Bike-sitting since last summer. Turns over but won't start.

Hey guys,

I just returned from overseas, so my bike has been sitting since last August. It was running fine when I put her up.

She was lifeless when I tried a first start. The battery was dead, so I charged it up. Now the bike turns over, but won't start. I tried quick-start, but no luck. Since I'm still new to this whole bike thing, I'm not sure where I should start in my troubleshooting.

Any help is appreciated.

 

Fuel supply?

Stale gas? Did you use a gasoline stabilizer?

Install a fresh set of properly-gapped plugs; drain the float bowls and then let them fill with fresh fuel, and see what happens.

 

I used a stabilizer, and topped up the tank with fresh gas.

I'll change the plugs and I'll do some research into draining the float bowls as I have no idea how.

Would it make sense to rebuild the carbs first - using the handy docs on this site? Or should I fix this problem before potentially creating more?

 

To drain the float bowls, you reach in with an appropriately long screwdriver and open the drain screws. (Provided they're not stuck.) Be sure to have a wad of shop towels at the ready.

Yes, rebuilding the carbs could become a very real possibility. But it's a bit of a drastic leap from "drain the old fuel out of the carbs" to rebuilding them. While a rebuild is a distinct possibility, I suspect the solution is somewhere in between.

 

If it was truly running "fine" in August, jumping into a carb rebuild would be a bit overkill right now. I don't know if that 650's are different, but there should be screws on the bottom of each carb float bowl (just about parallel to the bottom of the bowl/the ground - NOT the screws holding the bowls to the carbs). Those are the drains.

 

First thing I'd do would be to check for spark on plugs 1 and 2. Once you've confirmed that you're getting spark, you should be able to get it to catch eventually with starter fluid... but it can take some time.

 

Make sure you have enough Gas in the Tank.
Turn the Petcock to PRI for :45 seconds.

Open the Airbox.
Remove the Air Filter
Shoot-in some Starting Fluid
Give her a try.

Check to see that there is enough Gas to flow when the Petcock is on Fuel ON.

 

A quick warning on using starting fluid from experience (nearly burned down my bike and garage/house): "some" starting fluid does not mean 'a ton.' Especially with the air filter removed. A backfire can light that stuff up in no time. THAT'S why we keep a fire extinguisher in the shop . . . .

 

The problem has changed now. Got it started by setting it to Pri for a little bit. Thanks!

However, now it seems like the battery wont hold the charge. After I turn it off I can't get it started again without the battery being boosted. Battery gone perhaps? I don't think it's very old.

 

Battery is most likely done.... they don't last very long...

 

Have you checked the fluid level in the battery? If it's been sitting that long, it's probably dried out. If it's dried out, it may recover after being topped up (with distilled water) and charged; but, more likely, you'll be needing a new battery.