Trouble Starting.

Hi All,

I just picked up a 1994 XJ600 Seca II last weekend. Just started really getting into it. I've been waiting on all my gear and everything to ride so i've only taken her up and down the driveway for now. Today I went out and got all my materials to do a tune up and guess what she wont start.

It's allways taken some time to warm up and usually had to start it on full choke for a couple of minutes then to half choke for another couple of minutes and she was golden. Today I started it on full choke went to put some groceries away and hear the bike's rpm's sputtering. Oh crap. I get to the bike and it stalls out. I restart it the rpms shoot way up and eventually fall again until it stalls. Now it doesn't want to turn over at all. It sounds like it's right there but just wont get over the hump.

This is my 1st bike and I could really use some help. I'm not sure what's going on. Any advice you guys can give will be greatly appreciated.

 

With all the idling and running on choke, It sounds like the plugs have become fouled and perhaps the battery is flat?

Look at the the plugs - if they are wet, clean and dry them. If the motor will not actually turn over the battery will need recharging.

On my bike and earlier XJs I have read you need to use a low charging output - say 1 amp - and NEVER try to jump it from a running car battery.

It could also be that the battery voltage has got lower and lower (Because it has not been charged on a good run) so the electronic ignition has decided to stop working!

Make sure the battery is good and dont forget the obvious - is there fuel in the bike?

 

thanks for such a quick reply Markie. The battery is brand new and I even took it to my mechanic last week to have him fully charge it. So I don't think it's the battery, I even rode it up and down the driveway last night with no issues. I'll have to check the plugs and see if that could be an issue.

 

Why would you say not to "jump" start it? 12v is 12v is it not?

 

sounds like the bike has sat for a little while. could probably use a good cleaning... especially if the idle is stumbling.

typically in warmer weather, the bike will need very little choke to fire up.
remove the carbs and then remove the bowls. take extra care around the float towers. they are pretty fragile.
check the jets (both) for any gunk in them. you should be able to hold them up to a light and see a nice round hole.
any indication on either jet of blockage will require a good cleaning.
search: carb cleaning
search: clunk test

since you have the bowls off, you might as well pull the hats and give them a good cleaning.

 

I was afraid some one would say the dreaded Carbs word. I think that may a little more work then I am comfortable doing myself. Like I said this is my 1st bike and i'm not the most mechanical guy in the world. Is this something I should try to tackle on my own?

Are there other minor things I can check on my onw and maybe leaving the carb work to a professional?

 

To answer your question in short. Voltage is not all there is to consider when it comes to electricity. I know someone that fried the regulator rectifier on an R6 and someone else that fried the major connector coming off of the regulator rectifier on a ZX6 by jumping from a running car.

 

Your battery can still be undercharged. Especially if all you have been doing is short drives for several days. It actually takes a good twenty minute ride at revs above about 2500RPM, depending on the bike, to even start to recharge your battery. Just because it was fully charged last week means absolutely nothing.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a batterytender. Not a slow charger, or a trickle charger, or an automotive charger set on its lowest setting. A no kidding Deltran BatteryTender. If you aren't riding the bike, keep it hooked up to the battery tender. You will then always know that your battery is being maintained, and you will most likely double or triple the life of the battery over the average schmoe that only checks the battery once or twice a year.

 

I'll do that Broke. But would the battery cause it to idle so high then die the way it is doing. I just came back from a second look and I remembered the guy I bought it from saying he never changed the oil prior to purchasing it himself. So I grabbed a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol and cleaned the gauge so I could check the oil. It may just be me but it looks totall empty. It's really hard to tell with the guage on the Seca it just looks totally clear to me. So either it's totally full or totally empty.

 

I guess I wasn't too clear. But the poor starting issue can be caused by a weak battery. In the world of motorcycle troubleshooting, the very first thing you want to do is make sure you have a good battery and that the battery is fully charged. Not saying that it is your problem for sure, but like I said, it is the first step in troubleshooting starting problems. Especially if it was working okay before.

Make sure you are checking the oil with the bike on the centerstand if it has one, or have someone hold the bike level as you check it. You can hold it level yourself, but it takes a little bit of one handed balancing. It is pretty hard to confuse completely full or completely empty once you know what you are looking for. Generally speaking, completely full is going to mean the window is completely dark. Completely empty usually means the background in the window is kind of shiny because of the reflector they place behind the sight glass. It is possible for the window to be completely internally stained dark so that you can't see the oil level, but that is pretty rare. I have only ever seen it on helicopter gearboxes. I have seen some stained on motorcycles, but never to the point that you couldn't see the oil level.

 

I appreciate the advice I think i'm just over thinking everything from being so totally green when it come to bike mechanics. I think i'll go to Wal-Mart and get that battery tender 1st to make sure the batter is good to go. Th bike doesn't have a center stand. I'm out of daylight and with my teenage son with a broken ankle i'm on my own. I could beg the wife to help but that may be more trouble then it's worth. I'll dig back into it 1st thing tomorrow.

 

if you have patience and any ability with a screwdriver, you can save yourself a lot of money by doing the carbs yourself. around KC, it's 75 a carb to have a guy do it on the side... about 400 to have it done at a shop.
where do you live? please update your location in your profile. if someone is close, they might be able to help out. a lot of the XJ'ers here like to get dirty

 

don't overlook the simple things, a motor usually revs up right before it runs out of gas

 

mine will start popping out of the exhaust on the left side to let me know I am running low.
I usually get the pop, the gas light comes on and I have about 1/2 a mile left.

 

i'm upstate ny(Newburgh) any body who wants to get dirty I'd love to have you all the beer and wings you can consume. I'm willing to try to do a lot of it myself. As long as I have a clear Manual and some good directions i'm usually pretty good.

 

It could be bad gas but it's definitely full. I just wanted to ride so I filled up with what I had in my little 5 gal jug which is for the lawn mower. A week old.

 

Any luck figuring it out? What did it end up being?! Vacuum lines? Carb boot? Pump?!

 

coolie569 was last seen:

Oct 6, 2009

 

Ahhh!!!!! Sorry new to the page (forums in general), still figuring out how all the little pieces work together. Thank you.

 

just click on the persons name and it will tell you when they were last seen