Gah, Hornet won't start

[Shinigami]

..and i've no idea where to begin to try and get it going. It has petrol and started fine about 3 weeks ago but now just won't have it.

Hold in the starter with the choke on and it tries to start but doesn't turn over.

Any ideas what to check or how to check it? Just passed my test and eager to get on it!
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Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[Suntan Sid]

[Shinigami]

i've already tried it straight after charging the battery and it was no different, kept trying until the battery flattened and then charged and tried again lol.

reckon could be a knackered battery?
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[thomp1983]

ypu haven't turned the fuel tap off or let it get low on fuel have you? check the fuel tap is on reserve and there's fuel in the tank. once you've confirmed there's fuel in the tank you'll need to check it's getting to the carb, you'll also need to check for a spark, both these things will probably involve lifting up/removing the tank so you'll need to learn how to do that first

chris

[Shinigami]

yeah definately has fuel, put a few litres in to be sure and tried it with fuel set to on and set to reserve.

Guess i'll have to look at how I get the tank off, never messed with carbs before though..

Do i need to get the fuel out before lifting the tank?
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[thomp1983]

hopefully you should be able to prop the tank up with it still connected, on my zxr the fuel pipe is long enough that i can turn the tank around and sit it on the seat. at this stage you shouldn't need to touch the carb, just follow the fuel hose from the tank and it will probably come to a fuel filter, check there's fuel coming out of the filter if there is then follow the pipe from there it will probably go to a fuel pump check there's fuel going into the pump, if there is then id move onto checking for a spark by removing a spark plug putting the ht lead on it and holding against the head whilst trying to start the bike

chris

[Shinigami]

thanks for the help will give that a go when batterys charged again.

I think it could well be the battery though as it drains very quickly while trying to start the bike and has been in the freezing cold (and been through a busted reg/reg)

I'll check the fuel lines though first, suppose it will be a learning experience!

At least i've still got the tiddler to get about on until this decides to work.
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[thomp1983]

do you have a car? if so try jump starting the bike off the car battery to give it a boost. how much bigger is the hornet battery than the one on your other bike?

chris

[Shinigami]

no car i'm afraid :\ hornet battery is 12v 6ah, 125 battery is 12v 4ah
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[thomp1983]

if there physically not too different then id try using the known good battery to start your hornet, i wouldn't run it long term like that but if it's a known good battery it should help rule out your hornet battery

chris

[RhynoCZ]

I might sound stupid but have you checked the killswitch?
____________________
'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[temeluchus]

Tis the season for batteries to shuffle off this mortal coil!

In the mean time one can invest in a trickle charger to keep it happy.
____________________
Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[Shinigami]

i might try the 125 batteyr tomorrow as that's brand new and used everyday.

definately not kill switch, wish it was something so simple.

Wish I had power in the garage so I could have one of those always connected chargers, will be a right pain getting the hornet battery out constantly...
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[SpookyJam]

This is what i normally do when a beast isn't starting and trying to give me reason to set it on fire then do a rain dance. heh.


Check everything around engine ( non techy wise)

Oil?
Fuel?
Spark - Spark plug could be corroded
Carb
Air Filter
Is it in neutral?
Some bikes require clutch to be held in sometimes for cold start
(sounds ridiculous i know but its weirdly true, silly safety mechanisms)

Carb screw = fuel air mixture which decides high or low tickover which then determines a fraction of how your bike will or wont start.

Fuel injected? disconnect, blow out everything, wipe it with a microfibre cloth then reconnect.

Twist throttle when trying to start bike as throttle is another way to adjust air/fuel mixture or.. fuel into carb as some prefer to say.
____________________
Current Bike: Deciding Between GT650 or SV650S
Former Bikes: Cbr125r, Cbr 125r, GS 125, GS200, Proj-GS125Rep, VX800, GS850L
Spooky.. Spooky.. All weather biker....Ride by instinct not by thought.

[Shinigami]

i'm gonna download a manual for it so i can locate these things! lol

will try the fuel/air mixture as it was idling low when it was starting a few weeks ago

Trying to jump it from the 125 did nothing so i looks like it could be a fuel thing?

I'm nearing the point of just paying a garage to come get it and fix it as I just wanna ride the sod!
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[thomp1983]

don't try and jump it from your 125, just take the battery off it and connect it to your hornet. if it won't start from that battery it still won't tell you if it's a fuel or spark problem, just that it's probably not just a battery issue. a quick check to see if it's a fuel problem is to spray some easy start into the air box intake, if it starts with that then you know you've got a spark and it's a fuel issue. but even then you wouldn't be able to fix it without taking the tank off so that's still where you need to start

chris

[Shinigami]

cool just looking for a service manual now,

I did notice if i try and start it in gear it lurches forward once each time I try but still doesn't start
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[Efes123]

Have you checked to see if you've actually got a spark?
____________________
Honda Goldwing GL 1000 Current love
Honda VT500 ED - SOLD
Projects Suzuki GS125 Done, then stolen - Kawasaki GPX750R SOLD - Honda VF750S SOLD

[0l0dom0l0]

Don't start fucking with the carbs/ fuel lines just yet.

The first thing I would do is drain the carb bowls by undoing the drain screw. I expect due to it sitting its got water/moisture in there.

Then try it again. If it still doesn't fire, check for spark.
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CBT Passed: 30/08/2009, Theory Passed: 31/08/2010, Mod 1 Passed: 6/9/2010, Mod 2 Passed: 13/09/2010. Restriction ended 13/09/2012.

Bikes: 2007 Derbi GPR 50, 1998 Yamaha Fazer 600 (written off), 2002 Yamaha Fazer 600, 1994 CBR 600F, 2003 Triumph Daytona 600, Kawasaki ZX6R J1.....Current: 2006 Yamaha FZ6, 1998 Suzuki TL1000R and a Honda VFR 400 NC30.

[RhynoCZ]

How do your spark plugs look?

Get in it fresh petrol, charge up the battery, clean the plugs and then try it.
____________________
'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Shinigami]

no idea how i get to the plugs or how i drain the carbs on this bike...

Only ever messed with a lil 125 before and it was so much simpler!! lol

It has fresh fuel in.

Too dark to carry on today now though, it'll have to be next weekend now due to no power in the garager. Need to invest in a powerful torch of something
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[J.M.]

I don't know if this is of any use to you or how well it translates to bike mechanics. But with a nitro car I had once it refused to start. It would turn over but wouldn't suck through any fuel or even sound like it was attempting to start.

I took the glow plug out and dropped a small amount of nitro (the fuel it uses) in to the engine and put the plug back in. It fired straight up!
____________________
2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[Efes123]

[Islander]

Make sure your battery is fully charged and buy a can of easy start. Squirt it straight into the air filter intake and try again - if your battery is a bit under par then the easy start might well make enough difference to get the bike going.

I started my OHs Zephyr this way this afternoon - it wasn't willing to start at all after standing for a month.

[Islander]