VF500 Questions.

Last night I tried to start her up with no luck, so I waited until this morning to try again. Still nothing.

It turns and sounds like its trying to fire, but nothing happens. the longer I try the turning over gets slower until it just stops and only makes clicking sounds (guessing the plugs trying to fire).

My question is what could this be? Is it a dead battery or is it something more serious?

EDIT: It's a 1985 VF500 by the way.

 

When holding down the starter button - only hold it down in 3-5 second bursts.

Holding down the starter until it gets slower is the battery getting weaker, and it being harder and harder for it turn the starter/engine over.

Then when it is reduced to clicking - your battery is now depleted to the point where it can't turn the motor over.

Are you sure you have adequate fuel?

An engine needs 3 things to run - fuel, air, spark.

Check for those 3 things - and you should have a running motor. That doesn't guarantee a properly tuned motor, but at least a running motor.

 

First....you should only use the starter in short bursts to prevent it from overheating. (says the manual)

Fire the starter for only a few seconds and then wait a bit.

Second....the starter slows down from what sounds like the battery being drained from all that cranking. When it only clicks it means you're battery is dead.

Make sure the Kill Switch is on....the fuel is set to ON....or RES. Actually...try it in Res cause you may have little fuel left.

You also need to make sure you are getting spark.

EDIT: Bugger....xtravbx beat me to it

 

Ha way to drive it home though slowbird =) :thumbsup:

 

Yeah I know the fuel tank is full, I called my dad cause he had the same bike way back when, and he said it was most likely the battery since the guy I got it from had it in storage for a while. Went and got a charger and I'm charging it now, so hopefully when it's done I can ride again lol.

Thanks for the input though, still helps to know other possibilities god forbid this happens again haha.

 

For the most powerful spark, use jumper cables and jump it from a car if you can.

 

IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS MAKE SURE THE CAR IS OFF!!!!

Regards,
Rollin

 

um dude just push start it most likely you have a dieing battery, the only issue ive ever seen on these bikes is the capacitor for the starter blowing its fuse but that is an easy fix as well. (and even if it is bad you can jump the circiut with a screw driver i did this for a month or so when i was in college and broke)

 

^^^^^^^^^^^

Wtf?? He was pushing start...

That was a pretty useless post..

 

the gloves are off lets get to fighting bitches :biggrin:

 

I think he meant push-start the bike...also known as "Bump-start".

Hahaha....you ain't helping

 

you guys mean to tell me you have never pushed your bike up to speed hoped on and dumped the clutch to start it? must be nice to always have a charged battery.

 

Actually the 2nd day of my road trip my bike had a dead battery. The other guy who came with me had to push me on the bike and I had to pop the clutch to start the bike.
By the 3rd or 4th time I noticed dumping the clutch in 2nd worked better then in first.

 

Its easy to pull the seat and side cover off, slap on the trickle charger overnight once a week to make sure the battery never lets me down.

Charger was less than 20 bucks at Harbor Freight

 

its abit harder to do when your in college and the bike is parked outdoors as it was at the time this happened to me. And old batterys can be cantancerous to say the least at times.

 

I'm glad I've never had to it. It's a small bike, but still 400lbs.

 

Every one must do it! You are not a man until you do!

Try doing it to a 125cc Guillera in the rain in Lexington Ky. Better than that is doing it to a TR6 in Tucson Arizona when it 115 in the shade and it's going to rain. Or try doing it to a Kawasaki 500 while skating down an incline when there is ice on the ground in Cleveland, OH. Or maybe a BSA 441 single with your honey sitting on dirt bank on the side of a scrapped off dirt road about sixty miles out in the desert with not a building in sight, let alone water. That will make your little heart do it until it gets done. Nothing like getting back to town after having your bike not want to start in the desert. Sure glad I did it. And then you can bump, pop, jump, kick, throw down any old Honda that comes along, just for the fun of it.

 

400 lbs is nothin man consider it a warm up its not like you have to bench it just push it.

 

You a tough dude, magnavmx5! Had to push my vf500 nine blocks from the local car wash (something got wet). I felt like I had bench pressed 400lbs and it left me looking for a pretty girl to breathe in me...

 

oh yeah one time i threw a chain while at my grandpas in lexington luckily the local honda shop was only about a mile away so i gathered up what i could and, pushed her on over there. I realy had no choice being as i was in college with little time and pretty much no tools other than the stock kit at the time. But they still surprised me by doing a good job and, not reaming me since i was realy in need. The bike being my only transportation at the time. Its all in practice ken if you do something enough ie lift or push weight then it eventualy gets easier.

anywho how is the bike now mjaris?