Bandit 600 wont start-

nedned

Yep-Id left it lying for two months after Christmas.Ive turned over and over.
The odd time it might catch for a second.It keeps flooding the engine.Ive taken out the plugs and cleaned them.Just wonder,would be dried petrol in the carbs.Can i spray anything into the carbs to clean them.

Cheers....

antiskeptic

nedned wrote: »

Yep-Id left it lying for two months after Christmas.Ive turned over and over.
The odd time it might catch for a second.It keeps flooding the engine.Ive taken out the plugs and cleaned them.Just wonder,would be dried petrol in the carbs.Can i spray anything into the carbs to clean them.

Cheers....

It could well be damp set in. If so, you might be losing your spark power (partially) to earth. Clearly petrol and presumably compression - the two other elements required for fire up - are present.

See whether your plug caps are the screw-off variety - likely so on a Bandit. If so, screw them off and leave them to dry out on a radiator/low temp oven for a while. Other assists for a tardy starter involve:

- giving your spark plugs 25 mins at 200C in an oven and inserting them hot into the engine (mind your hands). This'll ensure they're dry/oil free and will help fire up the fuel.

- using a bit of proprietry "damp start" (available from a motor factors). This is essentially a highly volitile version of petrol. You have to remove the air filter cover, then the filter, spray a blast of the damp start down each inlet stub, replace filter and fire her up.

- buy a new set of plugs.

- charge your battery to ensure turn-over speed is at max.

- try turning her over with no throttle until she begins to catch then add small amounts of throttle - rather than big handfuls.


Good hunting!

nedned

will do.Is there anything you can spray down into the cards if i too off their caps.Just encase theres any old dried up petrol.Thats causing either the needle to stick or floats not to seal properly.Think i`ll have jump it off a car.Because when it does try to start.I think the battery is not turning it fast enough.I always put the battery on charge for a few hours before i try it.

Cheers.....

antiskeptic

nedned wrote: »

will do.Is there anything you can spray down into the cards if i too off their caps.Just encase theres any old dried up petrol.Thats causing either the needle to stick or floats not to seal properly.Think i`ll have jump it off a car.Because when it does try to start.I think the battery is not turning it fast enough.I always put the battery on charge for a few hours before i try it.

Cheers.....

I doubt that you'd have any problem with petrol going off in just a couple of months - I leave my bike for 4-5 months - just taking it for the odd run - on the same tank of fuel.


Don't spend too long on the starter button between rests (tempting, when hitched to a car battery). Otherwise you'll shorten the life of your starter motor. Hopefully the starter fluid will do the trick - it certainly helped my old Escort to life through the winter. A real life-saver.

spiggotpaddy

bandits hate the cold they run like a bag of nails until they warm up. the floats stick in the carbs when they are left sitting for a spell then they flood and foul the plugs. if it has been laid up for a while and does'nt start first time a couple of light taps on the carb bowls can unstick the floats. then when it does start after thirty seconds of choke lightly blip the throttle for a while, the old aircooled motor won't run smooth intil its warm.

jambofc

sounds like sticky float,take plugs out to see which plug(s) are being flooded,drain carbs and as said above tap bowls to free the stuck float,also bandits suffer badly from carb iceing in early models,what year is yours.

nedned

I got it started after.Went to drain the carbs and nothing came out.I sprayed carb cleaner into the screw holes.Then petrol flowed out.Must of been gunk
in there.Took out the carb sliders.Sprayed carb cleaner in there.Even at this
it still didnt want to start.So left it lying for few hours.And it then fired up.But would die if i reved around 4000rpm.Left it for another while.Just let it idle the next time.Now i can rev it passed 6000rpm and its ok.no load.Just done a small test run.Still abit lumpy at speeds below 20mph.It be like driving in 6th gear at 10mph.Bike Wants too stop.Once i get a bit of speed its not as bad.But still not right.Idle is perfect.

746watts

nedned wrote: »

I got it started after.Went to drain the carbs and nothing came out.I sprayed carb cleaner into the screw holes.Then petrol flowed out.Must of been gunk
in there.Took out the carb sliders.Sprayed carb cleaner in there.Even at this
it still didnt want to start.So left it lying for few hours.And it then fired up.But would die if i reved around 4000rpm.Left it for another while.Just let it idle the next time.Now i can rev it passed 6000rpm and its ok.no load.Just done a small test run.Still abit lumpy at speeds below 20mph.It be like driving in 6th gear at 10mph.Bike Wants too stop.Once i get a bit of speed its not as bad.But still not right.Idle is perfect.

Jets are still gummed up. You may need to take the carbs out and remove the float bowls and get your can of carb cleaner right into all the nooks and crannies to do a thorough job.

TIP: If you leave the bike unused for more than 3 or more days, take 5 mins to drain the carbs of the gone off petrol. It will start no bother with fresh fuel from the tank. The petrol in your tank is 100% fine as it can't go off (sealed tank). The petrol in your carbs however can lose it's vital volatile components by evaporation out through the carb overflow vent. In your case the bike was lying up so long the petrol evaporated down so much it left a gum residue which blocked your jets.