Starting Problems

[midqetsex]

I got my Katana yesterday and I'm having issues starting it. When the engine is cold, it doesn't want to run. I tried with primer and full choke and still no luck. The RPMs will start at around 1000 and slowly dip until it stalls out. If I roll the throttle a bit, the bike stalls instantly. Each successive starting attempt has the bike start at lower RPMs and dip until it stalls. After 3-4 attempts, it won't start at all. I just spent about 15 minutes trying to get it started up and couldn't. I took a 10 minute break or so, then headed back out. I finally got it started up. It was hanging around 1000 RPMs. I tried adjusting the idle but it doesn't seem to turn very far and it didn't seem to change the RPMs at all. The RPMs also didn't seem to change when I adjusted the choke. It's just after midnight and my neighbors are going to bed, so I can't really experiment with it right now. Can anyone provide any help?

BTW, the bike is in neutral with the kickstand up.

[UFO8MyCow]

Are you sure that the choke is hooked up?

[midqetsex]

I'll try to check if it's hooked up tomorrow. Do I just make sure the cable is connected at both ends?

[WildKat]

Choke cable could be stuck or pinched, under the tank. or the linkage could just need sprayed w/ alittle lubricant.. or it could be alittle more work..such as, if your carbs havent been cleaned lately, that will definately cause you some issues that you are noticing.

[midqetsex]

Before work this morning, I tugged on the choke cable a bit. There was some freeplay in it, so most likely it's not stuck. I'm going to have to wait until I have more time to check for sure. I tried starting it a bunch of times again and I think I've been killing the battery (unless the battery was the problem in the first place). I guess I'm going to see if I can get a motorcycle battery charger after work. Is there anything else I may be damaging from many starting attempts? I realize it's probably not good for the starter and things, but will I cause damage to them or just wear them more quickly than normal?

I also got some STP Fuel Injecter & Carb cleaner to mix with a tank of gas. Should I try this stuff assuming I can get the bike started initially?

[md86]

Change plugs , change gas (unless bike WASN'T sitting for a long time , which is what it sounds like...) , watch the side of the carbs as you apply choke to make sure the choke rail moves (you can also just pull the rail if in doubt) . Oh yeah , now that you killed your battery , charge it first ! Trickle charger is what you want (something that charges at like 1 amp) . You COULD jump it from a car , but that can cause some problems if you're not careful . Once you get it to fire , we'll go from there ...

[midqetsex]

I just bought the bike the other day. According to the guy I bought it from (although maybe that isn't a good thing to go by), the gas should only be about a week old now. I'm gonna try changing the plugs and my friend and I are probably going to clean the carbs on Friday regardless of if its running or not. The previous owner said he had been riding the bike recently since we've had nice weather here. He let it sit over the winter I believe and had to charge the battery. This leads me to believe that the carbs may be clogged as well from sitting.

[midqetsex]

I got a trickle charger after work today, came home, and unpacked it. I had it all ready to hook up to my battery and I decided I'd try starting it just for the hell of it. Full choke and prime, the bike started then stalled a few seconds later. I tried one more time, revved it after I started it up, and this time, it didn't stall. I revved it for a good bit, set the fuel back to normal and eased the choke off. Then I let the bike warm up a little longer and took it to the gas station. I put new gas and some Seafoam in the tank. I drove 40 miles, mostly city riding. So for now, the trickle charger is useless, but I'll need it over winter anyway when my motorcycle is stored. Hopefully the Seafoam worked wonders and it'll start right up in the morning...stay tuned!

[md86]

No tool is EVER useless ! You WILL use it one day , I assure you . I bet that since you got it started once , it'll probably start a little easier next time ... Unless you somehow foul a plug first !

[midqetsex]

I wanted the trickle charger anyway. I knew I'd need it over the winter and probably multiple other times as well. My uncle is a mechanic and he offered to charge my battery if I brought it down to him, but for under $20, I'd rather just have my own charger.

[midqetsex]

I'm really disappointed. I had high hopes all day that the Seafoam would have helped, but I still can't start the bike. A few hours of riding with that added to my gas did nothing whatsoever. It makes me worry that it's not just clogged carbs.

[md86]

Well , if the jets ARE clogged , a little Sea Foam probably ain't gonna do it . Do anything else to it yet ?

[loudnlow7484]

how did it run when you did have it started? any coughing, choking, hesitation, excessive vibration, pinging? did it sound normal? I'd check that "fuel filter" screen to see if it's clogged. Try starting it with only like 1/3 or 1/2 choke. If I try to start my bike with full choke, it won't stay running either. It already runs a bit rich at idle, so I don't need much choke to start from dead cold. If none of that helps, maybe it's time to pull the fuel bowls off and clean the carbs out. (probably should anyway)

[midqetsex]

I haven't done anything else to it yet, but after work today, we're going to clean the carbs and change the spark plugs.

When I had it started, it ran perfectly fine. No strange noises, smooth power, everything you'd expect from it. I started and stopped the engine 6-8 times and it fired right up every time. The bike is new to me so I don't rev it too high while riding, so I'd only notice a problem below 5000-6000 RPMs. I'll reply on or before Monday with how it goes.

What way do you guys recommend for me to clean the carbs? Just pull them out and clean them or take them apart? Any details on the procedure would be great.

[SweetLou]

Maybe your carbs are outa sync, or your mixture screws are off. Maybe they just need a good cleaning. Maybe they are full of rust. I would pull them, clean them, readjust them, and sync them.