bdg

have a 2002 volusia, taking spells where it will not start. just turns over acts like not firing!! may go back next day will start right up. went on ride late fall stopped after 60 or so miles, went to start it up just turned over, sure its getting gas, messed with kill swith and kick stand switch, any suggestions as the where to look next any help will be appreciated

thanks bdg

rvcycleguy

Check your battery. These bikes require a strong battery. System needs maximum cranking amps to start. Use a battery tender, or trickle charger when not riding to keep the battery strong.

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Hi-Vis

How many miles are on the spark plugs? Do you allow your bike to sit unused for more than 10 days? How old was the gas in your fuel tank?

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03volusiarider

I would start with new spark plugs and add some seafoam to the fuel. And i would also check the battery.

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bdg

replaced battery,and keep on trickle cahrger when not in use, really got me stumped, guess will need to take to dealer thanks for the reply
bdg

bdg

has been a while since new plugs, just seems funny that it will start sometimes and then not, won't hurt to try

Polovision

Makes me thing about funky fuel.

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elsonico

Hey, did you work out the problem?

I actually had the very same issue when my bike occassionally wouldn't start after I rode it which made tank stops very intersting. The engine just turned over but never fired.

Apparently (knock on wood), I have accidentally solved the problem. I have spraypainted my headlamp-housing black and had to unplug all the wires and plugs in it. After reinstalling everything, the issue of the non-starting bike seems to be history.

So before getting it checked out by a mechanic you might as well remove your headlight (that's just 2 bolts that you need to undue) and check all the plugs.

The inside of my lamp-housing was a bit rusty, so I figured some contacts may have slightly corroded.

cheers from Germany!

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dfinitlydisturbd

Funky gas, and cooler temps....both especially if your feeding it the gas / 10% ethanol mix most stations are selling. (man I wish I could get real gas round here!). These bikes don't like the ethanol to begin with, add in that it sucks up condensation in the tank then settles to the bottom in a completely unburnable mix and you got grief. If you can find em get some hotter range plugs, they'll definitely help.

Wouldn't hurt to carry a spare spark plug or a spark tester to see if your coils are firing when it acts up either. This time of year I carry three plugs in my kit just because the horrible things the gas up here does to plugs. If mine cranks but don't catch, a quick swap to a clean dry plug in the rear cylinder (because it's easier to get too) and a carb purge (cranking the throttle half a dozen times without hitting the starter to pump some of the crap out to make room for gas) gets the rear cylinder to fire with the front catching after a bit of running at just above idle. More often than not a few pumps of the throttle followed by cranking in short bursts will clear enough crap out of the carb to allow the bike to fire on at least one cylinder without swapping out the plug. One of these years the tank is going to get a water trap between the petcock and the pump (Works for my JD model 40.) to keep the crap from ever reaching the engine. For folks unfamiliar with them a pic is provided below. The advantage is not only can you see what crap is lurking in your fuel, but it also prevents your engine from sucking it up, and you can remove it. The one in the pic has no drain meaning you have to remove the bowl, but they also can be had with a drain valve which makes getting the crap out tooless and easy.

Two Red Ryders

For hard to start gas engines nothing beats Spray Starting Fluid.

Starting fluid is sprayed into the engine intake near the air filter or into a spark plug hole of an engine to get added fuel to the combustion cylinder quickly. Once started if the engine won't continue to run unless you keep adding starting fluid to the intake is a sure sign the bike isn't getting enough gas.

Old gas, too high an octane gas, flooded engine, cold weather with not enough choke on carb, old plugs, slow cranking speed from weak battery or weak starter, engine sitting for a long while, can all contribute or cause hard starting problems which can often be solved by using starting fluid.



If the engine won't fire using starting fluid you are most likely not getting spark.

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