Pointy cut out, won't restart.

Hi there guys n girls.

As per heading, this is the place to come say hello and shove my way into the SV party!

Name is Simon, I'm 40, been riding for two years now; passed my DAS about 2 months ago. Prior to that, I was on a CBT and riding a Vara 125cc, best bike for us tall blokes. I loved that bike and we had some cool camping trips and rideouts during our time together, but the call for more horses was too strong, so here I am...

This hello would be a much more positive one with talk of joining you for meets and rideouts, but I just got in after my K3 650N not starting. I've only owned it a week too!

It started on the button every time, but tonight, I started fine, I ride it 50 yards to my security gate ready for the off and it conked out?!

It wants to start, battery seems strong etc, but the fuel light comes on (I have a FULL tank of 97 in there) Seeing as I've had the bike only a week and not even got a manual, I have no clue if I have lent on a pipe, bashed something (engine kill is not active as it turns over) or what.

I got a 3 month warranty with the bike from the shop I bought it, so ill call the guy in the morning, he seems a good honest guy, so I'm confident he will get it sorted for me.

In the meantime, is there something obvious I should take a look at?

I am also aware this should be in the TECH thread, but seeing as I'm a newbie, ill double post this (copy and paste) to get double exposure.

Many thanks to anyone that offers a rapid reply. Can you imagine how deflated I feel after getting my first BIG bike and having problems in less than a week?

Simon / Bike_Nutter

[prokartman]

Hello and welcome , I am new to the SV650 world as well but have been riding bikes since around '97 . Can you confirm that it is the low fuel light that is on and not the fuel injection symbol on the dash ? When you put the ignition on does the fuel pump prime ( sounds like a whirring for a couple of seconds ) if not then maybe the fuse for the pump has blown ( no pump , no fuel pressure , no engine running ) , Does the bike have an alarm or an immobiliser ?

Hi Prokartman (are you in South Park? haha)

Thanks for the welcome. Is it the yellow fuel light, NOT on the LCD display. The same one that comes on when you need to visit for a top-up.

The pump, "primes" yes, it whirs, I wait for that to stop before pushing the start button. It has no alarm or immobiliser.

[prokartman]

Ok , the fuel light is a worry but I don't think that would stop the bike as you say its full of fuel and the pump runs when switched on ( unless the fuel sensor is also wired to the ignition circuit as a fail safe ) . This will be a pain to do as access is a bit restricted but I would use an old spark plug with the HT lead from the bike attached and hold it against the engine and try to start the bike ( use pliers or it will hurt a lot ) , obviously the plug should spark which will verify that the HT ignition side of things is ok . Or leave it for the dealership you bought the bike from as you have a 3 month warranty on it and they might not take too kindly to you delving in ( you know what dealers can be like ! ) . Try not to think too badly of the SV as it's a great bike and once the teething issues are done you will learn that for yourself . Let us know what the problem turns out to be .

Hello Bike Nutter, nice choice with the SV!

One thing you can do quickly is check the dash to see if there are any fault codes coming up.

There is a white connector under the pillion seat, you basically put 1 piece of wire diagonally in to that connector to make a connection, then you turn on the ignition, turn on the engine prime switch so it makes the whirling noise and see if any faults come up on the dash.

They look like this "c00"



This video shows how to do it on a K2 Gsxr which uses a very similar system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KyMP6079W4

If you get c00 then it means no faults, but anything else and you can google it.

I think that's a good place to start.

Originally Posted by prokartman

Ok , the fuel light is a worry but I don't think that would stop the bike as you say its full of fuel and the pump runs when switched on ( unless the fuel sensor is also wired to the ignition circuit as a fail safe ) . This will be a pain to do as access is a bit restricted but I would use an old spark plug with the HT lead from the bike attached and hold it against the engine and try to start the bike ( use pliers or it will hurt a lot ) , obviously the plug should spark which will verify that the HT ignition side of things is ok . Or leave it for the dealership you bought the bike from as you have a 3 month warranty on it and they might not take too kindly to you delving in ( you know what dealers can be like ! ) . Try not to think too badly of the SV as it's a great bike and once the teething issues are done you will learn that for yourself . Let us know what the problem turns out to be .

Sorry mate, what is the, "HT" lead? I did do 90% of the maintenance on my old Vara125, but I'm no mechanic, abbreviations and tech' words are beyond me..

Originally Posted by Bobbydigital36

Hello Bike Nutter, nice choice with the SV!

One thing you can do quickly is check the dash to see if there are any fault codes coming up.

There is a white connector under the pillion seat, you basically put 1 piece of wire diagonally in to that connector to make a connection, then you turn on the ignition, turn on the engine prime switch so it makes the whirling noise and see if any faults come up on the dash.

They look like this "c00"



This video shows how to do it on a K2 Gsxr which uses a very similar system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KyMP6079W4

If you get c00 then it means no faults, but anything else and you can google it.

I think that's a good place to start.

Hi.

I tried to copy the video and your instructions. I could not see the exact same white wire block as per YT video, so I opened up what I figured was the same thing for the SV and tried to connect the wires. The only thing it achieved was to completely knock out the starter motor. I checked fuses and found a blown one, which I replaced with the only fuse to hand, a 15amp, although it requires a 30amp. (no worries if the amp rating is lower) it now tries to start again, but won't fire. The battery is getting near dead from so many attempts, so I'm now resorting to calling the Dealer, his line has been busy for ages, *sigh* ...

[ChrisCurvyS]

I can't offer any technical expertise but what I would say is make sure the dealer gets it fixed asap, no excuses, no ifs no buts, Sale of Goods Act etc. They all seem like good honest guys' when they're liberating your cash from you!

Prob best not to tinker with it any more (and don't mention you have done either - put a 30A fuse back in) as that could muddy the waters regarding responsibility.

Welcome to the forum anyway - whereabouts are you?

Originally Posted by ChrisCurvyS

I can't offer any technical expertise but what I would say is make sure the dealer gets it fixed asap, no excuses, no ifs no buts, Sale of Goods Act etc. They all seem like good honest guys' when they're liberating your cash from you!

Prob best not to tinker with it any more (and don't mention you have done either - put a 30A fuse back in) as that could muddy the waters regarding responsibility.

Welcome to the forum anyway - whereabouts are you?

Hi Chris.

Thanks for your input.

EDIT : I live in north London.

You're right about the Dealer, the guy says he is happy to look at it and fix it, BUT, I have to get the bike TO the shop?!

Catch 22 I point out (i.e. how do I get a bike that won't start to the shop?!) , but he says that's how it is. "Check your insurance doesn't have recovery or your Barclay card"

I asked if he would come collect the bike, less than 4 miles from the shop if I gave him some cash which he seemed interested in, funny that!

Good point, I will put a new 40amp back in before he gets to see the bike and charge the (now almost dead) battery so he has no delays whinging about charging it up, leaving me without transport for even longer.

Makes me pine for my 100% reliable Vara 125. The only time that wouldn't start was in -*C temps as it was carb's.

I'll post updates as I get them, have a good day.

[ChrisCurvyS]

No worries my friend.

IIRC the transportation of broken-down bikes/cars to a garage which is obliged to repair them under warranty is a grey area - couple of people on here like Lozza have worked at dealerships and may be able to advise. It's only four miles though so you could always push it?! (I've pushed my SV for three before and it was the best workout I've ever had!)

Don't get too down about it - from the sound of things it will be something minor and the dealer should fix it or give you a refund. They're generally reliable bikes but with alarms, previous owners' tinkerings etc you can get electrical gremlins.

Btw the HT lead is the black cable going from the spark plug caps to the coil - they transmit the pulse of electricity to the spark plugs. But again, best to leave the dealer to investigate I think.