Bike wouldn't start

711 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Shep, Feb 20, 2011

sbrimer

Discussion Starter · Feb 18, 2011

I have noticed that after my 78 CX sits for a few days, it is very hard to start. It just turns over and over and over, and eventually fires up. After it is warm, it starts just fine. Perplexed and expecting the worse, I started with the most simple thing; the battery. Before I started, I just knew that it couldn't be the battery, it was new and showed a 85% charge. How wrong I was. I put it on a battery tender and the next day when I thumbed the starter button, it started almost instantly. It was like it had EFI. Thinking it was a fluke. I waited a week, still on the battery tender and guess what? Started immediately.

The lesson I learned is:

With a fully charged battery, which this bike obviously needs, it starts up fine and very quickly.

Some of you probably already knew this, but my point is, that a lot of starting problems that someone might think is something else electrical or fuel related, just might be a slightly week battery.

Just my thoughts.

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MikeCMP

· #2 · Feb 18, 2011

I've also noticed that if you leave fuel in the carb bowls for a while it can be hard to start the bike. All of the lighter weight things that aide in ignition, like the butane, evaporate off, which can lead to harder starting too. I've switched off my petcock a quarter mile from home to run the bowls down a bit, so when I am read to ride again, it would fill the bowls with fresh gas.

Mike

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Shep

· #3 · Feb 20, 2011

Both my Cxs are pretty damn good at starting even if left for long periods but if they do not start on-the-button for any reason I instantly get out the WD40/Carb Brake cleaner and take my air filter out and spray some directly into the carbs.

I like my bikes,like my cars,to"Start" not,"Crank"

Note:I do add a bit of Seafoam/RedX or any proprietary supermarket Petrol treatment to a tank of fuel quite regularly.These are old machines so I treat them with a bit of TLC.

My 10 penn'th.

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