bike not starting

carl456

Hi,
I recently acquired a zephyr 750 and i'm having a few probs.
It won't start for me, when i turn the ignition the starter motor turns ever so slighlty but not enough to turn the engine over, i thought the battery might be dead so i tried a good battery but the same problem occured, i can roll start it and the engine runs fine but idles very low and cuts out, could it be an alternator problem? Any Advice?

Rgards
Carl

AgileMyth

Are you 100% that the second battery was good?

carl456

yes, the fact that it starts when roll started but then cuts out makes me thing it might be a different electrical problem, i left it running to charge the battery but it still wouldn't start the next time i tried.

CJhaughey

Is it just at idle that the bike stops? Does it rev out?
Has the bike sat long?
If has spent time sitting idle then the petrol may have evaporated and left deposits in the carbs blocking jets etc.
Check the tank isn't full of rust, fuel filter as well.
Put fresh petrol in the tank, and maybe some fuel system cleaner might help as well.
Sounds to me more like a fuel problem than electrical.
If you can get it running then spraying carb clean into the carbs as its running might get them freed up, if not pull them and start stripping them down and checking/cleaning them.
Also check the voltage at the starter motor, maybe there is a loose connection and there isn't enough juice getting to the starter motor.

Chippy01

Check the battery with a good multimeter to make sure that it is good battery.
Make sure the connections on the battery are clean and tight.
Check that the other ends of the battery leads are also clean and tight. A dirty/faulty earth strap can throw up problems that seem to point elsewhere.