Starting problem....

[DooD]

She's a '03 600.

I just did an oil and filter change, and then attempted to start her afterwards, but to no avail.

The starter spins, but the bike doesn't make the usual quiet chug as though the starter is actually engaging something.....it seems like it's not connected to anything!

She started fine about a month ago, and ran like it was just another day.....Now it doesn't want to go at all.

Am I missing something? Nothing has been tinkered with since...well.....ever - aside from chopping the shovel off the back end. Could it be the cold? It's about -5 or so right now.....Should I heat the garage with a tiger torch for a few hours and then try again, or will I screw something up?

[HS2020]

Yes the cold has alot to do with. Since you are up there you should think about winterizing your bike. I would check the battery. It may not have enough juice to turn the starter so that it engages the motor to turn it over. But yeah I would heat the garage up.

[ThAzKat]

For a bike that hasn't run in a month -5 does make it difficult. Turn the heat on. Make sure there is a fully charged battery and clean spark plugs.

[Range]

let the thing sleep...winter is not over

[zerocool61]

At a temperature of -5, wouldn't the oil be extremely thick?? Couldn't it be dangerous if you do get it started and the oil is so thick that it causes yo to have very low oil pressure???

[DooD]

The bike was winterized....the battery has been kept fully charged on a trickle, the fuel was stabilized, etc.....

The spark plugs were done about a month before I put the bike away, so I don't think there'd be anything screwy about them.....It just seems odd that she won't catch. The starter is turning without a problem - it's just that it doesn't seem to be catching at all.

Tomorrow I'll crank up the tiger torch and see how it goes.

[The CyberPoet]

Q: Did you prime the carbs before trying to start her?

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[DooD]

Yes....I let the petcock sit at "prime" for about 45seconds-1 minute......was that too much, or not enough?

[The CyberPoet]

Yes....I let the petcock sit at "prime" for about 45seconds-1 minute......was that too much, or not enough?

That should be the right amount of time... The fuel may have gone bad (even with the stabilizer -- officially, they're only good for 30 days for most brands). Did warming the bike first help?

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[DooD]

Well, I finally got her started...it took another minute of priming, and then about 20 seconds of cranking it over with the choke on.....she fired, but didn't want to keep running......Only after about 10 minutes did it seem to idle somewhat normally....I think the gas must be bad. How do I go about draining the tank?

Does it have something to do with those long rubber hoses that run out the bottom of the bike? On of them isn't connected to anything.... Are they both supposed to be connected to something all the time?

[The CyberPoet]

How do I go about draining the tank?

Disconnect the fuel line at the petcock (the one that exits towards the rear of the bike), replace it with a length of spare fuel line from an auto parts store and run it into a gas can set on the ground. Then turn the petcock to prime. The gas will drain out (fairly slowly) into the gas can.

Does it have something to do with those long rubber hoses that run out the bottom of the bike? On of them isn't connected to anything.... Are they both supposed to be connected to something all the time?

Right foot side, there should be one drain from the underside of the tank which drains excess rainwater from the filler lid (also acts as the vent tube to permit air to be drawn in as the fuel level drops), plus a capped tube that connects to the underside of the airbox (the airbox drain tube -- unplug once every month or oil change interval, but only with the engine off, permit to drain, then recap).

In addition to that, there are carb vent tubes that go across the top of the airbox and end up by the air filter opening, and on the earlier models (pre-98), a drain tube from the battery (obsoleted with the use of maintenance free batteries).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet