[dubstep]

missus dubstep says she having problems starting and has to resort to the kick start quite a bit recently..



we put a new battery in 3 or so months or so - the guy in the shop charged it for us - but I wonder if long enough ( not sure but think it was just a few hours? )



he topped up the battery fluid too.





just pulled the battery and it seems to have 13.46 volts on it ( that doesnt surprise me - since we did a 3 hour cruise yesterday.. )



but this morning she said she had difficulty starting and had to kick it..



she rides to work about 25-30 mins each way 5 days a week.. so I would have thought that kept the battery topped up? altho Lights are always on (no offswtich! ) and I put a couple of LED strips on the front as well,.. but they dont draw much?





so actually as I'm typing this I'm wondering if the battery is a red herring?



could be carb or plugs? causing her to try starting so many times it drains the battery?



seems to kick quite easily she reports.. ( Altho I got a moany message this morn it took 6 kicks..



and she's got work drinks tomorrow so she's gonna take the bus..







battery is on charge overnight anyway ( but the charger appears to have auto wound down on it )



so what should I look at tomorrow ( weather permitting )



clean carb ? I noticed when riding behind her yesterday it was burbling and mini backfiring way more than it used to.... ( this was just when she was slowing down- ie let go of the throttle engine braking situation )



is that the clue you think? ( i have cleaning fluid and some air cans to blow it out.. )





I do have a brand new iridium spark plug that I could maybe put in.. ( need to check the manual for plug gap _



I got air filter oil too - as well as an oil filter maybe I will give her an oil change whilst Im at it ( altho hardly relevant )





anything else I should consider ? I got 1 day of the bike tomorrow - would be good to nail it - it was dark when she got home - no garage so not easy to look at it at night... just wanna be prepared!



its our 5th year wedding anniversary this weekend!



cheers Guys!

 

[peruano]

Happy anniversary. I hate to repeat old news, but its too easy to overlook. Make sure the bike is in neutral, and don't just try to start with clutch lever squeezed (the latter causes just enough drag that bike will turn over but often will not have enough juice to start). So make sure that neutral light is lit and try to start it with greater success. Tom

 

[qwerty]

As much as she is riding, the battery should stay charged.



Download the shop manual, perform the electrical system checks. Get back to us.

 

[dubstep]

had a look in the manual.



after charging the battery all night it was up .06 volts to 13.52!



put the battery in ( have wired up a connector so I charge it without removing battery from bike? advisable? )



hmm battery seemd to have dipped to 13 volts when I measured this ignition off



tried starting - took a few goes! battery drops to 12.5 v!



bike starts - idling with choke I get 14.5 volts! so charging ok?





( do I need to check CDI resistance etc? )



plug was part of problem? looks worn out right?



EDIT -( its been in use rain or shine for about 18 months) end of EDIT



( photo's seemed to have "lightened" colour with flash on )





is it running a little rich? ( maybe I will clean the air filter now )

 

[dubstep]

( great article on carb tuning here.. http://tw200forum.com/index.php?/topic/647-carb-tuning/

)