96 600 starting problem

Hi Geof,

Welcome, I rewind the notorious SEM ignition stators, even though it fired up with a tow this could mean that there is not enough voltage been generated at kicking speed. Have the resistances checked on the stator these can be found in the owner's doc in the electrical section.

Another test you can do is to see how far the spark will jump with the plug out, you should be able to make it jump a gap of 7 to 10 mm without to having to hammer the kick start.Good luck.

Regards

Sparks.

check for air leaks around the intake boot where it bolts to the cylinder.I have noticed on my 98 600 when I secure the hose clamps for the carb it pulled the intake away from the cylinder slighty,causing hard start and rough idle.spray a little wd-40 around the intake after you get it running it should show if there is a problem there,also when tuning the carb I put a fan in front of the bike to keep it from overheating.I am still undecided on what type of sealer to use on this junction.Right now I have some permatex 2B on there but dont like what its doing,it seems to move or bubble when it gets hot,anyone have any other sugestions on what to use?thanks!

geoff,
could be a bunch of things, either fuel, electrical or mechanical related. i would recommend a complete checkover to see where you stand. do you have a history with this bike? why was the carb rebuilt? did the carb rebuild change or improve anything? when was the last time it ran ok? hear any funky noises from the engine when it was running? things that come to mind are: bad spark plug, improperly adjusted valves, improper rebuild on carb, bad stator, bad cam bearings or rocker bearings, leak in intake boot area.
if none of this makes any sense, do what i used to do with a cantankerous ktm 495...move to the top of a steep hill and just bumpstart it :lol:

ned

geoff,
I also have an older 600. It seems to almost always be the carb. I have had my carb apart a zillion times, and every time it is the most minute little piece of dirt in it that is keeping it form starting. You may also want to look in "THE DOC" under hard starting. Allot of the ideas there seem pointless, but once you eliminate all possibilities in a systematic way like the doc points out, you will at least know what is working correctly. One last thought is to check your air filter, mine is a bugger to start when dirty.

Jason

Hi,

See below a post from me regarding basically the same issue from this summer. When I first got my bike I struggled like you are doing right now. My bike has never been easy to start if it had been sitting and I think I resorted to towing it twice. It hates old gas in the carb and most of the time I always drain the carb before I starting it if it has been sitting.

With all of this said and I got pretty good at always starting it if I followed some routines I made some changes to the carb and I never realized how small of an adjustment on the needle made the biggest difference.




I have a 99 FE 501 with SEM and Dellorto, same stuff as what is on your bike. I have owned it for about 5 years and after I learned the right technic of kicking it, adjusted valves etc it has been pretty easy to start for me when cold. (off the starter in most cases) hot has been another story....

Recently I changed needle and needle tube as well as cleaning the carb.

The needle tube I purchased was a 267 vs a 271 (due to stock at dealer) the needle the same K51. I did the assy and the bike ran rich on my first time out at about 3000 feet? (Grapevine, CA) Next trip was Big Bear, at 7000 feet and the bike would not even start.

Dropped the needle 2 clips and rode 125 mile in a mixture of 75-105 degree heat. The bike now starts better than it ever have in the time I have owned it.

Bottomline, dial in the carb, it is worth it and I kick myself for not doing a better jib of it sooner.

Hakan