Need help with Starter problem

silverstreak · Post by **silverstreak** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:37 pm

I've done a search here regarding ignition/starter problems and haven't found a clear answer to what's ailing my R. I bought my bike (2004) in April, and the battery died about one month later. Replaced that and the plugs and the bike ran well until July, when I had trouble on one occasion restarting the bike after a short ride. This past week I've been teaching my son to ride in a parking lot. He's working on clutch control and has been stalling alot, so there has been a lot of restarting in very hot weather (100+ here in South Carolina). Twice now the bike would not start after about 20 minutes of practice. Both times I let her sit for a while and then she restarted, but with some effort. My thought, of course, is that overheating is the problem, but here is what I don't understand. How does overheating affect the ignition?

Post by **CycleRob** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:47 pm

Wow, that student training session . . . . . 20+ min Slow-Go in 100+degF heat (37.8C) with multiple restarts . . . . . has so many levels of naive abuse that I'm not surprised at the way the bike runs. That's as polite as I can be. It's not the ignition that's malfunctioning, it's most likely fuel boiling/percolating in the fuelrail/injector, excess blowby from both overheated cylinders that's poisoning the airbox's intake air, combined with a system under voltage causing the hard restarts (until cooler). If it were human, it had heat stroke AND heat exhaustion attacks.

The training session, just like soccer, tennis or golf lessons under the same conditions, needs to be rescheduled to very early mornings when it's cooler. Also, allow a 15 minute key off, in the shady breeze cool-down every 10 minutes. You also will need at least an overnite battery Tender feeding, or 2 hour ride, to bring the battery back to health.

Sunbeemer · Post by **Sunbeemer** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:51 pm

Vapor locking a fuel-injected machine? Sounds like it needs to blow off some steam!

I'd cool it!

(Yeah, I laugh at my own corny jokes...just can't help myself!

Arbee · Post by **Arbee** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:21 am

Even a liquid cooled bike with a thermatic fan would have trouble given that scenario.

Air cooled bikes work on airflow and anticipate some most of the time.

def38 · Post by **def38** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:21 am

CycleRob wrote:Wow, that student training session . . . . . 20+ min Slow-Go in 100+degF heat (37.8C) with multiple restarts . . . . . has so many levels of naive abuse that I'm not surprised at the way the bike runs. That's as polite as I can be. It's not the ignition that's malfunctioning, it's most likely fuel boiling/percolating in the fuelrail/injector, excess blowby from both overheated cylinders that's poisoning the airbox's intake air, combined with a system under voltage causing the hard restarts (until cooler). If it were human, it had heat stroke AND heat exhaustion attacks.

The training session, just like soccer, tennis or golf lessons under the same conditions, needs to be rescheduled to very early mornings when it's cooler. Also, allow a 15 minute key off, in the shady breeze cool-down every 10 minutes. You also will need at least an overnite battery Tender feeding, or 2 hour ride, to bring the battery back to health.

Very good advice...what are your oil temperature readings during these sessions? If the oil is consistently hot, I would move to synthetics. This type of riding is considered "severe service" sort of like a taxi cab receives.

You may want to clean out the combustion chamber deposits that are likely accumulating from these low RPM sessions. Some sustained interstate riding at 80MPH for at least 1 hour will do it.