1992 NSR125 R wont start

[Steven1145]

Hey all. I've been reading through the forums regularly, as a lurker. But here I go with a first post:

My wife owns a 92 Honda NSR 125 R. It's the first model, not the "fox eye" one. 3 years ago, she stopped riding when she got pregnant. We didn't really think about unplugging the battery and stuff like that and sort of left the bike in the garage, unused for the last three years.
Fast forward to today, we want to sell the bike for want of $$ (bought an apartment a year ago, and well...). I decided to charge the battery and give the bike a go but no... nothing. No lights, no Neutral indicator.

I tried jumpstarting it a few times and the engine wont fire.

I even plugged my ZRX1200 battery onto it (having removed the NSR's battery first) to try and start it, and still nothing.

Any ideas? I checked the main fuse (15A) and it looks fine. I removed the spark plug and cleaned it (it was "wet" from trying to start the bike).

I ordered a new battery as the other one might be dead after 3 years.


Thanks for any advice,

Steven
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'03 ZRX1200R

[alains]

i think you open the fuse little box , but did you clean the contacts ?
oxyde is your ennemy .
then check with a multimeter set on 0-20Volts DC :
- at the key switch between red and green (should find 12 V)
- at key switch , with key on between black and green (12 V)
if you've got 12v on the red and nothing on the black , your key switch is worn (oxyde probably)
but before starting a bike after 3 years sleeping you must :
- drain the fuel from tank and clean tap
- clean air box foam filter (wash ,dry then slightly oil it)
- drain 2 strokes oil and change it
- dismount carburettor , open it for cleaning and blowing jets
- take off plug , put inside the barrel a tea spoon of 2 strokes oil
- engage a gear and push the bike to make the engine turning
- put back carb,tank then fill it
- put a new plug
- check air pressure in the tyres
now you may try to start your bike if the electric problem is resolved
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the worst day fishing is better than the best day working

[st3v3]

All that stuff is very, very helpful but not absolutely needed to get it 'running'.

Which NSR is it; You say 92 but the first NSR, got any pictures? the first NS(R) is quite different to the pre-'foxeye' models.
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Roger wrote: Women don't get damp for clingy puppies. Get some better happy pills, hit the gym & buy a medallion the size of a dinner plate. Job done

[Welshd1k]

[st3v3]

My bad, didn't see the starter motor bit...
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Roger wrote: Women don't get damp for clingy puppies. Get some better happy pills, hit the gym & buy a medallion the size of a dinner plate. Job done

[Steven1145]

Thanks for all the replies already. I haven't had time to do any more work on the bike since last weekend but I'll go through Alain's testing and prep list in a couple of days.

Here is a pic of the bike:
https://195.154.158.41/images/339/3398498689.jpg

As you can see it's a twin headlight version, with a custom paintjob (done by one of the previous owners). 1992 is the year/model stated on the registration, and I used to have a "Revue Moto Technique" which is a bit like an independent service manual that concurred with the year.

I tried push-starting it a few times in second gear, and it sounded like the engine was turning over. It's just that it never caught. The spark plug was quite new when we stopped using the bike, and was wet with gas when I took it out to inspect it.
As I said I tried to plug my ZRX 1200 battery straight onto the NSR, bypassing the NSR's battery coompletely and nothing came on (no lights, turn signals or Neutral indicator).

Thanks for your time folks.
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'03 ZRX1200R

[st3v3]

Reminds me of the bug eyed MITO....... looks clean but not my cuppa tea.
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Roger wrote: Women don't get damp for clingy puppies. Get some better happy pills, hit the gym & buy a medallion the size of a dinner plate. Job done

[Steven1145]

Here are the latest developments:

I used an Ohm-meter to test the connections between RED and BLACK with the key set to ON: and the circuit closes (aka. connection is OK).
I received a new battery today. So I prepared it, and measured 12.61V. That was OK so I popped it in and connected it to the bike.

Lo and behold: the Neutral light came on straight away, and with the turn of the key I heard the servo turning somewhere in the bike.

I tried starting the engine, it turned but did'nt start. I'll go through Alains' check list, and try starting once all is done.

Will keep you folks informed.

Cheers
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'03 ZRX1200R

[alains]

just want to tell you that your battery needs a bit of charging . when a new battery is fully charged , voltage should be 13.2 Volts (12.9 is acceptable but 12.6 is unsufficient) and remember a slow charging (0.5 to 1 Amp max) is healthier for it
____________________
the worst day fishing is better than the best day working

[Steven1145]

Thanks again Alain. I have to buy a new battery charger because the one I have only charges at 4A.

I'll charge the battery fully before using it again.

Cheers,

Steven
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'03 ZRX1200R

[Thom]

As has been suggested its certainly the electrics as the plugs getting wet, just not igniting.

If the engines turning over why not try to see if the plug is sparking? remove the plug but leave it attcthed to the lead and rest it on the cylinder head, you are looking for the blue spark. if its sparking outside the cylinder with a bright blue spark it hsould be starting however i expect you wont be getting a spark strong enough to ignite the fuel mixture.
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Current Bike: 1996 Yamaha TRX850 (The Japanese-Ducati One).
Previous Bikes: 1990 Honda NSR125 'Rothmans' (The smoking one), 1990 Suzuki GS500e 'Caf? fighter' (The loud one), 1987 Kawasaki GPX400r (The quick one), 1997 XJ600s Diversion (The reliable one), 2000 Kawasaki ER-5 (The spontaneously combustive one)

[alains]

you just forgot that this bike was undershade during 3 years so it needs a bit of preparation before starting . it's like an outboard , needs to be prepared for the winter otherwise you will have a long preparation before starting , especially with old fuel and oil
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the worst day fishing is better than the best day working

[temeluchus]

sounds like its time to start yanking all the connectors apart and cleaning them out. ORRR If your really unlucky there is a break somewhere.

take the plug out and put it back in the HT cap. Hold the plug against an earth point ( any bare metal on the motor or the frame will be fine) and turn it over. Look for a spark. If no joy then you have corrosion or a break somewhere. What is less likely but possible is a dead ignitor, or a faulty ingition trigger.

I had a pals similarly dead bandit 400-everything worked but no spark. This was traced down to one spade connector that had rotted, killing the positive feed to the ignitor.

Also as previously mentioned, a fresh spark plug and fresh go go juice is also helpful.

[st3v3]

Is there a spark in the plug cap when the spark plug is taken away?
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Roger wrote: Women don't get damp for clingy puppies. Get some better happy pills, hit the gym & buy a medallion the size of a dinner plate. Job done

[Steven1145]

So today I have emptied the fuel tank, cleaned the air filter (it's drying out as we speak), and I'll go and drain the oil tank next.

I checked the plug and it gives a blue spark.

Battery is recharged and shows 13.1V.

I have'nt got a compressor, so is it worth pulling the carb?
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'03 ZRX1200R

[Creepin Moses]

Check inside the carb, if its coated with like a sticky varnish clean it all out, that is residue left from old fuel and it will block the needle valvs and jets . only other thing I can think of, with full bat and good spark, check all connections are good, after that grow some leg muscles and keep kickin for a bit. You keep kickin for a bit because the bick has been sittin for bout 3 year, it has had no fuel around it and the only oil is the residue, you keep kickin to pull the fuel through the system. you could also try a squirt of wd40 on the electrode of the spark plug, extra little push for ignition.
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Bomb disposal expert, if you see me runnin, try to keep up.

[alains]

it's essential to clean the carb , float chamber is probably full of water & dirts (i am exagerating) , clean stainer , take off all jets and blow them with your mouth or with air spray (what you use to clean PCs) . dont forget to take off the tank tap to clean the fuel filter
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the worst day fishing is better than the best day working

[Steven1145]

Todays news: I tried pulling the carb, but I was unable to remove the air box tube that's fixed onto it. It loosened the collar, but the actual tubing would'nt budge. I was scared of breaking something if I pulled anymore.

And with a full batt, new gas, new oil, the engine turned on ignition but did not start.

I will remove the carb, if I ever manage to remove the friggin' tube.
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'03 ZRX1200R

[alains]

et perseverare diabolicum !
insist , untighten the collar some more and use a wide screwdriver as a lever to push the rubber pipe out . prior of that undo the 2 fixing bolts (socket 10)
to take off the carb , undo the screw on choke cover and pull it out
undo the 2 screws on top of the throttle and pull it out
unplug the 2 plastic pipes , the fuel pipe and the oil feed pipe and with a wire hook it somewhere as high as possible
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the worst day fishing is better than the best day working

[Steven1145]

Hi Alains and all. Here is the update.

I managed to remove the carb (Alains' screwdriver tip), and completely cleaned it. I used WD40 to spray through the jets to check that they were'nt blocked. I cleaned the float bowl.

I put the carb back together, and put it back on the bike. Then changed the spark plug.

With a fully charged battery the bike started on the first go!!!!! YEAHHHH!!! She was smoking a lot, but I imagine that there was a lot of oil in the cylinder from having tried to start it so many times. I left the bike idling for a while and then slowly put in a few revs. She obliged smokily.

Now the problem is that I killed the engine to put enough of the fairing back on to hold the seat to go for a test ride. But when I wanted to start the bike up, it held the idle for 30-40 seconds (time to close the garage door and don the helmet) and then stalled.
Impossible to get the bike started after that. Only sign of life is with the choke on full, start, the bike idles at 3000 before dying out. I tried removing the new spark plug to clean it, but that did'nt change anything. The plug was oily.

What should I do now to get her going again?

It's not as bad as before, at least I know the bike can start. I'll put the battery on to charge.
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'03 ZRX1200R

[alains]

did clean the foam of the air box ?
it looks like your mixture is too rich , due to a lack of air
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the worst day fishing is better than the best day working

[Steven1145]

Yes I cleaned it thoroughly. Then sprayed it with oil from a K&N cleaning kit.
Maybe I blocked the air intake when I put the fairing back on. That was my first thought.
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'03 ZRX1200R

[salty21]

if it was me, i would just get it running(bump if you have to) then go and thrash the nuts off it for 20 mins or so

EDIT. did you remember to connect the oil pipe to the carb when you put it back together, not sure if it's the same as the foxeye but i forgot to re-attach this pipe once and it did'nt end well
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04 NSR 125(sold) ---- 03 CBR 600rr(sold) ----90 pan euro ST1100 '' ----02 CG 125
94 CB400 Super Four ---- 2000 VTR SP1 (sold) ---- 08 ninja p8f(sold, meh) ----05 CBR600rr

[tshort2007]

If the oil pipe had come off, you would have a lovely puddle on the floor (been there!!) Have a similar problem with my brothers bike. unfortunatly, turns out his block/barrel is scored and needs replacing. By the sounds of it, the carb may need setting back up. I assume you took it all apart to get all the dirt out with the WD40?
I found in experiance that once the thick cleaning fluid has vanished/evaporated away, the jets and tiny vents open up more, possibly messing with the mixture.

Another thing to check is the strenth of the spark on the plug. Check the gap is correct, and follow Temeluchus advice (again!) The spark should be Fat and blue, and clearly visible in daylight.

If not, then possibly your stator coil (behind flywheel, LH side of engine) has gotten damp and isnt creating enough juice to fire the plug properly.

If you have a multimeter, i have a manual so i can assist in any electric problems.

[alains]

after oiling , you need to squeeze the foam to take off excess and even oiling
try also to set your needle at 2nd notch from top
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the worst day fishing is better than the best day working