www.zxrworld.co.uk

tried to start my 400 after a long idle period { 5 months } and guess what , anyway charged battery up overnight and its trying to start but wont , plenty of petrol left in tank , any suggestions on what i could try next { something simple i mean ] before taking it to a garage .

drain the carbs.
check the plugs.
does it turnover? but not fire?
might have a blown starter fuse.

jump start it and then and ride and get a new battery

ZXR 400 IMHO are always a pain to start after a long lay off..

it's possible you battery is toast...................five months with no attention could well have left it badly sulphated.

So long as it is turning over and you have a spark at each plug and there is fuel it will start eventually.

Fresh fuel helps

Clean plugs will help

clean out the carbs

Even with a brand new fully charged battery you could drain it trying and it still wont start...............charge it and try again or jump it off a bigger battery

Take care that you use an appropiate charger to charge your battery




I've had some success with using a hot air gun to pre warm the spark plugs before they go in........................clearly you need to have things set up so you can put the warmed plugs in a try to start imediately.

I've even filled the radiator with boiling water to try and warm the engine..............

In my experience fully choke and no throttle works best but use the choke like a throttle open and close it..................once the bike even fires once on one cylinder but fails to start you are on your way keep trying.

Like I say if there is a spark on each plug and fuek in there it will go eventually

its not the battery , is it easy to get at the plugs to check for sparks ? is it easy to clean carbs ?/
guidance needed .

to get to the spark plugs you need to remove the tank and airbox, then its just a case of pulling off the ht leads and removing the spark plugs then put them back into the ht lead and lean them against the engine and turn it over to see if they spark..............careful not to touch them (as your get a good shock) or put it near fuel, electrical components.
to remove the carbs same process remove tank and air box then its a case of removing fuel line and throttle cables and coolant pipes for heaters if fitted and undo the 4 clamps holding the carbs to the inlet rubbers on the engine.

when your trying to start it just it just turn over??does it try to start??backfire??

itl just turn & turn until no more life in the battery { doesnt backfire } will try and get at the plugs 2morrow , tried jumping from the car battery { but didnt start car engine } still didnt kick in .

fresh plugs, fresh fuel, a fit battery or two and a can of bradex easy start!

i got my H1 started after 12 years of being stood doing the above...

once its running, and it idle's ok ish, and picks up off throttle when warm,
you knows the basics are ok, get the carb bowls off and give the jets a squirt with carb cleaner, change the oil then you are laughing!

i wouldn't of thought that standing for 5 months would gum up the carbs, get it running, get good oil in, and go for a ride! there's nothing like heat to clear jets and dissolve gunge...

live near a steep hill ?

nice fast bump start would work a treat.


failing that, all of the above is good avice.. my local car parts place sells some EZ start stuff branded as "start ya giraffe" .. i want some

LOL

i do live near a big hill but there is no bloody way im pushing the heavy lump up it . will try to change plugs first . how often are you supposed to change the plugs anyway . had the bike just over 2 years and havent changed a thing on it .

i would be doing a good service on it, all the filters and plugs and fluids if you havent done anything for 2 years.

http://www.zxrworld.co.uk/Manuals/L%20M ... er%201.pdf

heres the service intervals for an L model i presume they are the same for H and L as i dont no what bike you have got, gives you an idea anyways.

looks like a couple of bits are over due on your bike........

you have turned the petrol tap on, right?

just out curiosity what size spark plug socket do i need before i start dismantling things & which sparks plugs do i need { set of iridium on ebay ?? } ??

I've got iridium IX spark plugs & 16mm spark plug socket.