Starting problems.

Hello fellow GS'ers,

Just returned from a trip to Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia. Hot as hell and not very pleasant. The battery died on me in Bosnia and I managed to get a replacement battery to get me home.

Got half way through Serbia when the bike started to misfire and then surge. Managed to limp the last 50 miles into Croatia with the bike occasionally cutting out, when it was going it would struggle to exceed 3000rpm's and would blow back through the airbox. Got the bike trailered here to Hungary the following day.

Having calmed down I've started to go through the possible causes.

Firstly when we were coming up through Serbia on the motorway I hadn't realised there were no petrol stations south of Belgrade but eventually managed to find a place off the motorway to fill up. I reckon I was running on fumes by the time I managed to fill up. Suspecting dodgy fuel I've since emptied the tank completely and put new fuel in.

Current symptoms are:

The bike will not start as it used to, i.e press the starter with no throttle and she'd fire up. Now I have to give it half throttle and press the starter. Once started the bike will idle for a while and then cut out. If I give it any throttle it will fart and splutter and cut out. Intermittently it will rev up but will then revert back to extremely rough running whilst producing a very rich pong out of the exhaust.

I have checked the spark, nice blue and fat. The injectors are spraying fuel out. The air filter is new. The fuel pump and filter were replaced less than 5000kms ago and the fuel pump primes as it should. The RID isn't going nuts when I try to start it which, if I'm correct, suggests there isn't a hall sensor problem.

I'm hoping that the collective knowledge of the forum may be able to provide some pointers in where to go from here. I've lost faith in the bike. This is the second time we've tried to tour on the bike, the first trip ending on the motorway to Budapest a couple of hours after we'd set off due to fuel pump failure. The next trip will be on the V-Strom!

Anyway, thank you for reading my pretty pathetic tale of woe in light of what's going on in the world these days.

Cheers,

Dicky.

Are the throttle cables seated correctly after taking the tank off. Very common problem.

Has a section of fuel pipe on the pressured side split in the tank? These symptoms are similar to those a friend had some years ago on a Ducati. Four inch piece of tube, small split, lost fuel pressure. He dismantled the tank, and I went off to find him some new pipe.

kirby morgan said:

Are the throttle cables seated correctly after taking the tank off. Very common problem.

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Thanks Kirby, the throttle cables are seated correctly.

KMD said:

Has a section of fuel pipe on the pressured side split in the tank? These symptoms are similar to those a friend had some years ago on a Ducati. Four inch piece of tube, small split, lost fuel pressure. He dismantled the tank, and I went off to find him some new pipe.

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Thanks for taking the time KMD. I'll check the pipes.

Cheers,

Dicky.

Should you be able to blow through both vent tubes which go from underneath the petrol cap to the pump plate and then alongside the frame? I can blow through one tube but not the other.

Cheers,

Dicky.

Dickyb said:

Should you be able to blow through both vent tubes which go from underneath the petrol cap to the pump plate and then alongside the frame? I can blow through one tube but not the other.

Cheers,

Dicky.

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You should be able to blow through both hoses. One is a water drain to get rid of any water under the fuel cap the other is an air vent for the tank. If the air vent is blocked that could cause fuel starvation if a vacuum built up in the tank. When it’s running badly open the fuel cap and listen for air rushing into the tank.

Mad Hatter said:

You should be able to blow through both hoses. One is a water drain to get rid of any water under the fuel cap the other is an air vent for the tank. If the air vent is blocked that could cause fuel starvation if a vacuum built up in the tank. When it’s running badly open the fuel cap and listen for air rushing into the tank.

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Thank you very much Mad Hatter. I'll give that a try.

Cheers,

Dickyb

Dick,
also check the U bend inside the tank between pump and filter...
they tend to split with age....worthwhile..

Dickyb said:

The bike will not start as it used to, i.e press the starter with no throttle and she'd fire up. Now I have to give it half throttle and press the starter. Once started the bike will idle for a while and then cut out. If I give it any throttle it will fart and splutter and cut out. Intermittently it will rev up but will then revert back to extremely rough running whilst producing a very rich pong out of the exhaust.

Dicky.

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I had the exact same symptoms on my 1100 a couple of weeks ago. despite the fact that i had good sparks it turned out to be that one of the coil leads had gone bad

man1nvan said:

I had the exact same symptoms on my 1100 a couple of weeks ago. despite the fact that i had good sparks it turned out to be that one of the coil leads had gone bad

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+1… sounds like a coil is gone

Thank you theop, man1nvan and albatross for taking the time. Just got back from two weeks whizzing around Romania on the V Strom so please accept my apologies for not responding sooner. I'll get the coils tested.

Cheers,

DickyB

Hello DickyB. Did you do one of those throttle resets after replacing the battery? Ignition on, turn the throttle to full position. Hold and release. Do this three times. Turn off, Turn on and press starter. Rob.

Found the problem. A split in the U shaped hose from the fuel pump to the filter. Cheers KMD and albatross. Nail hit well and truly on the head.

Cheers,

Dicky.

Dickyb said:

Found the problem. A split in the U shaped hose from the fuel pump to the filter. Cheers KMD and albatross. Nail hit well and truly on the head.

Cheers,

Dicky.

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Welcome buddy, pleased for you that you found it.