Bikes wont start

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The_Doctor
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:21 pm
My Bike: ZXR400 L9
Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Bikes wont start

Post by The_Doctor »

Hey all,
Just having a few probs with my bike at the mo. My throttle cable snapped again a few days ago for the second time in a month - something wrong there. So I got another new cable and fit it yesterday, however, after putting it all back together it wont start. When I switch it on, the oil and neutral lights come on really dim but when you press the starter the dim clock lights go out and nothing happens. The battery was fine before I put on the new cable and i gave it a charge last night but its still exactly the same. I cant bump start it either so I cant quite work out whats wrong? If anyones got any ideas as to whats wrong that would be really helpful,
Thanks
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RedexRobB
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Posts: 7212
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2002 7:37 pm
My Bike: ZXR400L3
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk

Re: Bikes wont start

Post by RedexRobB »

Hello mate, Very odd indeed!

Check your earths, make sure they have a clean surface to which they are connected, iirc one is just in front of the rear shock and the other on top od the gearbox, and give the battery terminals a clean too.

As for your cable, is it breaking in the same place? May be routed incorrectly and causing excess wear.
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Vard66
zxr400 oc member
zxr400 oc member
Posts: 823
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:07 am
My Bike: Coming soon; hopefully...
Location: Swindon Area, Wiltshire.

Re: Bikes wont start

Post by Vard66 »

As far as the loss of electrical systems goes, it's probably a loose connection at the junction box, or just shite in the connectors.
This just happened to me, on Saturday, only I had total electrical failure whilst bimbling about Daventry, rather lost, and in the pitch black. When I got her running again, she got me as far as Byfield, where I asked directions, and then she utterly failed to start, with symptoms much as you describe. All lighting went, no solenoid noise, not turning over, no clock backlights, no oil or neutral lights, nothing.
She did bumpstart though, but the Cross Tree does have a rediculously sloped car park.
Here's what I'd suggest doing, because it's what I did, and it seems to have eliminated the problems.

Take off the CDI and the junction box, disconnect all the sockets, give them a good dousing in WD40, leave to soak for a minute or so, then shake it out, along with all the crud.
Have a check on all your indicator wiring, and the number plate and rear light, make sure there's no bare wires touching the frame.
Finally, whack the nozzle of the can right up to the ignition barrel and give it a good blast out, and leave that to soak.
Connect it all back up, make sure everything's nice and tightly secured to the bike, and with any luck, that should do it.
Vard.
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