Help - bike won't start. Advice please

[philtaylor]

I put the bike away for the winter with the intention to start it every six weeks. It was last run at the end of November.

However when I next went to start it, the bike just makes a clicking noise. ( the engine doesn't turn over)

Thinking the battery may have gone flat I put it on charge. However it still just makes the clicking noise. Incidentally, the lights do not dim when trying to start the bike.

Ok then folks........ Your advice please. ?..

Thanks, phil

 

[(RIP) Miff]

Battery flat/fucked.

Tappety Tapped in MMXIII

 

[Giles]

Yep - battery fecked.

 

[Giles]

Ohh .... advice ....

If you haven't got an optimate, they're a good investment. The newest generation (4 ? 5? Can't remember what number they're up to now..) reckon that they can recover some fecked batteries.

I'd suggest you buy one first (cos you should have one in your garage any way..!) and try that. If that doesnt recover it .... new battery.

 

[Beemerman59]

If it'll jump of your car battery then......its your battery.

 

[david a hall]

Is it me or are flat batteries the new "which oil thread"? If you ride a GS you are probably of a certain age to remember the noise a flat battery makes! And if it wont charge its probably nakered, If you jump the vehicle with jump leads you find out if its the starter, but it rarley is. Dont set off round the world on it will you!

 

[(RIP) Miff]

Don't short the +ve lead on the frame...

 

[Bendy toy]

Optimate III can recover overdischarged batteries but probably not canbus compatible.

Sulphated batteries can often be recovered but usefaul capacity will be low to useless.

 

[DrFarkoff]

Stop Messing around go buy a brand new battery and give it a wee charge before you fit it

Believe me £50 for a battery is bugger all when you have to start chasing around canbus controller faults etc !!

 

[Bobbin-Man]

Optimate 3 will recover a battery and mine appears to work fine with the GS, although current favour seems to be with the C-Tek offering rather than the Optimate. Worthwhile investment.

 

[morty]

and don't forget to buy a cranking handle,very handy item:

 

[Bendy toy]

Just live on a hill.

 

[crumbles]

If the light's are bright and shiney and dont dim when starter click's,then i would not think it's a knackered battery as the power drain when starter try's to engage would pull all power from batterie and dim the light's.

If you had a kick start you could kick it,but as you havent,kick the feckking starter to free it.

Mind you,i could be talking bollock's.

 

[jogo]

I put the bike away for the winter with the intention to start it every six weeks. It was last run at the end of November.

In my view, you should not start it just to let it run a few minutes on idle or so. If you put it away over the winter, your last tour before that should be long enough to ensure a completely warm engine so that all moisture has evaporated.

If you want to do it even better, you empty out the old oil while its still warm and the dirt floating in there has not have time to settle. Let it stand over night so that all oil gets out. Fill new oil (and change the filter).
Maintain the battery during winter with a proper charger and look forward to spring.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I put the bike away for the winter with the intention to start it every six weeks. It was last run at the end of November.

In my view, you should not start it just to let it run a few minutes on idle or so. If you put it away over the winter, your last tour before that should be long enough to ensure a completely warm engine so that all moisture has evaporated.

If you want to do it even better, you empty out the old oil while its still warm and the dirt floating in there has not have time to settle. Let it stand over night so that all oil gets out. Fill new oil (and change the filter).
Maintain the battery during winter with a proper charger and look forward to spring.

Agreed

My GSA was put away in November & won't be started until late Feb or March

What's the point in starting once a month?????

 

[TLSgazza]

Agreed

My GSA was put away in November & won't be started until late Feb or March

What's the point in starting once a month?????

Agreed 2.
Not touched mine since getting back from the alps in october, except for taking out the rear wheel to replace the very bald tyre when I got back. Still not been out to scrub it in.

 

[DrFarkoff]

Some very sensible advice there!

Modern Injected engines shouldn;t be started and run for "5 minutes"

Number one the Fueling is way to rich until working temp is reached and it will kill the plugs A friend learned this the hard way with his 3rd set of plugs in his injected ZXWotsit @ £40 a time in one winter with not a mile turned!

Secondly you half heat the engine and don;t drive off moisture from before and you create more condensation as it half heartedly got near its working temp and cools down again

Thirdly and most importantly They are primarily air cooled and they have skinny valves and the heads have been known to drop off One did on mine and I'd only shut the garage pulled my Helmet and gloves on and got a mile away!

In my view, you should not start it just to let it run a few minutes on idle or so. If you put it away over the winter, your last tour before that should be long enough to ensure a completely warm engine so that all moisture has evaporated.

If you want to do it even better, you empty out the old oil while its still warm and the dirt floating in there has not have time to settle. Let it stand over night so that all oil gets out. Fill new oil (and change the filter).
Maintain the battery during winter with a proper charger and look forward to spring.

 

[Mad_Accountant]

Buy a new one

(Bike that is, not battery)

 

[Bendy toy]

Some very sensible advice there!

Modern Injected engines shouldn;t be started and run for "5 minutes"

Number one the Fueling is way to rich until working temp is reached and it will kill the plugs A friend learned this the hard way with his 3rd set of plugs in his injected ZXWotsit @ £40 a time in one winter with not a mile turned!

Secondly you half heat the engine and don;t drive off moisture from before and you create more condensation as it half heartedly got near its working temp and cools down again

Thirdly and most importantly They are primarily air cooled and they have skinny valves and the heads have been known to drop off One did on mine and I'd only shut the garage pulled my Helmet and gloves on and got a mile away!

People have this idea that starting a stored car (or bike) every other week is a good idea. Back when battery chargers were huge and batteries ditto it might have made sense. But equally back then it was recommended that engines should be filled with preserving oil. That meant filling them to the brim so could not be started until all that preserving oil was drained out and replaced with whatever flavour the engine needed.

Its a very bad idea for all the reasons already discussed. Also leaving an engine ticking over puts much more stress on the valve gear drive (chain or belt) because the individual valves snatch at the chain. At higher revs there is less internal thumping. My car manual says change cam belt every 40,000, but if used for mostly longer runs it can go to 72,000. That's a pretty high penalty for chugging it about & leaving it ticking over.

The R1200 has a cam chain but its not immune to wear.

 

[philtaylor]

Right many thanks for all the great advice.

I'm off to buy a new battery, optimate, move house to live on a hill, and buy a crank handle to make the bugger start..


Ps ...... Which is the best battery ?