Haugo Posted March 25, 2018 Posted March 25, 2018 Hello!So im about taking my motorcycle out for the season and im already finding problems i cant solve. When i try to start my motorcycle the sparkplug wont activate the motor. I know there is nothing wrong with the sparkplug, its pretty new. The battery is fully charged, and my gas tank is full. The only problem i can find currently is the gasoline in the tank. When i was about to winterize my bike, i could not find anywhere at my local dealers the "conservative" product that you should mix with the gasoline to prevent the gasoline becoming bad. This is the only factor i can get of my head that could be bad with my bike. How do i solve this? Could there be other factors preventing my bike from starting? This is the first winter im going through with my bike so im a big noobie. Sorry for my bad English but its not my first language and im to lazy to spell/grammar check thoroughly.Any advice is greatly appreciated!Best regards Hugo Quote
Mississippi Bullfrog Posted March 25, 2018 Posted March 25, 2018 If the bike has been laid up then despite the spark plug being new it could easily be fouled. Have you taken it out and checked it?You say the plug won't fire the engine - have you checked to see if there is a spark?Old fuel can be an issue but to be honest it's not as big a deal as it used to be. It generally takes more than a few months for it to be bad enough not to fire. If in doubt siphon some out and replace with fresh fuel. Quote
Haugo Posted March 25, 2018 Author Posted March 25, 2018 what do you mean with laid up? The spark plug has laid in my bike for some time. Can this make it bad? Do i have to buy a new one already? Or can you maintain your sparkplug? Thanks for helping me out! Quote
Bender Posted March 25, 2018 Posted March 25, 2018 Fuel tap is on?What bike and what year, more details will give an idea as to what it may be. My Honda stood for 7months and fired up instantly with no addstives. Quote
Haugo Posted March 25, 2018 Author Posted March 25, 2018 What is a fuel tap lol?I drive a yzf r125 - 2017 Quote
SlowBusa Posted March 25, 2018 Posted March 25, 2018 Uk fuel is pretty high quality, but what quality is it in Sweden ???On USA sites they always complain about "bad gas" and "gas went bad" blah blah Quote
Haugo Posted March 25, 2018 Author Posted March 25, 2018 I dont think the fuel is a problem here. I cant see sweden having "bad" gasoline... But what do i know? Quote
Mississippi Bullfrog Posted March 25, 2018 Posted March 25, 2018 what do you mean with laid up? The spark plug has laid in my bike for some time. Can this make it bad? Do i have to buy a new one already? Or can you maintain your sparkplug? Thanks for helping me out! Laid up means not being used for a while.Maintenance of spark plugs usually means ensuring the electrode gap is correct, the plug is clean and there is no signs of cracks on the insulation material.Older bikes have manual fuel taps to control the fuel flow and/or switch between main supply and the reserve.Newer bikes tend to have a vacuum controlled fuel supply so no manual tap.Unleaded fuel tends to deteriorate more quickly than the older leaded petrol but I've only ever once had something not fire due to old fuel and that was several years old.If you're not sure of what things are read the owners manual or invest in a workshop manual. Quote
Haugo Posted March 25, 2018 Author Posted March 25, 2018 Thank you for explaining these things. I own a owners manual but i cant find any explanations to my current problems. And thats why im asking you guys.When "rereading" this thread i totally left out a big thing. At first when i started my motorcycle the bike actually turned on. But when i stopped giving it gas the motor turned off. It was at this point, when i tried to re ignite the motor the spark plug failed. What do i make out of this? Thanks once again for you guys taking your time and helping me out. It means a lot! Quote
Tango Posted March 25, 2018 Posted March 25, 2018 How much fuel is in your tank?.......where was the bike stored?........It could be that the spark plug has fouled after the initial start.......also, is there any chance that some water has got into your tank? Water is heavier than fuel, so it will go to the bottom of the tank and can then get pulled into the fuel system.Rereading your description, someone mentioned the fuel tap (if it has one).......check that is working ok..... Quote
Mississippi Bullfrog Posted March 25, 2018 Posted March 25, 2018 Thank you for explaining these things. I own a owners manual but i cant find any explanations to my current problems. And thats why im asking you guys.When "rereading" this thread i totally left out a big thing. At first when i started my motorcycle the bike actually turned on. But when i stopped giving it gas the motor turned off. It was at this point, when i tried to re ignite the motor the spark plug failed. What do i make out of this? Thanks once again for you guys taking your time and helping me out. It means a lot! That sounds like a bike that hasn’t run for a while starting on a rich mix, then fouling the plug. Take the plug out, clean it and then try again. Give it some throttle to keep it going until there’s a bit of heat into the engine. Quote
Haugo Posted March 25, 2018 Author Posted March 25, 2018 How much fuel is in your tank?.......where was the bike stored?........It could be that the spark plug has fouled after the initial start.......also, is there any chance that some water has got into your tank? Water is heavier than fuel, so it will go to the bottom of the tank and can then get pulled into the fuel system.Rereading your description, someone mentioned the fuel tap (if it has one).......check that is working ok..... I did fill the tank with fuel before storing it. I dont think the tank could let in any water. I also dont believe my bike have a fuel tap since my bike is relatively new (r125 2017).Im starting to think there is something wrong with the spark plug. I will check on that tomorrow. Thanks for your tips! Quote
Haugo Posted March 25, 2018 Author Posted March 25, 2018 Thank you for explaining these things. I own a owners manual but i cant find any explanations to my current problems. And thats why im asking you guys.When "rereading" this thread i totally left out a big thing. At first when i started my motorcycle the bike actually turned on. But when i stopped giving it gas the motor turned off. It was at this point, when i tried to re ignite the motor the spark plug failed. What do i make out of this? Thanks once again for you guys taking your time and helping me out. It means a lot! That sounds like a bike that hasn’t run for a while starting on a rich mix, then fouling the plug. Take the plug out, clean it and then try again. Give it some throttle to keep it going until there’s a bit of heat into the engine. Sounds good. I will try it tomorrow! Cheers guys! Quote
DJP Posted March 26, 2018 Posted March 26, 2018 I drive a yzf r125 - 2017 So it's a one year old, modern fuel injected 4 stroke. Unless it's been messed with it should start.I doubt it's a failed park plug (more likely on a 2 stroke).I'd suspect bad fuel, the battery perhaps not being as good as it seems or (more likely) corrosion/damp in a connection somewhere.I'd look at spraying the sidestand and clutch switches and any other exposed connectors with WD40. Then maybe try a different battery and then maybe try a fuel restorer or new fuel in the tank. Quote
Clive Posted March 27, 2018 Posted March 27, 2018 Like the WD40 tip, especially if battery was left connected. Terminals corrode very easily leaving bad/stiff connections. Quote
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