07 FZ6 won't start... help!

BokGwai · 07-03-2009, 11:46 PM

Hi guys,

It's a new bike... has about 5000 miles on it. I road it for about 4 hours today and left it in the driveway. I come back later in the evening and the all the normal lights come on. I bring up the kick stand, put it into neutral, and flip the kill switch. The engine turns, but it won't catch. I have fuel. I can't think of much else to check for.

I'm in a bit of a tough spot, as it is 4th of july weekend and I'm visiting a friend far from home. I road my bike in, so this is my only transportation home. Any ideas you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

tubemkr · 07-04-2009, 12:04 AM

Does the engine turn over its normal speed but not start, does it not hit at all? We need as much information as possible. Can you hear the fuel pump cycle when you first turn the ignition on? Have you eliminated the clutch switch and kickstand switch as possible culprits? Be certain to try starting it in neutral rather than with the clutch in and in gear. I have several on this forum say their clutch switches were not plugged in when they bought their bikes. Another thought... have you tried push starting it?

BokGwai · 07-04-2009, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemkr

Does the engine turn over but not start, or does it not turn over at all? We need as much information as possible. Can you hear the fuel pump cycle when you first turn the ignition on? Have you eliminated the clutch switch and kickstand switch as possible culprits? Be certain to try starting it in neutral rather than with the clutch in and in gear. I have several on this forum say their clutch switches were not plugged in when they bought their bikes. Another thought... have you tried push starting it?

The engine does turn, but it does not start. I can hear something cycle when I turn the ignition on. The lights do come on and I see all the gauges. I kicked up the kickstand and put the bike in neutral. I also pulled in the clutch to be sure.

I have not tried push starting it yet. That may be next.

tubemkr · 07-04-2009, 12:14 AM

Could be worth a try. So I assume it doesnt even try to start but just spins like the kill switch is off? I hear that if the battery voltage is too low that it wont let the ignition fire but will let the engine turn over. Push starting it may tell us something (assuming it does start that way) because it lets nearly all battery voltage go to the ignition. It surely must be something simple though if it ran fine till you shut it down.

BokGwai · 07-04-2009, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemkr

Could be worth a try. So I assume it doesnt even try to start but just spins like the kill switch is off? I hear that if the battery voltage is too low that it wont let the ignition fire but will let the engine turn over. Push starting it may tell us something (assuming it does start that way) because it lets nearly all battery voltage go to the ignition. It surely must be something simple though if it ran fine till you shut it down.

Thanks for the quick replies. I really appreciate it. I'm still new to motorcycles and engines in general, so forgive me if I'm not understand you completely or using the wrong words.

In response to your question about it trying to start, but spins like the kill switch is off..... I hear the engine trying to turn, making the "nyeah nyeah nyeah" sound. So I typically call that turning over, but say it's not catching. Also, if the kill switch is off when I try to start it, nothing happens. I don't hear a thing. So I'm not sure what you mean by spinning like the kill switch is off.

Regarding the fuel pump cycling, I just noticed that it doesn't cycle the first time I turn on the ignition. However, after a failed attempt to start the bike, the lights will shut off and come back on again... the tachometer will cycle... all just like I turned on the ignition for the first time. At that time, I will hear the fuel pump cycling. This happens after every failed attempt to start the bike.

tubemkr · 07-04-2009, 12:35 AM

You are welcome.
It sounds kinda like a low battery to me. Do you ride with the high beams on? I hear that some have had issues when riding fairly low rpm's and running their brights causing their battery to not stay charged well.
I believe my '07 cycles the fuel pump every time I turn the key on, but will run out to the bike and see for sure. I do know that when I hit the starter button, the engine rotates at a fairly high speed till it starts. The first time my brother heard me start it he commented that it idled slower than the starter spun it over. lol

edit:
I went out and checked to see how mine behaves. Here is what I get...
Turn on key and fuel pump cycles immediately, as does the tach sweep and the led dance. Front markers and dash light are on. If I just bump the starter (not long enough to start the bike) the fuel pump cycles again. The tach does not sweep again nor the do I get the little dance from the speedo. The headlights come on only after the bike actually started.
Did you say your tachometer sweeps again each time you pushed the starter button? If so, that lends some to my guess that the battery needs charged.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I also did not get the pump sounds when turning the key on while the kill switch is off, only the the tach sweep and lights. I never use the kill switch, so that is why I thought it still allowed the motor to crank over but not fire off (like my old Vulcan). Guess I was just being a tard on that one.

jeepcoma · 07-04-2009, 02:22 AM

I'm also inclined to think it's a low battery. Simply letting the bike cool overnight may let the battery rest enough and take some heat of the system and give it enough juice to start the next morning. Of course if you're in a good place to try push starting it you could try that right away.

Did you notice how it was idling right before you shut it down? What were the RPMs?

You should hear the fuel pump priming most times, but not all the time (mine does it maybe 9 out of 10 times); instead, a better test is to put the bike in diag mode and run the fuel pump test, which will force the pump to cycle on and off so you can hear whether it's working or not. I don't remember the code off the top of my head but can probably find it if you need to run the test.

BokGwai · 07-04-2009, 02:45 AM

Ok. So I was able to run out and push start it. I rode it for a little while and shut it off and was able to restart it again several times. So it sounds like you were right about the low battery problem.

Your comment about the low rpms is very interesting. I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for about 2 hours today. I probably travelled about 10- 15 miles in those two hours, so you can imagine the rpms never getting above 5k for most of those hours. I also ran the high beams, so I think that might explain it.

I'll give it another go in the morning to see if anything changes. Thanks for your help. I really appreciate the insight and encouragement. Definitely saved me from going into full panic mode.

BokGwai · 07-04-2009, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeepcoma

Did you notice how it was idling right before you shut it down? What were the RPMs?

You should hear the fuel pump priming most times, but not all the time (mine does it maybe 9 out of 10 times); instead, a better test is to put the bike in diag mode and run the fuel pump test, which will force the pump to cycle on and off so you can hear whether it's working or not. I don't remember the code off the top of my head but can probably find it if you need to run the test.

I didnt pay attention to the rpms before shutting it down. I think it sounded pretty normal, so I didn't take note. What should I be looking for here?

Also, I have never put the bike into diag mode... is this something I can do without extra equipment? Or do I need to hook it up to a computer to this?

04Fizzer · 07-04-2009, 12:24 PM

It's always the battery.

tubemkr · 07-05-2009, 12:48 AM

I'm glad you got it going. Sorry I wasn't able to get back to this thread till now. I spent the entire day pulling and installing a transmission in my Saturn SL2. Not a lot of fun, especially on the 4th of July but at least I was doing it at my parents hangar

skyjake · 07-05-2009, 07:45 PM

Good post. I learned something new today.

Cap'n · 07-10-2009, 12:47 PM

Just wanted to throw this in here, in case someone searches this later.

I had the same happen last year - stopped the bike, had dinner, went back out and she would turn over but not start. It was indeed the battery. I had been in tons of traffic on the way there, with the 2-headlight mod. I had to get a new battery, and I pulled the headlight mod back down to 1, and no issues since.

ThatsRicci · 07-10-2009, 02:10 PM

Sounds like sitting in traffic stinks.... viva la lane splitting!!!

Tomowskifz6 · 07-10-2009, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cap'n

Just wanted to throw this in here, in case someone searches this later.

I had the same happen last year - stopped the bike, had dinner, went back out and she would turn over but not start. It was indeed the battery. I had been in tons of traffic on the way there, with the 2-headlight mod. I had to get a new battery, and I pulled the headlight mod back down to 1, and no issues since.

These things have a pretty low capacity charging system. I never had much problem with my dual headlight mod, but I spent so much time daily on the freeway and had LED's everywhere possible to offset the extra headlight drain. I also had an onboad charger/conditioner that I would plug in if the bike was going to sit more than a few days. If I remember correctly, below 3000 RPM the charging system doesn't put out enough to keep the battery charged with the high beams on. Just kill your highbeams if you are going to be stuck in traffic for any lenght of time. You can also install a switch to shut off the second headlamp if you have the dual headlight mod and are routinely in slow traffic.