STARTING BIKE AFTER STORAGE - NEED HELP

[CombatVet82]

How do you start your Katana (2003) after it has been sitting several months?

[arsenic]

drain the fuel tank and the carbs and start with fresh fuel.

[CombatVet82]

It hasnt been sitting that long......maybe a month and a half to two months.

[The CyberPoet]

+1

I would go a bit further, and treat it like end of winterization:

(A) Pull the battery and recharge it using an 1 amp/hour max charger (this will take probably about 10 hours to reach full -- and the battery may not hold the charge, see CyberPoet's Electrical, Battery & Charging System Diagnostics for Motorcycles -- read section 2 in your case).

(B) pull the spark plugs. Put a teaspoon of oil in each spark plug hole. With the plugs out, engine off, bike in gear, rotate the rear wheel to move the pistons up and down, coating them with that fresh oil. You could use a wrench on the timing signal generator to turn the engine as readily, but the rear wheel is less complicated and easier.

(C) Reinstall the spark plugs (or fresh ones).

(D) As aresenic said: drain all the existing fuels, both out of the tank and the carbs (suggest burning it off in a metal can buried up to the lip in the ground if you can't find another way to recycle it safely). Old fuel doesn't detonate reliably on motorcycles because it evaporates light compounds out of it (whole reason fuel stabilizers like Stabil exist -- to help prevent this kind of time-based breakdown).
Reassemble everything.

(E) Get some fuel system cleaner (techron) and fresh, high-detergent fuel, fill the tank with two gallons or so. I say two gallons because it's easier in case you need to get back into the tank later (such as if you have tank rust that needs to be treated).

(F) Set the petcock to PRI (Prime) for about 45 seconds, then back to ON.

(G) Now fire it up. After you have it running for a couple minutes, shut it down, check the oil level. If it's good, fire it back up and run it for another 5 to 10 minutes to get it good & hot, then shut it down and once cool enough to work on, do an oil & filter change. Personally, I'd take off the oil cooler and drain it at the same time as well, and leave the drain plug out for at least an hour, to get as much of the old oil out of the engine as reasoanbly possible.

After that, she should be all good to go.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[md86]

Just a month ? Remove cover , turn key , prime for a few seconds , turn on choke , push starter button . Mine'll start just fine after sitting for 1 or even 2 months .

[arsenic]

agreed, a Katana will start and run just fine, but to do it RIGHT do all the stuff CP said.

[The CyberPoet]

Just a month ?.

He said several months. Which could mean anything from a couple (2) to a dozen... Figured better safe than sorry.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[md86]

It hasnt been sitting that long......maybe a month and a half to two months.

[arsenic]

he did say several months, but in a follow up post he said 1 1/2 to 2 months. So just start the thing.

[md86]

he did say several months, but in a follow up post he said 1 1/2 to 2 months. So just start the thing.

Right .