Is there a trick to starting the kat???? help!

[Alex F.]

Ok.. about a month ago i thought my kat was no good. it was not starting up at all, not even with a jump. i bought a new battery and still....NOTHING! i decided i was going to tow it to the shop. when the tow truck driver got here he said he used to have a bike and to let him try...tada! he got it. that day i still dropped it off for an oil change and safety check since i got the bike in november 08. i picked her up yesterday and it didnt start! the mechanic said let me see and got it started!!!!! i was so frustrated. he said that while the bike is off play around with the throttle a little bit. start it and roll it back a little again. he said that if youre trying to start it and you keep on rolling the throttle back itll clogg the ????? something ( dont know much about bikes ). what am i doing wrong????? obviously its me and not the bike bc 2 people got it started....

[steves]

Check the clutch safety. Maybe the spring is worn out.

[arsenic]

uuummm... there isn't a spring for the clutch switch. You mean side stand safety switch Steve?

[steves]

uuummm... there isn't a spring for the clutch switch. You mean side stand safety switch Steve?

Unless I'm confusing the kat and the GS setups again, there is a tiny little piece of spring steel that makes the contact on the clutch safety.

[DayKat]

Yeah, sounds like the safety switch on the kickstand.
Throttle won't clog anything. More like flood the engine.

[arsenic]

Unless I'm confusing the kat and the GS setups again, there is a tiny little piece of spring steel that makes the contact on the clutch safety.

yeah you must be, there is no spring ANYWHERE, tiny or not on the Katana clutch switch. There is a tiny spring called the KS Pawl Spring, behind the KS Pawl Roller to make contact with the gear indicator switch, but that's not the issue.

http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/Module/Main/TypeID/26/Type/Motorcycle/MakeID/2/Make/Suzuki/YearID/41/Year/2000/ModelID/6225/Model/GSX600F_KATANA/GroupID/253404/Group/GEAR_SHIFTING

#49

I just did that from memory, I'M AWESOME!

[SilentTJ]

idk what kind of advice to give you, i've never had a problem with my kat, or my bro's kat while he had it. well... i have had a couple problems... when i killed the battery lol. but aside from my stupidity never had a problem. just gotta twist the throttle a little while you're pressing the starter and it should fire up. make sure you have the choke on too or else it'll just die quickly. but if you just try pressing the starter without giving it a little throttle, more than likely it'll do nothing, maybe fire up for a second, then die. all depends on how long it's been since it was last run.

[md86]

Wow , I just put the choke on and hit the starter . Guess you ain't found your choke's sweet spot yet ...... and do NOT roll the throttle with the choke on !

[Frenchcropper]

Presumably the problem is not that any cut-out device is stopping the firing of the bike, as the orig poster states that the mech that managed to fire it was talking about the throttle position being relevant.

In a post such as this one, it is important to distinguish between the bike starter motor working but the engine not catching/sustaining itself, and the starter button actually not actually responding, i.e. not turning, with no noise whatsoever.

It is probably a case of the choke not being set right or not operating correctly (as md refers to); and even some bikes differing in how much the throttle itself should be feathered/yanked, and even some bikes within the same range and model will differ, in my experience.

If the battery is sufficiently strong, it'll be carbs 99%, right boys?

[lucha94]

I've had my 04 Kat since last spring and have always had trouble starting it if I haven't started it for a week or so. It turns over, but it takes quite a while for it to start up. I talked to a buddy of mine and he had a GSXR. He said he ran into the same problem. Anybody run into the same thing?

[scottynoface]

I've had my 04 Kat since last spring and have always had trouble starting it if I haven't started it for a week or so. It turns over, but it takes quite a while for it to start up. I talked to a buddy of mine and he had a GSXR. He said he ran into the same problem. Anybody run into the same thing?

Nope, my 6R fires up first try every time no matter how long it's been sitting.

[Trackerrrr]

If the bike's warm and won't start try cracking the throttle with the choke off when you hit the starter. That's worked for me on several bikes.

[ADyingBreed]

If the bike's warm and won't start try cracking the throttle with the choke off when you hit the starter. That's worked for me on several bikes.

most bikes do start a little better with a little throttle supplied when pressing the starter.

but if the mechanic is telling you to play with the throttle position i would suggest lubing the throttle cable and trying to start it with the choke(lube that cable too while you are at it). its all about finding the right amount of choke or throttle when starting because it is a carb'd bike. EFI it and it should start everytime.

[Cheriff]

Wow , I just put the choke on and hit the starter . Guess you ain't found your choke's sweet spot yet ...... and do NOT roll the throttle with the choke on !

yet again... what MD said....


On a hot start, I have found that even thinking about touching the throttle will make it not start.

[streebs93]

Yeah, no throttle involved boys. Even on the cold Wisconsin days we've been having here, my kat starts up instantly on full choke, no throttle. By twisting the throttle you are more than likely just flooding the engine. And I even have K & N pod filters