Bike has stopped starting

[bonio]

It's the DRZ. Last time I rode it was in March or the end of February - a very wet ride, if I remember right. Since then it's been holed up in the garage. Came to start it yesterday. Plenty of juice in the battery, engine turned over just as it should, but not a cough or a splutter, just the sound of the starter motor. I wasn't sure if the fuel was low, so I went got some fresh petrol and filled the tank at to about half-full. Tried again, this time for a long time. Whirr, whirr, and a bit of a splutter. I tried with some choke, without choke, with a bit of throttle, without any throttle, but just the same. I left it, in case the engine was flooded, and tried again a couple of hours later. It coughed and coughed and almost seemed like it was going to fire, but no. There was a distinct smell of unburned fuel coming from the exhaust, so I'd guess fuel delivery is ok.

I'm trying to cover all the easy things before I take it to the shop... so next I've got some Redex coming, just in case the fuel has got damp in it - it was pretty wet back in February and I left the tank nearly empty. After that, any ideas what a bloke with a two-spanner competence level could try out?

[Stu]

Pull the plug and warm it up on a naked flame to ensure its dry

They can soak in fuel and take an age to dry

[Tiggie]

Has it got a fuel tap that you switched to off before putting it away?

I'm not taking the piss, I have done similar myself

[bonio]

Has it got a fuel tap that you switched to off before putting it away?

I'm not taking the piss, I have done similar myself

 

Don't that one too. And had the bike recovered.

It's got a tap. Tried it on ON and RES.

[mention]Stu[/mention] I'll try warming the plug.

[onesea]

Sounds daft WD40 the wiring, particularly HT leads. It can make difference if spark is weak.

Also if you have car battery to jump start from that extra kick can get it going.

Bike batteries are notoriously small. Don't do it with the car engine running.

If carbed there is normally drain screw in bowl drain petrol through it.

It's there a prime function on fuel valve, some bikes have valves that stop the fuel if engines not running?

Inline fuel filter could be clogged?

Condensation in tank might be getting through before fuel.

Turn it over and gradually increase Choke can provide right full mixture. Try same with increasing throttle.

Although generally flooding is the problem.

If/ when you remove spark plug look at colour and Google what it means.

New spark plugs are both that expensive might be as cheap to replace..

[fastbob]

Hurrah ! Someone who knows what WD40 is actually for . Water Dispersant .

[fastbob]

Maybe the carb just wants hitting with a rubber mallet or a bit of wood .

[onesea]

Hurrah ! Someone who knows what WD40 is actually for . Water Dispersant .

 

But it works so well for so many other things.

From cleaning various stains of hard surfaces, to freeing seized nuts.

[Bender]

Clean and dry plug as Stu said, turn fuel tap off, put lead on plug and rest it against engine, spin over you should see how good spark is, spin it a little longer with plug out to remove any excess crap from cylinder, put back together.

[husoi]

I always keep a wee brass brush (the one you get for suede shoes) to clean the plugs, is strong enough to do the job but it won't damage the plugs.

[fastbob]

Hurrah ! Someone who knows what WD40 is actually for . Water Dispersant .

 

But it works so well for so many other things.

From cleaning various stains of hard surfaces, to freeing seized nuts.

 

Oh I quite agree , although I do think some of its medical applications could be called into question . https://www.verywellhealth.com/can-wd-40-really-help-arthritis-189148

[Stu]

lets try and keep this on topic so [mention]bonio[/mention] can sort his problem out!!

[bonio]

Awesome replies - ta. I will prod around as suggested above at the weekend.

[Tankbag]

What the others have written plus ' Bradex Easy Start ' squirted into the air filter intake. Good luck

[WD-40]

What I can't figure out is, has it stopped starting or started stopping?

[Snod Blatter]

If it stinks of fuel then that's good, at least the float needle isn't stuck in its hole.

Have you tried varying amounts of choke and throttle? You're not just pulling the choke on full and leaving the throttle closed and holding the starter button, right? Once you've semi-flooded it (like you have done if the exhaust stinks of fuel) you will likely have much better luck at half choke and a bit of throttle, just keep trying different levels of both until it shows signs of life.

I often find it really helps to leave it for a bit (10 mins perhaps) and then have another go, maybe it lets the fuel evaporate off the plug a bit or something. Some kind, nurturing words seem to help too

[bonio]

It started

Got some redex, poured some in the tank, sloshed it around, tried the ignition and it started like it'd never done a thing wrong.

Happy happy happy.