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Smoking bike?
Hello everyone,
Please excuse the length of this post; however, I feel like detailed information is necessary to help identify the problem.
I have a 2006 Katana with around 8,000 miles on it and have been having some issues lately.
The most serious one and the reason I am posting this is because it started smoking today. Some background: I am out of the state for the summer and left my bike sitting at home (it sits outside, locked up, and covered). My Kat does not like to start up after it has been sitting for too long. So, in order to avoid this issue I have been having my girlfriend start it up for me about once a week. It has been going fine and it has been running smoothly until today. Today she had some trouble starting it (it would turn on about 2-3 times and then turn off). So, I told her to turn the fuel petcok to PRI and turn the choke on and then start it. The bike started up and after a few seconds I told her to turn the fuel petcock back to the on position (which she did). Then I told her to leave the choke on for 1 to 2 mins and then turn it down gradually leaving it on for 1-2 minutes at each interval. I told her to leave the choke in a position so the bike would be at 3RPM and left it there for a minute or two. Then she said it started making a weird noise and she turned the choke off. (The reason why I leave the choke on for so long is because otherwise the bike will begin to stutter and shut off). After the choke was off the bike stopped making the weird noise and sounded normal.
This is where the problem began. The bike was idling for about 5 to 10 minutes and she started to see smoke coming from the opening underneath the right handle bar and also on the ride side where the gas tank connects to the bike. She immediately shut the bike off and it smoked for a little bit longer (long enough for her to get a video to send me before it stopped). She said the smoke was NOT billowing out and it was NOT a heavy black smoke. It was enough to notice though.
I have uploaded the videos to youtube. The links are at the bottom of the page. The smoke is VERY easy to miss. It is in the first 2 seconds only and dissipates very quickly but if you pay attention you can see it.
What can this be? Is this a serious problem? What should I do about it? I will be out of the state for another 5 weeks. Should I continue to have her start it or just wait until I get back? The bike does not start after 2 weeks of sitting. At that point I usually have to try starting it until the battery dies and then get the battery charged and keep trying to start it until it finally turns over. Could it be because we left the choke on too long? Is it the outside heat? Is it a lack of oil? What could the problem be? How do I fix it?
Some background/possible factors:
1.) I need an oil change. I am about 200-300 miles over the required oil change mileage and it has been about 2 years since it had an oil change (I know this is bad but I am a student and I could not afford it as the local shop wants 80-90 bucks for an oil change).
2.) When I am home I ride the bike everyday to school and back. Usually around 12 miles total (about 30 minutes a day).
3.) For awhile I had a problem with the bike staying on. It would shut off on me at random times. Usually when I started to slow down the bike would shut off and I would have to turn it back on while moving. This problem has gone away since the temperature outside has warmed up and I have been letting the bike warm up longer before riding.
4.) The weather outside is very hot. The bike is in Florida and it is about 90 degrees today with high humidity.
Video links:
If I think of anything else, I will post more information. Please help. I am worried about this as I am not in the state and I also don't know much about bikes. Thank you for your time and any help is appreciated!
Please excuse the length of this post; however, I feel like detailed information is necessary to help identify the problem.
I have a 2006 Katana with around 8,000 miles on it and have been having some issues lately.
The most serious one and the reason I am posting this is because it started smoking today. Some background: I am out of the state for the summer and left my bike sitting at home (it sits outside, locked up, and covered). My Kat does not like to start up after it has been sitting for too long. So, in order to avoid this issue I have been having my girlfriend start it up for me about once a week. It has been going fine and it has been running smoothly until today. Today she had some trouble starting it (it would turn on about 2-3 times and then turn off). So, I told her to turn the fuel petcok to PRI and turn the choke on and then start it. The bike started up and after a few seconds I told her to turn the fuel petcock back to the on position (which she did). Then I told her to leave the choke on for 1 to 2 mins and then turn it down gradually leaving it on for 1-2 minutes at each interval. I told her to leave the choke in a position so the bike would be at 3RPM and left it there for a minute or two. Then she said it started making a weird noise and she turned the choke off. (The reason why I leave the choke on for so long is because otherwise the bike will begin to stutter and shut off). After the choke was off the bike stopped making the weird noise and sounded normal.
This is where the problem began. The bike was idling for about 5 to 10 minutes and she started to see smoke coming from the opening underneath the right handle bar and also on the ride side where the gas tank connects to the bike. She immediately shut the bike off and it smoked for a little bit longer (long enough for her to get a video to send me before it stopped). She said the smoke was NOT billowing out and it was NOT a heavy black smoke. It was enough to notice though.
I have uploaded the videos to youtube. The links are at the bottom of the page. The smoke is VERY easy to miss. It is in the first 2 seconds only and dissipates very quickly but if you pay attention you can see it.
What can this be? Is this a serious problem? What should I do about it? I will be out of the state for another 5 weeks. Should I continue to have her start it or just wait until I get back? The bike does not start after 2 weeks of sitting. At that point I usually have to try starting it until the battery dies and then get the battery charged and keep trying to start it until it finally turns over. Could it be because we left the choke on too long? Is it the outside heat? Is it a lack of oil? What could the problem be? How do I fix it?
Some background/possible factors:
1.) I need an oil change. I am about 200-300 miles over the required oil change mileage and it has been about 2 years since it had an oil change (I know this is bad but I am a student and I could not afford it as the local shop wants 80-90 bucks for an oil change).
2.) When I am home I ride the bike everyday to school and back. Usually around 12 miles total (about 30 minutes a day).
3.) For awhile I had a problem with the bike staying on. It would shut off on me at random times. Usually when I started to slow down the bike would shut off and I would have to turn it back on while moving. This problem has gone away since the temperature outside has warmed up and I have been letting the bike warm up longer before riding.
4.) The weather outside is very hot. The bike is in Florida and it is about 90 degrees today with high humidity.
Video links:
If I think of anything else, I will post more information. Please help. I am worried about this as I am not in the state and I also don't know much about bikes. Thank you for your time and any help is appreciated!
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