won't start - bad gas?

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

Watching the headlight dim severely when you hit the starter when the bike won't crank is one of the clues of a dying or weak battery.
My '99's headlight stayed on when I hit the starter button.

Good, another confirmation about the switch and my RAM(randomly active memory).

[alantf]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Lynda's GZ disabled the headlight. Could be a Canadian thing only but I rather doubt it.

Mine's a Canadian/European spec (yes,for some reason they also share the handbook) Mine doesn't cut off the headlight on starting, and in the parts that give the differences between Canadian/European (such as lighting legislation etc.) it doesn't mention anything about cutting out the headlight on the Canadian bikes. Plus, I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't do it on all bikes if it was a cost effective option.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by i2kdave

If it were an issue with a cutoff switch, wouldn't there be no reaction to pressing the ignition,

Not so! Occasionally mine won't start. The starter whirrs fine, but the bike won't start. A quick off/on of the killswitch & it then fires up straight away. If you've covered all the fuel options, then (in my experience) the kill switch is the first place to look. They are notoriously cheap & nasty!

Edit :- I've just checked one of your earlier posts, where you say that you've checked the spark plug, & it's fine. I reckon that if it WAS the killswitch, then the plug wouldn't fire. Can anyone come in , here, & tell me if my last statement is correct) :??:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Dang it Easy, I just found my memory last week and now you've got me thinking it is broken.

Oh well, I'll just start wearing a name tag again in case I get lost. :lol: :lol:

It's a bitch, ain't it! :roll:

Hmmm, name tag........maybe a good idea!! :crackup

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

Watching the headlight dim severely when you hit the starter when the bike won't crank is one of the clues of a dying or weak battery.

That's a built-in feature. Automatic battery "load test".
Other makers have not "seen the light". :biggrin:

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

That's a built-in feature. Automatic battery "load test".
Other makers have not "seen the light". :biggrin:

:crackup 10 out of 10.

[i2kdave]

well, guess what....

I sprayed some starter fluid in the air intake and when I tried to start it, it sputtered a few times, so I decided to drain the gasoline and refill with new, and it fired right up! LOL It's running great, now.

Don't know what's wrong with that gas, I didn't see any water or trash in it, but there's definitely something wrong with it!
I won't be going back to that gas station!

Thanks for all the help!

[Water Warrior 2]

Stick to top tier gas with techron. That will keep the fuel system cleaner longer. I did try a cheaper gas here but the Vstrom developed a Fuel Injection code that would show up everytime it sat for more than 2 days. Switched back to the good stuff and no more codes to worry about.

[alanmcorcoran]

I suppose it's not really noteworthy, but it's nice that your very first guess (bad gas?) was ultimately the right one. I am currently out of town, but I have been "riding off" a tank to keep from (re-)developing gas/carb issues brought on by too much idleness. One more argument against having two bikes.

[Water Warrior 2]

Alan, send me the Strat and I'll keep putting fresh top tier gas in it for you.