Suggestions for starting my K100RT?

I have been riding the bike this year since St. Patrick's Day. It was tuned up last November and then stored for the winter with stabilizer in the fuel. The bike is on its third tank of gas for this season.

This past Monday, I was about to leave the house about 5:30 a.m. The temperature was about 5 degrees or 42 F. In the dark, I forgot to use the choke. The bike started and then stalled. I had no luck having the engine starting even momentarily. Ok, I drained the battery that morning and I have recharged the battery and it struggles but it can not fire the engine. I have had the battery level up to 13.6 volts with the recharge.

I had no success with jump starting it last evening with my van.

The tow truck (Suzuki rider) driver was not satisfied with how the bike sat on his rig so he left me with the bike. He suggested that I flooded the bike and I need to take the spark plugs out for a day, clean them and then put them back, then fire up without the choke.

My dealer says that I most likely ruined the battery using a non-BMW Tender charger this winter (battery was new beginning of August). I only hooked the tender up on weekends throughout the winter.

Any suggestions how to get my K rolling again?

Paul

Spark plugs are usually the culprit. Remove the old ones, let the cylinders "dry" overnight while you charge the battery, then try it again tomorrow.

And to add to what Jon suggested - when you go to start it - hold the throttle FULLY open while cranking it over.. This allows more air in - just in case there is still some fuel sitting up above any closed intake valves. More than likely there is.

Mystery solved

As a follow up to my question about getting my K100 up and running again, my mechanic found the problem. Strange and I have no idea how this could ever have occurred. Jon, you were right about the spark plugs that was a result of trying too long to start it. The mechanic found leaves in my gas tank. He removed the leaves, installed a new gas filter, gas cleaner as well as new sparks. In the year and a half that I have had the bike, it has never started so easily nor run so vibration free. I have no idea how leaves could have gotten into the gas tank during time that I have owned it. In the winter, I plark the bike in the garage on a tarp and pull the tarp over the bike, then covered it with a regular bike cover from the top. Dried leaves. How long could they have lasted in gasoline before disintegrating? I assure you that gasoline (as well as gas stabilizer) is the only thing I have ever put into the fuel tank. Is this a unique problem or have others experienced this as well?

Wow! Never seen leaves in the gas tank yet. Maybe the PO was smuggling something into Canada on a weekend trip.

Glad its running well.

119204 said:

The mechanic found leaves in my gas tank. snip
Is this a unique problem or have others experienced this as well?

Click to expand...

I would say that is unique. I vote for the smuggling idea myself. Easy Rider. But the PO should have put them in some kind of rubber glove or something.