Bike started on one cylinder only?

[Taipan]

Hi All

Truied to start my bike up this morning but it wouldn't start? I took the chooke off and eventually it started but on one cylinder only. After a few seconds the other cyclinder started to kick in and then it was as normal? There was no back firing so I assume it fuel related?

Any ideas on what this is or anyone else had this?

Thanks.

Since you said choke, I assume the bike is carb'ed? Which cylinder was not firing, or dont you know?


Matt

I understand that they will all do that, especially if the bike has been standing a while.

[Taipan]

Originally Posted by alpinestarhero

Since you said choke, I assume the bike is carb'ed? Which cylinder was not firing, or dont you know?


Matt

Sorry yes, a 99 carbed S curvey version. No I don't know which cylinder was the one that was firing?

[fizzwheel]

Might be worth checking your choke plungers are not stuck.

Failing that cack / gunge in the carbs, has the bike been stood for a long time or is it in regular use ?

[Taipan]

Originally Posted by Steve H

I understand that they will all do that, especially if the bike has been standing a while.

It had only been left since saturday evening?

[embee]

Well it's not what I'd call "normal", but it's not something I'd particularly worry about unless it became regular.

Since the weather has been pretty warm (where are you??) it might simply be that it was over-enriched and one cylinder wetted the plug. Having taken the choke off and got it running on one cylinder it will often as not dry the other plug enough for it to fire up (under compression alone it gets fairly hot in there, a couple of hundred degC even with closed throttle).

I often find mine will fire up instantly from cold but then falter after a few seconds, usually it'll recover and run up as normal but I have known it stall. I always assumed it's to do with filling the carbs with fuel, there being enough in the drillings/passages to fire it up but it'll soon use that up and if it hasn't pumped enough through then it'll stumble. It only pumps fuel when the engine is turning (vac pulses).

[Taipan]

I haven't used it for a couple of days but intended to do so today. So I started it last night to make sure it would start. It was fine and fired up straightaway.

This morning the damn thing did not want to start. When it did it was with no choke and then only on one cylinder again and it took some time to coax it onto two cylinders. Lots of spluttering and the ocasional back firing and then very uneven running before levelling out.

I think the vibration I'm suffering and the really uneven running at small throttle openings at 3-5k and now this poor starting are all connected. As there is little back firing, I assume its fuel related rather than an intermittent electrical fault, as normally when the spark kicks back in, the excess unburnt fuel goes off with a bang etc.

So i'm thinking there is either a fuel delivery fault; weak pump/fuel blockage struggling to fill both fuel bowls? Or blocked jets, crap/water in the fuel bowls? Anyone had any experiance of carb problems with an SV? Is there a typical fault or is one carb always more suspect than the other? Thoughts?

I don't know about any carb problems but I had a similar problem on my curvy. I turned out that the front plug lead was not securely plugged into the coil. Has been fine so far since then.