QuestionI LEAVE MY MOTORBIKE AT THE TRAIN STATION IN MELTON UNFORTUNATELY OUT IN THE RAIN AND I TRIED TO START MY BIKE WHEN I ARRIVED BUT IT WOULDN'T START AND BATTERY WENT FLAT. AFTER A FEW TRIES THE BIKE BACKFIRED. HOW DO I GET IT STARTED AND WAS IT BECAUSE OF THE RAIN. I HAVE A 1990/91 SUZUKI BANDIT IT WAS COMPLIANCED MAY OF THIS YEAR.
AnswerHi Marcus.
Would this be the same Melton that is in Suffolk, U.K.? If it is, I know the area and the weather well. Wonderful riding roads that I now miss, being back in the U.S.
Knowing the weather there and the type of rains you get, there is a very good possibility of water in the fuel. The fact that it backfired indicates that some fuel is getting to the cylinder and that you are getting spark.
For the future you may want to get a small travel cover for the bike, for those times that you must leave it out in the weather.
To check for water, use a clean, dry glass jar and, one at a time, drain each float as well as some of the fuel tank into the jar and look for what looks like bubbles on the bottom. Water is heavier than fuel and will find the low point. The water will be clear, fuel has a die in it that is yellowish in tint, so that you can tell the difference.
You may also have a bad fuse or fuse connection. Check those as well.
In the future, you may wish to keep a can of automotive starting fluid with the bike. If the problem occurs again, spray some into the intake and start the bike. That will also tell you if you are getting proper spark.
But the only thing that seemed to have changed on the bike was all day exposure to the rain, so that limit's what could have happened.
Let me know what you find.
Good luck.
FALCON
