Hard Starting: 09 FE570

Ok guys, I need some help here. My ’09 FE570 is having a hard time starting: it takes about 5-7 seconds of cranking for the bike to finally start up and run. The big runs fantastic otherwise. I took the bike to the dealer, who got me a new computer flashed with the competition map (along with the air filter screen in the TSB). He also checked the valve clearances to rule that out. They were all within spec, on the loose side of spec actually. When I went to pick up the bike last weekend, there was no improvement in the hard starting. The battery was putting out 12.8-12.9 volts. The dealer suggested that maybe my battery was too weak, so I put the battery on the tender for the past couple days. When I took it off today, it had 13.2 volts. I installed it and was able to start the bike within 1-2 seconds of cranking. I let it run for a couple minutes, then shut it off, let it sit for a minute, and then tried starting it again. This 2nd time it was back to the delayed starting. I then checked the voltage and got 13.1 with no load, and when cranking it showed 10.7 volts at worst. From what I’ve read, this seems to indicate that the battery is fine.

I’m wondering what to check next? I already went over all the connections under the seat to ensure nothing was loose, including the fuel pump line by the air filter. I also double checked the fuel line connection under the tank on the left side. The dealer suggested maybe doing a leak-down test next if the battery checked out okay. What else could it be? Bad starter, bad starter relay, clogged fuel filter or injector??

There are a couple other things I should mention. The hard starting seems to occur whether I’m starting a cold engine, or if it’s already hot (like riding trail for 20 minutes hot). However, if I shut off the motor and then re-start it within say 5-30 seconds, it will usually start up without hesitation. If I wait more than a minute, then it’s hard to start again. The other thing I noticed is if I crank the starter like 5-7 seconds, let off the starter for a second, and then hit the starter button immediately again, then bike will usually start up quickly during this 2nd attempt.

EDIT 04-01-10: I just realized something over the past few days. If I let the bike sit overnight, when I start it for the 1st time the next day, it starts up immediately (with 2 seconds). However, if I let the bike cool down for even a couple hours (after just idling for a minute), the hard-starting is still present.

Thanks for the prompt replies!

DaleEO, my bike has 30 hrs. I bought it 4 weeks ago as a "new" factory demo, and has had trouble starting since I picked it up. I always run 93 octane, but I don't know what the fuel quality was before (I have only put 55 miles on the bike so far). I have tried using the cold start knob, and it does help a little: it mainly seems to speed up the idle/cranking speed. I removed the battery before I put it on the tender. I took the battery out since I wanted to go over the wiring in that region anyways, to make sure all the connections were tight. I haven't changed the plug yet, but I'm thinking I should. What do I need to remove to get to it?

Viking, what parts did you buy to fix the clogged filter? I see Husaberg makes a "filter kit"- part number 81207090000- but the damn thing costs $100+. Can I just buy the filter separately? Do I need any seals or o-rings?

Yeah, I read those threads about the faulty plugs. I'm going to go ahead an order an extra plug just in case, and check mine out.

Viking, thanks a ton for the link to the cheaper fuel filter. Do you have a part number for the clamps? I imagine it uses those "one-use-only" clamps that you have to cut to get off (like the one on the fuel hose just aft of the air filter). Is this the type?

The more I think about this, the more it seems like a clogged fuel filter. Like I said earlier, the bike will start up easily if I do it right after shutting the bike off (like less than 10-30 seconds). Likewise, the bike will also start easily on the 2nd attempt, right after the engine cranks 5-7 second during the first attempt. Perhaps this is because the fuel line from the pump to the injector is still full and pressurized with fuel when starting in this manner. Waiting longer might allow this pressure to decrease, and then the pump has to repressurize the line by sucking fuel through the clogged filter, thus the delay in starting. Any other theories regarding this behavior? I can tell you that on my bike this behaviour is consistently reproducable.

Is this maybe the clamp part number: 00050153706 ?
Description: VARIABLE ONE-EAR CLAMP 15,3MM

Cool, thanks.

Do I need to replace any seals or o-rings when re-installing the fuel pump assembly into the tank?

I just realized something over the past few days. If I let the bike sit overnight, when I start it for the 1st time the next day, it starts up immediately (with 2 seconds). However, if I let the bike cool down for even a couple hours (after just idling for a minute), the hard-starting is still present. I know this isn't a battery issue, because I fully charged the battery for the 2 hours it was cooling off after a minute idle, and it still didn't start easily.

Any ideas on what would explain this specific behavior? It's very consistent, so there has to be an explanation.

Yeah, I'm going riding tomorrow afternoon, so I'll try to remember to film little clips of everything from 1st time cold startup and then each successive startup. Like I said, it's easy to reproduce, so I should have no problem catching it all on film.

Something else to add: yesterday I played around with some starter fluid. After the bike ran for a minute,I shut it off for 10 minutes, then removed the seat and air filter and sprayed the fluid into the air intake/throttle body. It didn't help at all. I tried a few more times, opening the throttle a little and then spraying it in before starting, but no help. However, when I did this and then opened the throttle a little while starting, it started up pretty quickly. Not sure if that means anything.

Okay, I'll take a stab at my own question :idea:

I'm guessing there's a check valve somewhere in the fuel line getting stuck. There are usually check valves in the lines to maintain fuel pressure. My guess is that somewhere between the pump and injector a check valve is not letting fuel return quickly enough to the tank. Perhaps as the bike sits for a long time (i.e., overnight), the fuel slowly leaks back into the tank, clearing the line. When the bike is first started, the fuel pump kicks on and pressurizes the line as it should, and not enough time passes for too much pressure to build. However, once the bike gets running, the pressure builds, and stays in the line until the fuel is allowed to drain back into the tank (which appears to take many hours on my bike).

After running and then shutting the bike off for over a minute, it will eventually start up after cranking several times, because this purges the excess fuel out of the line through the injector. Starting the bike immediately after shutting it off is fine because not enough time passes with the engine off for excessive pressure to build in the fuel line. Starting fluid doesn't help because there is already too much fuel being delivered.

What do you guys think of my theory? I guess this can all be caused by a clogged fuel filter instead of a faulty check valve. Does anyone know where the check valves are in the fuel lines? I think they are typically in the filter and/or in the fuel pump itself.