Bike wont start!/ fouling plugs?

[feltner58]

My name is Dan I'm new to the forum, I just recently bought a 2001 gz250 with 6k on it, it hadnt been ridden much, I believe the previous owner let it sit for a good while, so like anything I buy that hasnt been run alot, I brought it back to life, ran seafoam through the fuel system, changed the oil and filter as well as the air filter, got the idle set just right and had it running great started right up everytime didnt even need the choke. But last week I rode it to work and when I got home I parked it in the garage. That next morning I went to start it to ride to work again, and it wouldnt start, the starter just kept turning over and over. so I used the choke and it still wouldnt start. I started to look the bike over to see if there was anything out of place, and i noticed that where the choke cable goes into the carb there is a little metal elbow with a rubber gromet that holds the cable in the carb and this whole assembly had come out of the so much that I could see the actual choke cable. so I put it back in as far as it would go and turned the choke off. tried to start it again, no start. so then I took the plug out and looked it it, it was a little black but not overly dirty, I literally wiped it off with my thumb and put it back in and it started right up like nothing was wrong. This would lead me to believe that the bike is fouling plugs or not getting a strong spark. I did accidently run the bike with the choke on when i first got it but it didnt foul the plug and that was over a month ago and it hasnt had any problems until now, it keeps not wanting to start after a undetermined amount of time, the battery is not the original or manufactures recommended size and power (all the lights stay lit and the starter never starts to slow down so no obvious problems with the battery) I dont know if that could be it, I modified the exhaust but I dont think that should effect the starting aspect or the spark plug..............should I get a new plug maybe thats it, a new battery? new coil? Im a technician at goodyear so Im pretty mechanical but bikes arent really to familiar to me... Please help I love riding this bike its my favorite bike Ive ever owned and I would like for it to run for some time to come.

[blaine]

Welcome to the forum.I would bet that after you used the SeaFoam that the plug is fouled and you need a new one.I would also have the battery checked .A good investment ia a 2a trickle charger.
:cool:

[JWR]

If you can, use booster cables on it the next time it does not start.

The battery may be good, but see if a little extra is needed.

[blaine]

Originally Posted by JWR

If you can, use booster cables on it the next time it does not start.

The battery may be good, but see if a little extra is needed.

Just make sure that the vehicle that you are boosting from is shut off.If you leave it running you will fry the electronics.
:2tup:

[feltner58]

Ill try a new plug and do a load test on the battery, the gap is .6mm to .7mm correct?

[BillInGA]

Welcome aboard!

[blaine]

Originally Posted by feltner58

Ill try a new plug and do a load test on the battery, the gap is .6mm to .7mm correct?

Yes,that is correct,or 0.024 - 0.028. :cool:

[Water Warrior 2]

After the bike has been parked all night or a number of hours you will need to use the choke to start the fire in the GZ. You probably flooded the engine and fouled the plug at the same time. A new plug is probably in order.

[mrlmd1]

The bike needs the choke to start first thing in the morning and if it's sitting for many hours in between starts. Do not apply any throttle when you try and start it - you will flood it. There is this macho thing to start the bike without the choke but that's not how it is designed and is wrong. That's only for a warm engine or if it's really hot outside. Put the choke at least 1/2 -3/4 the way up and then start the bike and slowly turn it down as the idle speed increases or within a minute or two or a mile or so of riding.
You probably flooded it trying to start it without the choke and cleaning off the plug and opening up the cylinder helped it start. Changing the plug is OK and maybe a good idea, but if you run it, it may not need that. By wiping it off with your thumb you did nothing to clean the contacts where the spark arcs, so the plug is not the problem.
FYI - the idle speed should be set when the engine is fully warmed up.
Get yourself an owner's manual and read it, especially about starting and troubleshooting. You can download one off here.
Get yourself a 2 amp trickle charger/battery maintainer or whatever you want to call it, attach the pigtails to the battery so you can easily hook it up when you need it. There also is probably nothing wrong with your battery so don't go replacing things here and there in a shotgun approach to solve this problem.The only way you know if a battery is bad is to fully charge it and have it load tested, but if you charge up the battery and the bike starts, the battery is fine. It will not charge at idle speed, the bike needs 2500-3000 rpm to put out any decent charging current, so if you leave it sit at idle for an extended period of time, like 10 min, you are depleting the battery more in starting it and running the lights, etc, then you are replacing into the battery. It needs to be run on the road to charge the battery.

What did you do to "modify" the exhaust?

[feltner58]

2 inch chrome drag pipes, no baffle......I know the battery is fine did a load test at the shop and the previous owner had the gap way to open on the plug, I cleaned the plug and put it back in......seems to be running fine now I made the mistake of opening the throttle up with no choke when Ive been trying to start it, like you said I think that was the issue. Motorcycles are new to me so I appreciate the help........on another note what is the average lifetime of the gz motor, how many miles?