QuestionMy Yamaha FZR600 has sat in my garage for over 6 months. I've decided to sell it, but the bike won't start. This isn't really a surprise since it hasn't been started in months.
The battery is basically toast, but I hook up jumper cables from my car (with the engine off) to the bike to give it juice. This works fine. However, the bike still won't quite start. When I press and hold the START button, it sounds like its on the verge of starting, but won't quite "turn over." I can hear the engine thumping (for lack of a better word) like it does when it idles, although slower and more intermittent and it won't quite kick in enough to idle on its own.
Any idea what this might be? What sort of things tend to go wrong when a bike has been sitting for months without being started? The battery does have some corrosion on a terminal and likely will need to be replaced, but I'm not inclined to think the battery is the problem - it sounds like the engine just can't quite kick in.
AnswerHi Chase.
When a bike sits in seasonal storage, there are very few things to happen, but they are enough to prevent the bike from running.
1) If you do not put the battery on a seasonal charge, then it goes dead. Most of the time, it means that you will have one or more bad cells rom that. Perform test on each of the battery's cells with a hygrometer. Replace the battery if any of the cells test bad.
2) The fuel in the system, which should have been COMPLETELY drained out of the bike, has turned to "varnish". It gums up the works and after you ressurrect the bike, this needs attending to.
Replace the battery and remove and dispose of the old fuel. Completely clean the carbs, replace the fuel lines and reseal the tank. If you do not follow those steps, then the residue from the old fuel will get in and gum up the carbs again.
Good luck and ride safe.
FALCON
