starting advice please - before i lose the will to live.

Sorry to hear about your problems. I don´t know what you have tried, but here is what i do.
I start with the fuel system, try to start it again, screw out the spark plug, and sea if it´s wet of fuel, it should be! If it´s not, check all the connections to the carburator. Allways clean the carb. with compressed air. Now the fuel should be ok!

Ignition: Check if there is a spark, if not, check the spark ( try another spark plug), check the thing that you connect the plug with the wires with ( i don´t remember the english word), this one was the problem the one time i´ve had starting problems with my 501.

I guess you drive with the Dell orto, you could make the modifications described in THE DOC, even though it´s not the problem, it would help.

Measure your SEM ignition, or at least clean it, check all connections and get rid off the rust that often is there.

Clean all electrical connections and lubricate with silicone grease.

I did all this to my 2001 400, it took me a few hours, and it started at once.

Good luck, and let us hear!

Well, andyr33, if you have really tried every single routine on this forum and looked at and followed the hard start guide and all then it is probably your leg and you'll have to sell it. These bikes are simply easy to start. Unless something is out of order. Could you get the previous owner to see if he can still start it?

The bike, if malfunctioning, must at the sale have had a weakness not known by neither seller nor buyer and the agreed price while seeming reasonable at the time was higher than what it would have been if the weakness had been known to any of you. You have rights within 2 years and if seller have not listed the weakness as a known one on the contract of purchase it is considered to have been unknown. I'm sure you can ask him to at least have a go rather than correcting the not until now obviously erroneous price, which is something he might be less interested in.

These 2 years causes btw sellers of horses great trouble since it is possible to wear down a perfectly healthy horse within that time if you do not know how to care for them.

Do everything in the Hard Start Guide and it will either start or you will have to repair it and then it will start. An then, I can tell you, you will want to live and live and live... (In spite of all the haggis you have to eat. I do not like that neeps are eaten, being a swede myself. Substitute with beetroots and a fried egg and the eating of haggis is not a self punishment any longer.)

"very quiet and good on petrol." I love it!

I had the exact same problem with 02 FC-550,when i got it home.First the previous owner rinsed it off before i got there,air filter gets water to carb quickly,cleaned water and dirt out of carb,next adjusted auto compression release,then adjusted vavles.The cold start precedure i was given,fuel on,set choke,open throttle wide open,gently kick thru 5-6 times,let off throttle,kick once maybe twice she`s alive,thats the ONLY way mine will crank,oh yea with boots on!

I assume it is kickstart? A mate of mine has an old 80's CR250 which is a ***** to start most of the time, on occasions we have tow started it (maybe thats an option?) Also have a mate with an '06 CRF450 which is kickstart which i have a little trouble starting as i dont seem to have the kicking action required to start it, i can kick it over like 20 times and he gets on and 1 kick and its away. Has you got someone else to try kicking it?
If you have checked for spark/fuel and air then there is really no reason for it not to fire other than possibly not enough inertia for it to fire.

Not sure if that is any help or makes sense to you.

Something you could try is get a milkcrate or something like it that you can stand on. Need this for extra leverage when you kick all the way through. I use my left leg to kick and I stand on the crate with my right foot. It works for me and I own a 96 501. The follow through when you kick might be your problem. Hope this helps and best of luck.

andyr33 said:

my bike has had and new crank and seals etc. no-one can start it with the kick-start. it bump starts no problem and runs perfectly. i took it to a guy who has raced these for years. he reckoned it needed a good couple of hours running to get it sorted. basically i take it to tdc then 2-3 degress past and this should start it no problem so i'm told. but when i do this the kick-start locks solid. could this just need running in or have i more serious problems?
help please!!!!

cheers andy

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If you have a decompression release that should be easy. My bike does not have such. So that is one of the reasons for standing on a crate or something like that to get leverage. You can work the engine through past tdc. I do with mine and it starts in 2-3 kicks cold. A trick you should try is hold your clutch in while working the engine past tdc. When you feel the engine go right past tdc. quit pushing the kickstarter, bring the kickstarter all the way back up until you hear it click. Now kick all the way through. It takes some time to learn and do not get in a hurry. Hope this helps.

Stator or weak leg? 50/50 if the ohter guy can start it again its your kicking technique. Use a crate. I use a crate and have to do it with my right leg.
Jump in here Le Frog. you got yours sorted and dont have the problem any more right?

the symptoms of my stator going were:

poor starting, stall at corners but only every 10 minutes and well into a race when warm.

suggest you check if spark is orange or blue. if blue you're OK.

regards

Taffy