GSXR problem

[Ride-or-die]

Well as many people know I changed the engine in the bike a little while back. I hadn’t really had the chance to ride in since but have a couple of times for some sort rides, but on Wednesday me and RaceMeNSee took a trip up to see Jamie aka Biker Dude in Kings Lynne. The ride up there was wet the entire way and was fine other than that, but on the way home we rode through some of the hardest rain I have ever seen and it wasn’t pleasant at all as visibility was next to nothing.

Anyway that might be a factor but we got almost home, just coming off the M11 at Stansted, after filtering through some heavy traffic, we came up the slip road and I pulled the clutch in to stop and he bike died and we couldn’t restart it, nor bump it or anything, it was dead to the world. My first reaction was electrical due to the rain, but the rain had stopped a good hour before this happened.

So I got the bike home and yesterday me and Jon took a look at it, and nothing appeared wrong, battery was dead from trying so hard to start it the night it broke down, but we bumped it and it started, ran for a bit then died again. So we started it again, and this time it ran but strangely, it wasn’t idling too well. Anyway we left it running and it was ok, so we met some others and went for a ride. Stopped a few times, had to bump it in between dues to the flat bat, but it went ok, until after a while when I was riding along and it just died again, this time I was moving, not coming to a stop, I gave it some throttle but the rev counter didn’t budge, it just spluttered to a stop during which I dried to bump start it was I was moving but it just backfired and died.

So to me there must be either a fuelling problem, or an electrical problem. We took out a spark plug and it seemed ok. So what do you guys think the problem might be. Bearing in mind I didn’t have any problems with the old engine at all and that’s the only thing that has changed.

Obviously if I cant solve this then I will break the engine down take the parts off it I need and rebuild my old engine from it but I don’t really want to have to do this and this might ot solve anything

[Lateshift]

Difficult to say, if it runs fine for a while and then dies i would have to say electrical more than fueling, specifically because the battery is not fully charged (which causes problems with fueling and ignition systems).

The only way to fault test this properly is to get a decent battery on it to start with and then go from there, having a dodgy battery in the equation is likely to lead you on a false trail ;)

other possible causes especially as some really heavy rain has been involved is that you have water that has been drawn into one of the electrical circuits (possibly the ignition coils).

My old GSXR750 (96) ran perfect for me, i got rid of it when i got the first Mille, the dealer that had it, had it in his showroom for ages and then loaned it to some guy for last years Motogp (as many will remember the weather was atrocious), anyway cutting a long story short, the bike had been fine for him for a few days before and then when the weather went Pete Tong, it started giving him the same sort of problems (the day after the rain).

He and the garage found that water had managed to get into the ignition circuit and was causing an intermittent short.


Again batteries are the worst part of a bike, if not in good condition they can cause all sorts of problems, especially misleading ones that lead you to think its a fuelling problem.

[crescent750]

I had near enough the same problem a few years ago, on an FZR though...
Kept dyin, startin, dyin, startin. Battery would'nt keep a charge, so bought a new one. Still had the problem.

Turned out to be a fuse in the charging system. Found the said fuse, changed it, never happened again..

[RaceMeNSee]

the thing is the first time this happened the battery was fully charged, and had LOADS of p[ower in it, it was only run down through us constantly trying to start it......so i doubt its the batt! lol

[crescent750]

Not sayin it is the battery mate....
Problem i had was a fuse in the charging system, so the bike kept dying as the battery was getting no charge. thought it was the battery at first so bought another one, only to have the same problem.. Thats when i found it was a 10p fuse that was causing all the problems.... Just goes to show that somethin as small as a fuse can cause such big problems....
Anyway, hope ya get it sorted....
J.

[Ride-or-die]

is this fuse just part of the fuse box as u said "when u found it"

[crescent750]

The fuse was right next to the battery under the seat on the FZR.
But it may well be in the fuse box on the gsxr.. It was just a standard blade fuse...

[two]

another vote for electrical

because the bike backfired, this suggests fuel has got through the cylinder to the end can where it has ignitied and caused the backfire

could be a few things.... but i'd check the charging system out with a multi meter... as this is most likely... as it would let you jump start the bike a few time.. until the charge in the battery is too low to run the bike

check the electrical connections to the rectifer...?

if the charging system was working your battery would have plenty of life after a 20 mile ride

[harriebird]

i'd vote for checking the fuses too, i had a problem on my 748 recently, didnt quite make it to stansted but wasnt far away!

i was going quite fast in teh outside lane of the A120, suddenly the bike just dies on me. i managed to steer gently over to the hard shoulder (thank god there was nothing in the inside lane).

all the lights were coming on etc, the starter motor was wokring but the engine would not turn over for love nor money.

got recovered home, swapped bikes :grin2 , carried on my merry way to manchester, had a nice holiday, came home and had a look at uncle haynes :reading

checked all the little fuses for the clocks, indicators, checked the starter relay etc.

lifted up the seat unit to find the engine management fuses....

found a melted yellow mess! the fuse had corroded into the fuse holder, must have been like it a while and just finally given up the ghost on me.

my consulting electronic engineer :grin2 chopped in a new fuse holder and fuse (following a discussion with parkys) for me, otherwise it would have been a new loom. it was a doddle to do. for him anyway. i'd still be there now!

im no electrical genius but fuses do sound liek a good way forward on this.

good luck xx

[Lateshift]

If a fuse has gone, something wont work full stop if its in a circuit that needs power.

J, start the bike, put a multimeter across a decent battery and it should be reading at least 12.8 to 13.5 at idle, stick the lights on and hold the throttle at 3000 and most bikes show around 14.3 across the battery.

If you are getting readings around them areas the charging system is fine, (but bear in mind if you use a knackered battery, the readings will likely be higher as the regulator rectifier tries its best to condition the battery, if the battery is struggling too much it can actually cook the rectifier wiring too so make sure you keep an eye on it).

The coils on the SRADs are split into 2 pairs, each running 2 plugs, when they start to go, they can break down the voltage when they get hot and give the impression that its running on a 2-3 cylinders, its also quite easy for them to get water into them too so make sure you check the coils (if needs be speak to Shorty and see if you can test his on your bike? ).

[Ride-or-die]

thanks guys and gals i shall keep you posted