trouble turning on my bike

[jonathan2390]

Does any one knows what might be the problem of my GZ, most of the time i have trouble or it takes too long to start when its a little cold even but not freezing temp lets say like 50-65. Most of the time even on regular weather i have to use the choke. 2 days ago i even had to push started to turn it on because the battery was going low after i was trying n trying to get it on. I dont think is the battery im having trouble with since i just got it new 2 weeks ago. Any suggestions what should i check? Another thing my bike is barely 1 yr 1/2 old and i got it new from the dealership, I dont think it should be doing those type of things. Any comments? does any one have the same problem??? :??: Thanks.

[clonak]

General rule is turn to the petcock to prime for a few seconds, choke on, clutch in, push start button, turn petcock to run.

Sometimes I have to give the throttle a little twist. And it is normal to have to use the choke everytime on these bikes so I have been reading. On my bike I use full choke of a cuple of seconds then slowly bring it back as it gets louder.

Or maybe dirty carb ? Old spark plug ? Dirty air filter ?

If it is a new issue, a good service may help if you havent done one recently.

[alantf]

If the bike is only 1½ years old, I wonder why it needed a new battery? Did you give the battery a good charge before fitting it?

[Water Warrior 2]

50-60 F is definitely choke temp. The engine is designed to run at far hotter temps and needs a richer mixture to get up and running.

[Meme]

I have to choke mine pretty much every time, even in the summer, so choke seems to be a common requirement on these.

Is the bike still under warranty? A year and a half doesn't sound like it should be having many problems, but conditions and frequency of use play a big part with these things. They really don't like to sit long.

And just an FYI for anyone who doesn't know, just idling almost any bike tends to cause problems. A lot of new riders (myself included 19 years ago) will just idle the bike a lot and take real short trips. That's usually not enough to charge the battery, keep the carb cleaned out or heat up the exhaust enough to dry out the pipes. It leads to clogged carbs, dead batteries and rusted pipes.

[blaine]

Just a heads up,you do not need to put the petcock on "pri" every time you start the bike,only if it's been sitting for a long time.Your current problem,sounds like you need a valve adjustment.One of the first signs is difficultly starting when cold.Were they adjusted at the 600 mile tuneup?
:cool:

[jonathan180iq]

Originally Posted by blaine

Just a heads up,you do not need to put the petcock on "pri" every time you start the bike,only if it's been sitting for a long time.Your current problem,sounds like you need a valve adjustment.One of the first signs is difficultly starting when cold.Were they adjusted at the 600 mile tuneup?
:cool:

Ditto.

[mrlmd1]

There is this macho thing with a lot of new bikers thinking the bike will start easily without the choke, and that is wrong. The choke (enricher) should be used just about every time the bike is started cold, regardless of the weather. More is needed if it is cold out, less if it is warm, but that should be the usual mode of starting, unless the bike was just recently driven and the engine is still warm. Many times you will have a hard time starting it up for the first time in the day if you don't use the choke. Then you kill the battery trying to start it, then the situation goes downhill like a row of dominos.
Read the owner's manual. This is not only for this bike, it is for most non-fuel injected bikes made.
After it starts and runs for 15-30sec. you can turn the choke down a little depending on the idle speed, then just slowly ride off and as the engines warms up over a few min. or a mile or so, slowly turn the choke down until it is off. This is normal operating procedure. Do not let the bike sit in the driveway for many minutes at idle waiting for it to warm up. You will also not be charging the battery when you do that. And don't start it in PRIME unless you haven't used the bike for months.
Try it the right way first before you start looking for problems that don't exist. Most of the problems with a bike is due to operator error and not a mechanical problem. And to reiterate, the valves should have been checked at the 600 miles service, so see if that was done.
And any new AGM battery, like is on most motorcycles these days, must be fully charged prior to first use or it will prematurely fail. If your new battery was not put on a charge before you started using it, it may be kaput and need replacement. Fully charge it and get it load tested - you may already need a replacement. And, like I keep saying on here, if you get a new one, do not use it until YOU personally put it on a charger so you know that it has been done. Do not rely on the guy in the battery store telling you your new battery is good to go - it will fail, just like this one is doing.