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K1300GT has covid?? (mystery start fail)

brbnhuntr

New member
K1300GT has covid?? (mystery start fail) (SOLVED!)

Hi all! I'm new to MOA (just joined earlier this year after buying my barely-used 2010 K1300GT back in Nov 2017), and first tried to use the many Search functions before posting my newbie-needs-help thread on what I'm hoping ends up me saying "duh!"

I last rode the bike in spring a few times... new battery installed back then... loaded with gas... but it sat over the summer with no riding and no starting. I'm in northern NJ and figured I'd better take advantage of these last few sunny/warm days to get a few rides in before winterizing.

Rolled it out of the heated garage after removing tender, turned key on... heard whining of the fuel pump... pushed started button... engine is healthfully cranking and turning... all lights are normal on the dash... but it doesn't start. Did that for 6-7 attempts and then rolled it back in.

Repeated the same exercise the next day with same result.

Hmm. Weird, imo. All seems fine with the bike. But am I missing something simple? Yes, it's in neutral... plenty of charge (again, new battery in spring, sitting on tender in heated garage year-round, etc).

Any thoughts, wisdom and advice will be appreciated. THANKS!

Glenn
 
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Possibly a sidestand or neutral switch stuck or malfunctioning? If the bike is recognizing neutral the SS switch shouldn’t matter, but worth a test anyway.

With the bike on the centerstand, make sure the neutral light is coming on with the ignition switch—try shifting into gear, then back to neutral. Then unfold/fold the sidestand a few times before folding it up. Then try starting the bike and report back.

Best,
DeVern
 
Possibly a sidestand or neutral switch stuck or malfunctioning? If the bike is recognizing neutral the SS switch shouldn’t matter, but worth a test anyway.

With the bike on the centerstand, make sure the neutral light is coming on with the ignition switch—try shifting into gear, then back to neutral. Then unfold/fold the sidestand a few times before folding it up. Then try starting the bike and report back.

Best,
DeVern

+1 on GTRider... try it in neutral with the sidestand up. That exhausts my mechanical prowess..
 
Would the fuel pump run if it was a side stand safety switch? I want to say no.

Just because the fuel pump runs doesn't mean it is pumping or getting fuel. Check for spark, if you have spark I would pull the air cleaner a give it a shot of gas then crank it again. If it fires obviously a fuel problem.
 
Would the fuel pump run if it was a side stand safety switch? I want to say no.

Probably not, but the fuel pump is so buried on these bikes I can never tell if it’s running or not—probably just my bad hearing at play. IIRC, on a normal start the pump will initialize just long enough to pressurize the fuel rail, then shut down until the starter is engaged. The original post states the bike won’t start but doesn’t indicate if it is attempting to fire at all.

Just because the fuel pump runs doesn't mean it is pumping or getting fuel. Check for spark, if you have spark I would pull the air cleaner a give it a shot of gas then crank it again. If it fires obviously a fuel problem.

Unfortunately, getting access to a spark lead on these bikes requires removal of the body panels and draining/dropping the radiator. The coil caps on individual plugs have been known to fail occasionally, especially if mishandled during service, but the bike would still fire on the other plugs unless something is telling the ECU not to fire the plugs. Accessing the air filter requires removal of only the RH body panel but leaves no direct access to the throttle bodies so it might be tough to get a squirt of gas down the throat. A SMALL shot of starting fluid into the air chamber might show whether there is spark. I hate using that stuff, tho, because it’s dangerous and if misused can make a large problem out of a small one.

The OP hasn’t checked back in; perhaps his was a fleeting anomaly and he’s out riding...
:)
Best,
DeVern
 
SOLVED! (thx for feedback!)

Possibly a sidestand or neutral switch stuck or malfunctioning? If the bike is recognizing neutral the SS switch shouldn’t matter, but worth a test anyway.

With the bike on the centerstand, make sure the neutral light is coming on with the ignition switch—try shifting into gear, then back to neutral. Then unfold/fold the sidestand a few times before folding it up. Then try starting the bike and report back.

Best,
DeVern


BINGO! Threw her up on center stand, key in/on, kickstand up, put in first gear, clutch in, start button, turned right over in a hot second.

Then for good measure I shut her down, put back on kickstand and repeated the process... but in neutral on the kickstand... started right up again.

Gremlins, no doubt.

Thanks GTRider... and all!
 
BINGO! Threw her up on center stand, key in/on, kickstand up, put in first gear, clutch in, start button, turned right over in a hot second.

Then for good measure I shut her down, put back on kickstand and repeated the process... but in neutral on the kickstand... started right up again.

Gremlins, no doubt.

Thanks GTRider... and all!

:thumb
Actually, that behavior is by design—to keep the bike from being started in gear with SS down and have the rider get underway without retracting the SS.

Enjoy the ride, the K13GT bikes are great!

DeVern
 
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