engine not starting

[reaperace]

i finally got my new handle bars after having to wait ages for them... couldnt get any to fit finally found them on ebay... love it. but now the engine wont start, i tried it for the first time yesterday and basically it wouldnt turn over and the lights died on it... so i charged the battery and managed to get it to start it revved up just fine but then died and basically now it just wont start... it turns over but just wont actually start... so much for my nice ride today... does anyone have any ideas what could be wrong??

[bayonet]

i finally got my new handle bars after having to wait ages for them... couldnt get any to fit finally found them on ebay... love it. but now the engine wont start, i tried it for the first time yesterday and basically it wouldnt turn over and the lights died on it... so i charged the battery and managed to get it to start it revved up just fine but then died and basically now it just wont start... it turns over but just wont actually start... so much for my nice ride today... does anyone have any ideas what could be wrong??What bike is it. Have you broken or trapped a wire in the kill switch whilst changing the handlebars. Is it the sort of Kill switch that when set to kill, lets the engine still turn over (some Hondas). Did you disconnect any wires (especially to the ignition switch) or let any of the switchgear hang under it's own weight.

If it is the kill switch then it's easy to check, just make or break the circuit (depending what sort it is) by disconecting the wires firstly, try and start it, then join them together away from the switch and try againand see if the engine runs properly either way.

[stu600cc]

has it got fuel? has it got a reserve tank that may need switching on thats wat happened to me simple but easily done

[reaperace]

its the type of kill switch that means it wont do anything at all.. found that once at college... felt kinda silly... spent 5 mins worrying before realizing id knocked the switch with hand... opps...

and yup... i checked the petrol... was a bit low so i filled it from my spare but still no help at all. apparently my dad had it running just fine last night it just wont work for me

**EDIT** its a yamaha sr125

[bayonet]

its the type of kill switch that means it wont do anything at all.. found that once at college... felt kinda silly... spent 5 mins worrying before realizing id knocked the switch with hand... opps...

and yup... i checked the petrol... was a bit low so i filled it from my spare but still no help at all. apparently my dad had it running just fine last night it just wont work for me

**EDIT** its a yamaha sr125
Aha, one of them, got one in my garage I'm looking after for someone else (so I've got a Haynes for it too). Right, try this first, get a spare spark plug (any sort, doesn't necessarily have to be the same as is in the bike), pull off the HT lead and put the plug into the cap (saves you removing the other one, always wise to stick one in your bike tool kit for quick 'is it fuel or electrics' type breakdown problem solving).

Next (very important this bit) get a pair of well insulated pliers and make sure the hexagon (metal) part of the plug is touching a cooling fin on the engine. If you can jam it there with out having to keep hold of it all the better. Now try and start the bike and see if you've got a nice spark flashing in the electrodes. That will tell you straight away if your problem is fuel or electrical.

[reaperace]

ok, well i did that and got a spark just fine... i had to use my own spark plug so i gave it a clean as well... while i was there i unplugged the fuel line on the engine side and i got petrol from the tank just fine... any other ideas??

[bayonet]

ok, well i did that and got a spark just fine... i had to use my own spark plug so i gave it a clean as well... while i was there i unplugged the fuel line on the engine side and i got petrol from the tank just fine... any other ideas??Water in the fuel blocking the pilot jet temprarily. Do you want me to come and have a look at the weekend? Are you in Maldon?

[reaperace]

how do you mean water blocking the fuel jet? is it in the haynes? id love to do it myself if i can...

[Lateshift]

strong smell of fuel when you turn it over?

sounds like the problem i had when the bike hadnt been run for a long while, in that the float was sticking and allowing the bike to flood itself :)

[reaperace]

hmm... it does smell of fuel a bit... how do you cure it?

[Lateshift]

well, you could try gently tapping the float bowl at the bottom of the carb with something that vaguely resembles a hammer, but i do mean gently ;)

or you could try spraying some carb cleaner down the carb whilst trying to turn her over.

lastly you could get some additive like Pro FST or redex and try doing it through the tank.

other than that if its sticking still then it will be a case of take the carb off, take the float bowl off the bottom and then clean the badger out, rebuild and go from there ;)

[bayonet]

hmm... it does smell of fuel a bit... how do you cure it?If you get water in the fuel (filling up on rainy days, plus always some in fuel anyway) then when it passes into the carb it blocks the pilot jet temporarily which prevents starting or running properly. Cure is to drain the float bowl (it's got a screw just for this, make sure you have the right one and not the pilot adjusting screw), blow through the carb with some gentle compressed air and empty the fuel tank and start again with fresh fuel. Also worth looking at is, if you've been smelling petrol, then you could have rust from the tank (bike old and not been ridden for a long time so rust forms) entering the carb, which stops the float needle (the float 'floats' up until the bowl at the bottom of the carb is full and pushes a needle shaped valve into the hole the fuel comes in closing it and stopping the carb overfilling) closing properly. Cure for this is to remove the float bowl, wash it out, put it back on and install a fuel filter between the tank and carb. Filter will cost about £1.50 from a bike shop, you just cut the fuel pipe and push it in making sure to point the arrow on the filter in the direction of the fuel flow.

[reaperace]

ok, excellent... thanks for the help guys... ill do all of that as soon as i get the time too... except the hammer bit... tried that already and it didnt help... ill let you know if that works! thanks alot!

[reaperace]

Well, i totally stripped the carb down and cleaned the whole thing out, put it all back together again... and now it works! woohoo!! thanks alot guys!!

[Lateshift]

amazing what a bit of old fuel can do to a carb float innit :D