks on the gas pump could cause temporary problems with your bike like this. I'm not positive that this is the problem, but all the symptoms you describe point to this.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Peace!
-CCinC

 

once started bike runs perfectly...it doesnt miss a beat. this starting thing tho is really agravating and intermittant(spelling?). got a couple of buddies diagnosing it but w/ it hasnt done it for 2 days of constant starting letting it cool off restarting then sometimes just restarting after sitting a few minutes...lol im so freakin lost

 

Electricity is a black science and it has many gremlins to commit its misdeeds. If you cannot isolate the conditions (i.e. engine temperature, choke setting, throttle setting, time elapsed since last started) causing the problem then it is probably an electrical one.
Can you be a little more specific?
Peace!
-CCinC

 

Have you checked for spark when it won't start? The smell of fuel sort of makes me think you have an ignition problem. Relays are the most common cause if intermittant failure especially if it happens when it's real hot out(or where the relay is mounted). This should be an easy diagnosis as long you can recreate the condition. Good Luck!

 

lol i spent all day tryin to recreate the condition it started successfully 73 times out of 73 we did however discover my a/f was 1/2 gone and replaced that.

to calamarichris..once it wouldnt start the bike had sat for 9 hours in the 90 degree sun.the second time was directly after i had rode for 15-20 that same night to refuel the tank and it refused to start for 45 minutes then on a last effort attempt b4 i left it ,it started perfect and drove perfect.

to gerrynolan...we checked a couple relay things and a fuse box on top the battery and an ig igniter box all seemed fine but then again the bike wouldnt not start<---did that come out right? :P

so for now until it wont start idk what to do i suppose ill keep ridin til it acts up again....
thanks for the input hopefully it was a fluke lol

 

the conditions..no choke the bike rarely needs choked..engine temp was none...no throttle...time elapsed from first time 2 hours later ..same conditions except 2nd time engine temp was at the 1/4 mark closest to cold. 3rd time was next day afternoon i rode for 2 minutes (bike was barely warmed up,brother lives less than 1 block from me and the speed limit is 15mph) i shut it off talked for 15-20 minutes came out and i wouldnt start, i pushed the bike til i got it rollin good and it took 4 tries roll startin it for it to take..then it ran perfect(dang im longwinded)it hasnt not started since that time (fingers crossed)

 

1/2 gone??? I hope you mean 1/2 dirty and not that filter material is actually missing because that would mean it is in your Carb/engine. Anyway, It sucks but usually the conditition will get worse until it's always present. Then it'll be easier to find.