My Kick-Start Bike Wont Start

Pegassus

Pegassus

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After 7 months of winter hybernation and just yesterday putting a new battery my Yamaha 350 XT bike wont start, not even after about 100 kicks to the lever, I was drenched in sweat at 6:00 this morning and yes the button was in the "on" position and the gas switch engaged and the choke engaged.

Any tricks how to start it more easily? Can I start it by someone pushing me? I heard about flooding the carbs with gas how do I do this, by opening the throttle sevwral times? Will it help if I change the spark plug?
 
Ill go check right now, its supposed to be dry right? How about I just change it for a new one today? If it's wet how do I proceed?
 
If it's wet, you flooded it. The solution:
1) Take the battery away from the bike and put it on a trickle-charger
2) Take a soldering torch and burn the excess gas and carbon deposits on the spark plug electrode.
3) Then use the soldering torch to blow into the chamber (to burn any unburned gas that's in there).. Typically, you'll hear a loud pop. Don't be scared. It may even happen a couple of times.
4) Wait for 5min, put the spark plug back in and re-mount the battery
5) You should be able to fire it up relatively easily as long as there are no issues in addition to the flooding
 
I dont have a torch, can I use a long-tipped BBQ lighter? Why put the battery on a trickle charger? I had it all night hooked to one, also its brand new bought it yesterday.
 
Heating the plug up can help a stubborn bike to start. Without a torch, you can use an element on a stove (just make sure you hold it with pliers, by the time the ground electrode is glowing hot, the ceramic will be too hot to hold. Once it's hot, get it in the bike as quickly as possible, if your atomization isn't great, the hot plug helps vaporize the fuel and get things running.
 
Pegassus said:
I dont have a torch, can I use a long-tipped BBQ lighter? Why put the battery on a trickle charger? I had it all night hooked to one, also its brand new bought it yesterday.
Click to expand...

You can buy double-tipped pistol-grip butane lighters @ Crappy Tire for just under $10. They are usually by the cash registers. I use one of those for this purpose. Bonus points for being easily and reliably refillable. I've had some success with a BBQ lighter but it wasn't so good for burning the carbon deposits off the electrode. They are exactly like this one http://www.dealextreme.com/p/jet-2000-c-butane-torch-dual-flame-1319
When diagnosing starting issues you wanna eliminate every other factor, so knowing that your battery is fully charged is priceless.
 
FiReSTaRT said:
If it's wet, you flooded it. The solution:
1) Take the battery away from the bike and put it on a trickle-charger
2) Take a soldering torch and burn the excess gas and carbon deposits on the spark plug electrode.
3) Then use the soldering torch to blow into the chamber (to burn any unburned gas that's in there).. Typically, you'll hear a loud pop. Don't be scared. It may even happen a couple of times.
4) Wait for 5min, put the spark plug back in and re-mount the battery
5) You should be able to fire it up relatively easily as long as there are no issues in addition to the flooding
Click to expand...

Don't do #3.
That will burn all the oil off the cylinder wall.
If you think there is raw fuel in the cylinder just leave the plug out for a while. The fuel will evaporate but leave the oil.
 
The oil isn't gonna burn from a brief flame.. I've done this a few times on bikes and mowers as it was recommended to me by a certified motorcycle technician. Never had any issues.
 
FiReSTaRT said:
The oil isn't gonna burn from a brief flame.. I've done this a few times on bikes and mowers as it was recommended to me by a certified motorcycle technician. Never had any issues.
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X2 I do this all the time on bikes that haven't been started in a few years or that haven't started all winter. It helps with heating the plugs. It will do wonders for a bike that is flooded.
 
Mr.FireStarter, thank you so much for your advice, I did exactly what you told me and at the FIRST kick my bike was eager to start and started with a roar and a plume of smoke, she is now purring like a kitten outside, out of her 7-month hybernation, thanks to the rest of the guys in this thread too!
 
Pegassus said:
Mr.FireStarter, thank you so much for your advice, I did exactly what you told me and at the FIRST kick my bike was eager to start and started with a roar and a plume of smoke, she is now purring like a kitten outside, out of her 7-month hybernation, thanks to the rest of the guys in this thread too!
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I'm glad it worked out for you. I know I've had to do it a couple of times.. Friggin carburated bikes :cool:
 
FiReSTaRT said:
I'm glad it worked out for you. I know I've had to do it a couple of times.. Friggin carburated bikes :cool:
Click to expand...

To burn the gas inside the plug chamber I used one of those 6-inch-long BBQ lighters that look like a gun, I shoved it inside the hole where I removed the spark plug and lit it up, it made a quick "whooosh" sound from the gas burning up. I then inserted a new spark plug, got on the bike, turned the key and kicked the lever... BROOOOOMMM! it started from the 1st kick. If I had known this before I would have not suffered all these years back trying to start it every spring.
 
Just beware.. This only fixes a flooding issue - like when you kick it 100 times and it won't start, thus dumping a whole lot of gas in there. Your best bet is to avoid the flooding in the first place. Make sure the battery is fully charged before you start kickin'.. You can even heat up the plug if the first round of starting doesn't help :cool:
 
FiReSTaRT said:
The oil isn't gonna burn from a brief flame.. I've done this a few times on bikes and mowers as it was recommended to me by a certified motorcycle technician. Never had any issues.
Click to expand...

So you mean that after you've burned all the oil off the cylinder walls you tore the motor down to check for scoring?
No?
Then how do you know IF you have had any issues?

I have had "certified technicians" tell me some pretty STUPID stuff too.


If you think the cylinder is flooded, remove the plug for ten minutes. Unless there was a pool of gas in there it will be gone, leaving at least some oil.
or
If you insist on burning all the oil off the cylinder walls, before you try to start it put some oil in the cylinder through the spark plug hole.
 
I'll tell you this much.. A quick flame followed by a whoosh and pop won't set any oil on fire. At least it won't set any more on fire than normal engine operation will every time the spark plug lights up the AF mixture :cool:
 
Why go through all this when normally you would simply turn off the choke, hold the throttle wide open and give it three or four kicks to clear the gas, then start again?
 
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