Starter wont get the bike going

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Sewanee

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While i have a rough idea of the problem, and its possible solutions, i wanted to run the symptoms by some more knowledgeable people before i start spending money.

I bought an 01 FZ1 of a dealer floor about 3 weeks back. It wasn't my original choice going in, but after sitting on it and taking it around the block i was sold. The bike had been in the show room for quite some time, and they needed to hook up the battery to an external charger to get it to start the first time. I rode the bike home, and then all over the back roads of eastern TN. Then the rain came and the bike was parked for about a week and a half. I take it out, and try to start it up, no go. The bike catches, fires, coughs, sputters and dies. I try again, and the same thing happens. The starter seems to be quite weak, not quite capable of getting the engine turning over fast enough to get compression. The battery dies after the third press on the starter button. No big deal, i'm parked on a bit of a hill, and i bump start by running and pushing it down the slope. The engine catches, and warms up and runs just fine.

The bike starts ok after i gas it up, while the engine is still hot, but after this, i have to bump start it practically every time. Its certainly a good work out, but its not something i want to keep dealing with (no surprise there).

My question is whether or not you all are in agreement with me, that the battery needs replacing, because it wont hold a charge for any amount of time after its stopped, or if you think there might be some other factor at work, like a short in the electrical system some were.

Thanks for any help you might offer. I cant afford to take it in the the stealership, as i'm a starving college student.


-Ian
 
Sewanee said:
While i have a rough idea of the problem, and its possible solutions, i wanted to run the symptoms by some more knowledgeable people before i start spending money.

I bought an 01 FZ1 of a dealer floor about 3 weeks back. It wasn't my original choice going in, but after sitting on it and taking it around the block i was sold. The bike had been in the show room for quite some time, and they needed to hook up the battery to an external charger to get it to start the first time. I rode the bike home, and then all over the back roads of eastern TN. Then the rain came and the bike was parked for about a week and a half. I take it out, and try to start it up, no go. The bike catches, fires, coughs, sputters and dies. I try again, and the same thing happens. The starter seems to be quite weak, not quite capable of getting the engine turning over fast enough to get compression. The battery dies after the third press on the starter button. No big deal, i'm parked on a bit of a hill, and i bump start by running and pushing it down the slope. The engine catches, and warms up and runs just fine.

The bike starts ok after i gas it up, while the engine is still hot, but after this, i have to bump start it practically every time. Its certainly a good work out, but its not something i want to keep dealing with (no surprise there).

My question is whether or not you all are in agreement with me, that the battery needs replacing, because it wont hold a charge for any amount of time after its stopped, or if you think there might be some other factor at work, like a short in the electrical system some were.

Thanks for any help you might offer. I cant afford to take it in the the stealership, as i'm a starving college student.


-Ian
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Well Ian, It looks like you had better go and buy a new battery for sure. Those are classic symptoms of a battery gone bad. Better yet, take it back to the dealer and tell them to replace the battery at no cost to you. The bike should have a fully charged and fully operational battery. It's obvious that it won't hold a charge. I wouldn't wait too long either. Call them tomorrow and tell them you got stuck with it and that you want the battery replaced. Did you buy the bike "as is"?
 
Once I saw them break out the charger to start the bike, I would have made them replace it as part of the deal with a new battery. You don't know how long that bike had been sitting. It could have been years. Thats why dealers SUCK! I would be on the phone with the manager as soon as they open tomorrow without fail. And don't let them tell you otherwise either!
 
Ian I'm with Billy on this one. You need to simply replace that battery and I would approach the dealer about getting a "free" replacement. It was obviously defective from the moment they sold you the bike. A good battery will maintain it's charge for weeks, not days and that one wont even hold a charge for a few hours.
 
Personally I wouldn't have taken the bike without a BRAND NEW battery. That's BS that they didn't even offer replacing it. What kind of dealer doesn't take care of the bikes they are trying to sell?

I've had this exact problem with my battery in my old CBR. Replace it and get something for free from the dealer if they don't replace it!
 
It says alotabout the "stealer" if they don't immediately offer to replace the battery. Word of mouth travels. I've noticed, at least here, that someone will call and ask you your experience at the "stealer", should th opportunity present itself, and they did not replace, let 'em have it.....
 
Attention to the customer needs to be revisited, because a happy one will be more likely to come back and spend more money in the store.

The "stealer" blames the Internet for decreased sales. If there is a problem, it usually gets fixed right away instead of acting like a deer in a headlight when you come back to the store to try and fix the problem
 
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The battery more than likely is shot but I'd be checking the charging system too. It wouldn't be the first time a battery died because the charging system wasn't sound. Throw a metter across the battery terminals when it's running and make sure. You might need more than a battery.
 
Lonerider59 said:
You might need more than a battery.
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I really hope not, because if thats the case, bike is going to be put up until at least after Christmas, as i wont have any money to get it fixed until then. Being a full time student means having essentially all of your income already spoken for.

Unfortunately, the bike was sold explicitly "as is" from a dealership which specializes in suzukis and used bikes. There is essentially no chance that they will replace the battery. I certainly wont be recommending them to anyone who asks my opinion, and i would encourage everyone on here to avoid Lakeview Cycles in Smyrna, TN.
 
Sewanee said:
I really hope not, because if thats the case, bike is going to be put up until at least after Christmas, as i wont have any money to get it fixed until then. Being a full time student means having essentially all of your income already spoken for.

Unfortunately, the bike was sold explicitly \"as is\" from a dealership which specializes in suzukis and used bikes. There is essentially no chance that they will replace the battery. I certainly wont be recommending them to anyone who asks my opinion, and i would encourage everyone on here to avoid Lakeview Cycles in Smyrna, TN.
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Thats a shame. I'm sorry to hear that. I can't believe that they won't budge on a replacement battery in order to keep a customer happy when they knew fully that the battery was probably no good to begin with. Unfortunately sometimes we have to learn a hard lesson first in order to know better for the next time. I wish I had a spare to send you but I haven't had the need to have a back-up laying around. You might check one of your local auto stores or maybe even Walmart as they sometimes have batteries that are less expensive that will at least get you going before Winter sets in. I wouldn't recommend bump starting it as you will put a strain on your charging system if the battery is really dead. I wish you luck my friend.
 
To anyone interested

I've had a new battery in the bike for a couple of months now, and all the electricals seem to be working fine.

Its also pretty obvious to me now that the air filter needs to be replaced.
 
I think even if the bike is sold as is I would have spent the 10 minutes to make a phone call to see if they would do something for you, if they say no then you are only out 10 minutes, if they say yes you get a functional battery...just something to think about.
 
Get the battery. I believe all your other symptoms will dissapear when you put in a new battery and clean the terminals. By the way, vinigar will clean the battery terminals to new looking, etching them clean, yes household vinigar. Put in in a cut down paper cup and submerge the cable ends, you'll be surprised how well it works.
 
starting problem on fz1 naked model 08

hi guys ,

need a real help, based out from india where there are no official fz1 import from yamaha , i have a starting problem and looks like a battery problem.

Tried opening the compartment was miserable at it , the passenger seat pops up how do u get to the battery compartment ?
 
vivek01971 said:
hi guys ,

need a real help, based out from india where there are no official fz1 import from yamaha , i have a starting problem and looks like a battery problem.

Tried opening the compartment was miserable at it , the passenger seat pops up how do u get to the battery compartment ?
Click to expand...

Once you pop off the passenger seat reach behind the driver seat and you'll feel a lever there. Slide the lever to the left (if you're standing behind the bike) and the driver seat should pop off. Battery is right underneath...
 
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