'99 SV650 SX Running problems

Hello all,

Bought my bike at around the end of August last year, rode it with no problems for about two months, and loved every minute. . . . UNTIL it started playing up and eventually died on me, and havent been able to get it running since!

THE PROBLEM :

Started out with being a little hesitant when pulling away from standstill e.g. at traffic lights, like it was losing power at the lower revs, but once it got going it was fine. This started happening quite often, and I initially thought it was because it was cold, but it seemed to happen randomly, even after a long ride.

One day I left the bike running for about 5 mins to warm up before I went out on it, then pulled away, noticed a lack of power, Im sure there was a 'pop' and the bike cut out about 100 yards from my house. I got it running for a bit after this, but it sounded like it was on one cylinder. Then it died and I couldn't get it going again, and ended up leaving it in the shed over xmas as the weather was getting worse, until now, where I intend to get it running in the next couple of weeks if its the last thing I do!

The night before it 'died' I did fill up with fuel from tesco, which made me think it may be dodgy fuel, as Ive had problems with cars due to the fuel from there. But I have since put fresh fuel in to no avail.

Ive pretty much checked as many connections as I could find for corrosion etc Ive changed the oil, filter and spark plugs, and there IS a spark, although it does look a little weak if Im honest, and the battery doesnt seem to last very long when I try to get it going. Could it be the battery that isnt giving enough power??? I really dont know

I've looked through loads of threads on this site to try and find similar problems, but no joy.

Hopefully someone will read this and have an Idea what it could be, or has had simlar problems.

Cheers

Could be the battery.Or reg/rec


Have you got a Multimeter? If so try jump starting it from a car unless the battery has completely gone. If it's an old battery might be worth buying a new one anyway if money isn't too much of a problem.

No leaks, oil is okay etc . . ?

If nothings obvious i'd go down the battery road.

[Biker Biggles]

Do a search here for choke plungers and make sure they are free and working.Also make sure the airbox is correctly seated on the carbs and there are no intake air leaks,and the airbox intake is not obstructed.If you can get it running check the charging system with a multimeter.
You say you have looked at the wiring,but there are a couple of known issues with the loom chafing.These are under the riders seat where the seat retaining bolts protrude into the loom and under the rear seat pod where the loom kinks round the subframe.Also round the headstock.

Originally Posted by MacDaddySV

The night before it 'died' I did fill up with fuel from tesco, which made me think it may be dodgy fuel, as Ive had problems with cars due to the fuel from there. But I have since put fresh fuel in to no avail.

The Teso in Bangor? I use there for fuel pretty much all the time. Standard Unleaded (not the fancy stuff), and it's always been fine for me.

When you took the plugs out, what state were they in? That'll give an indication as to rich/lean mix.

As Biggles says, it sounds to me like stuck choke plungers.

If the spark is weak, might be worth swapping the HT lead/coil to the rear to see if this improves it. But only do this after you've ruled out low battery voltage & everything simple - you need the hands of a midget to get to some stuff.

If you're stuck & need a hand (I'm not saying I'll be able to help but an offer is an offer ) - I'm only a few miles from you, so feel free to ask.

The choke plungers one sounds really interesting. . . . could explain the loss of power when riding . . .I can remember having to be gentle with the throttle like it was getting too much fuel or something. I will look further into that . . .

The plugs I took out looked like they hadn't been changed in a while, and had a bit of build up on them.

I also actually dug out my multimeter earlier, will give it a whirl tomorrow.

Yep, I did mean Tesco Bangor, Ive had problems with the petrol put into a couple of cars in the past, but if I was honest it probably doesnt put me off, as I like the 'pay at pump' option too much lol. - no queuing

Originally Posted by Baph

If you're stuck & need a hand (I'm not saying I'll be able to help but an offer is an offer ) - I'm only a few miles from you, so feel free to ask.

Cheers for the offer by the way , hopefully wont have to take you up on it!

Forgot to say the battery is an E.B.C. one, could this be the original battery? . . . the bike has 15,000 miles on the clock

Originally Posted by MacDaddySV

The plugs I took out looked like they hadn't been changed in a while, and had a bit of build up on them.

What kind of build up did they have?

See here: http://www.spark-plugs.co.uk/pages/t.../diagnosis.htm

Originally Posted by Baph

What kind of build up did they have?

See here: http://www.spark-plugs.co.uk/pages/t.../diagnosis.htm

They dont look half as bad as some of those on that link! Although the one on the right, which I think was from the front cylinder looks like a dry fouling one.

Heres a pic . . .

Yup, the left one just looks old to me. Maybe that's causing a weaker spark due to increased gap? If you've stuck new plugs in though, there's little point worrying about that.

The right one does look like dry fouling, and to quote that website I linked you to...

Air/fuel mixture too rich, choke stuck on, electrical problem, extended periods of low speed driving, plug heat range too cold.

Take a look at the choke plungers first. At least we've pretty much ruled out an air leak (too lean). So that's a start.