[mikejbuckley]

Hello forum. Just got my first motorcycle, a 2009 TW200 with 400 miles.

Bought it a couple weeks ago. Ran great, took it out that day for a couple hours. Ran great when I turned it off. It has been two weeks since I ran it and now it won't start. It doesn't even think about starting. It has a new battery.

At first I thought there was something clutch related, as when I turned it over, it lurched forward....even though I had the clutch in. Looking at this forum, I think it the clutch is a separate and normal occurrence.

So where do I start? I am guessing carb, since that seems to be common. Never opened a carb before. I would rather fix it myself that taking it to the dealer. I'd like to know my bike in case it happens again.

 

[Jay64]

Did you check the engine stop switch? It's located to the left of the throttle and it's easy to inadvertently activate it. On my '04 it is red and the rocker switch should be "flat" at the six o'clock position.

 

[mikejbuckley]

Thanks. That's a good check. I looked and it wasn't switched off. But I thought I'd try to start it, and it fired right up. I had tried yesterday to start it for 20 minutes and nothing. That is strange. I wonder what it could have been? I would hate to get stuck somewhere. We have lots of remote mountain trails here in Colorado. That could be a long walk home.

 

[littletommy]

Lot's of TW clutches stick and in cold weather it can do it just enough not to want to start sometimes. Put it in first, engine off, pull the clutch in and try to push it. It should roll easily if the plates are not stuck, if you feel resistance, push it forwards and backwards until they come unstuck, then try starting again. Did you shut off the gas when you shut it off last time? Look at your oil level window also, if the gas was not shut off and the o ring in the carb is worn out or dryed out, gas can leak down into the crankcase causing more resistance to starting by being overfilled. Some times in the cold they also like to be upright rather than on the kickstand leaning to one side. You pulled the choke all the way out right? And it has gas in it? Try putting it to reserve, just in case it leaked out and isn't getting gas. Airfilter clean? Since it only has 400 miles on it, the carb probably has not been messed with. They come adjusted lean from the factory and a simple adjustment of the fuel air mixture screw can make a world of difference in starting.

 

[arrowsmith]

Always put it in neutral when it is cold. When the oil is cold the clutch will drag and the engine will not spin fast enough to get a spark.

 

[fishguy]

2009 with only 400 miles? I suspect it has sat for extended periods with gas (and ethanol and, now, water) in the tank. You might get away just with treating the gas but I would start by replacing all the old gas and new treated with SeaFoam or StarTron.

If that does not work, First. Get all the old gas out of the tank and the carb bowl. Save it. You may be able to treat it and use it in your car/truck if it isn't too bad. "Startron" will make bad gas useable but I don't put it back in the motorcycles.

Second. Rinse the tank with good gas (or, acetone, my favorite). Make sure fuel flows out of the tank. Removing and cleaning the petcock screens is a good idea.

Third. Consider cleaning the carb by removing the float bowl on the carb. It can be done by loosening the boots and rotating the carb but taking it all the way off is best. Just rotating can damage the boots if one is not careful.

This is a recent great carb cleaning step-by-step on this forum: http://tw200forum.com/forum/technical-write-ups/810-lazy-mans-teikei-tk-carb-cleaning.html

Finally. Be brave. Cleaning a carb isn't too difficult and you will learn a lot about the TW in the process.

 

[TW-Brian]

It has been two weeks since I ran it and now it won't start. It doesn't even think about starting.

Hi Mike,

First of all, welcome to the forum!

There is plenty of knowledge on this board that can help you with any TW problem. However it helps immensely to have enough information to formulate an educated guess. Here are some of the types of info that would be useful to help troubleshoot your non-starting problem:

-Did your lights come on?
-Did the starter turn the engine over?
-Was your bike in gear?
-Was your side stand down?
-Do you have gas in the tank?
-Is your fuel petcock turned on?
-Is your choke on?
-Do you have your clutch lever pulled?
-Etc.

The fact that your bike lurched forward tells me that you may have had your bike in gear. TW's are easier to start in neutral. There are also safety switches to prevent you from trying to start your bike when it is in gear and when the sidestand is down.

If haven't already taken the MSF Basic Rider Course, I would strongly suggest that you do so. You will learn the FINE-C starting drill (Fuel, Ignition, Neutral, Engine cutoff, Choke/Clutch).

Enjoy your new bike, ride safe and check back in when you need some help,

Brian

 

[Little General]

Are any of these gas stations near you? Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada I bought a motorcross gas can from Cyclegear and use pure gas only in my Tw. Don't know if it really helps the TW, but my chain saws love it.

 

[mikejbuckley]

Thanks all. Yes, I did take the MSF Basic Rider Course to get started and to get my endorsement. Great class. Though perhaps I did forget "N" for Neutral.

To answer a few of TW-Brian's questions for me:

Yes, the lights did come on.
Yes, the starter turned over.
Yes, the bike was in gear.
No, the side stand was not down.
Yes, there was gas in the tank.
Yes, the petcock was on.
Yes, the choke was pulled.
Yes, the clutch was pulled.

Thanks for those questions. Good to know some of the things you would need to know.

Seemed a bit to me like the clutch was sticking and somehow related to it not starting, but I didn't really know how. I was imagining a safety switch like the side stand or something similar. When in first gear and clutch pulled, it would barely roll forward. In neutral it would roll fine, then in fifth gear it would roll a little easier, but not without friction.

When it did start, it was in neutral, so perhaps my problem was that I was trying to start it in gear with a sticking clutch.

And again, thank you all for your thoughts and ideas. Good to know there is a community out there. I recently bought a Dodge Sprinter to build into a camper, and became acquainted with its amazing forum. So thankful the TW200 has one as well.

 

[TW-Brian]

Hey Mike,

With only 400 miles in almost 5 years, your bike has clearly been sitting through a lot of seasonal changes. Unless this storage was in a heated area, this could have resulted in a lot of condensation and moisture in the crankcase that was not routinely burned off. It is also quite possible that it still has the original oil in it. Changing the oil and filter on a TW is super easy and only requires 1 quart of oil. I would suggest reading the sticky below and changing your oil and filter. That way you have a known baseline and can check the condition of the drained oil and check for the typical metal debris on the filter and strainer. This may also improve the problem of sticking clutch plates.

Brian

http://tw200forum.com/forum/technical-write-ups/129-how-change-your-own-oil.html

 

[elime]

Take out the spark plug and put a finger over the hole and crank it. Is there compression? If yes, pour a little gas down the spark plug hole, install spark plug and then try to start it. If it starts and runs for a short time then dies, or if it keeps running, it is fuel system problem. If it doesn't start at all it is an electrical problem / no spark. Good luck.

 

[littletommy]

For sure the clutch plates were sticking, next time, rock it in gear forwards and backwards with the clutch pulled in, then when you feel them free up and the bike can be rolled, put it in neutral and it should fire up easier. It's a common problem and on the colder days, can make the difference in starting or not.

 

[RockyTFS]

Also, when you get the bike thoroughly broken in at around 2,000 miles switch to a full synthetic oil like Mobil 4T. This will make the clutch MUCH less sticky and help smooth out the shifts.

 

[frog13]

Thanks all. Yes, I did take the MSF Basic Rider Course to get started and to get my endorsement. Great class. Though perhaps I did forget "N" for Neutral.

To answer a few of TW-Brian's questions for me:

Yes, the lights did come on.
Yes, the starter turned over.
Yes, the bike was in gear.
No, the side stand was not down.
Yes, there was gas in the tank.
Yes, the petcock was on.
Yes, the choke was pulled.
Yes, the clutch was pulled.

Thanks for those questions. Good to know some of the things you would need to know.

Seemed a bit to me like the clutch was sticking and somehow related to it not starting, but I didn't really know how. I was imagining a safety switch like the side stand or something similar. When in first gear and clutch pulled, it would barely roll forward. In neutral it would roll fine, then in fifth gear it would roll a little easier, but not without friction.

When it did start, it was in neutral, so perhaps my problem was that I was trying to start it in gear with a sticking clutch.

And again, thank you all for your thoughts and ideas. Good to know there is a community out there. I recently bought a Dodge Sprinter to build into a camper, and became acquainted with its amazing forum. So thankful the TW200 has one as well.

What type of oil are you using...dino or synthetic. What grade of oil,10w-? or 20w-?. My 09 did the same thing,until I put more miles on it and switched to synthetic oil (motorcycle specific of course). Also check the clutch return spring at the case.....follow the clutch cable down to the case and check that spring for proper install.....there is a thread on this forum about this very thing (spring).

 

[OurDee]

One last thing after following all the great info above, I notice this was in colder weather, with the choke out on a cold bike, make sure the throttle is fully shut and don't open it . I only turm the engine over for 3 or 4 seconds, then stop. Wait a few seconds then try it again. At less than 30 degrees mine may take three tries. I have a 2010 and had to clean the carb when it got cold out this year. It has 10,000 miles so far but had sat for a while during it's life.

 

[Sweetwater]

Take out the spark plug and put a finger over the hole and crank it. Is there compression? If yes, pour a little gas down the spark plug hole, install spark plug and then try to start it. If it starts and runs for a short time then dies, or if it keeps running, it is fuel system problem. If it doesn't start at all it is an electrical problem / no spark. Good luck.

So, let's continue this thought, assuming nothing has changed but the weather, and we come to the conclusion that since bike idles for 4-5 seconds and then dies, and won't start again for 10-15 minutes, then what fuel system problem could exist??? Also assume fresh gas, and knowing this is a bike that always cranks right up...I'm quite frustrated with this :-(

 

[tinman tim]

start with the easy. Is fuel getting out of the tank? Has the carb gummed up on you? Have you cleaned the jets? from the sounds of things, your not getting enough fuel OR way too much air. Could the rubber intake be leaking air due to the colder weather? A good check for this condition is to spray a little starting fluid at the intake rubber as the bike is idling. It doesn't take much! If the rpms change, you've got a leak. as you can't get her going in the first place, I'd look at a carb clean first. TIM

 

[Sweetwater]

Plenty of fuel flowing and won't idle beyond a few seconds. Changed to a new plug with same result. I guess that in the last 24 hours the boot may have a small crack. Carb cleaned and rebuilt four months ago. This is my go-to bike, the one that always runs. 20 years ago I owned a 1972 H-D FLH that was kick only...that bike always ran, 12 months a year, no hassles. In the past three months my KLX has given me a fit and now the T-Dub...wonder if I could spoon some knobbies on the ol' H-D

 

[rbm]

It may have been said already but I'd check the pilot jet. Will it run with the choke on?

 

[Sweetwater]

Choke makes no difference (actually never had used choke before, odd right?) It won't run at all beyond a few seconds :-(

Gonna go tear into it now so the missus will quit bugging me...27 degrees F and she wants to ride!!!

I will report what I find, thanks to all you guys!