Tenere XT600ZE is a b*gger to start when left for a while.....

[Babybadger]

I have a problem with my Ten, it struggles to start even when I slacken the screw at the bottom of the carb and drain some petrol (have been told the petrol goes off - can anyone confirm?) , is there a workaround or is it just a natural thing with these bikes? Is there a checklist to solve this problem. Excessive cranking will eventually kill my starter motor.

It starts on full choke and then dies, crank it again, it starts and then runs up to 2k rpm and dies again, keep at it and eventually it chugs away, but only after a few cranks.

Should I run it on super unleaded?

[DAVSATO]

my '97 is exactly the same. as long as it starts after a few abortions thats fine.

for you how long is a "while"? if mines been left for longer than a few months it usually needs a bit of help, make sure the battery is fully charged (got mine on an optimate). dont bother getting rid of any petrol, its too expensive! crack open the drain screw and give the float bowl a good blast up the drain tube with carb cleaner, then close it. then start the bike, sometimes it takes a few goes with a bit of throttle twisting, sometimes with choke in or out. when it finds a combination its happy with it starts with a bang!
if it starts and then dies thats ok, it means it wants to start but needs a couple of goes to blow the cobwebs out.

or you might have a mouse nest in your airbox........

[Honybadger]

Not a helpful reply but my '90 xt600 tenere is similar, I thought it may be a airlock in the fuelpump as it's reluctant to start after running dry and turning to reserve.
I'm normally happy as it will start eventually, I take it as punishment for not riding it enough.

[Gawain]

My srx could be reluctant if left standing but turning the fuel tap to prime a few minutes before kicking her over and she would start 1st/2nd kick after weeks standing. Also the usual checks of clean carb and clean gaped plug.

[Babybadger]

On mine I am talking maybe a couple of days, a week and it's a real bitch, will put some carb cleaner through it, is redex a good remedy?

Also you guys running on 95 RON octane unleaded?

[zigzag]

hi there has the bike always been like this ,also if used every day is it a good starter. i would cheak all the usual ,air filter ,electrical conections, have you got a good spark when it plays up. you may just have a sticky flow valve in the carb , when you remove the drain screw do,s fuel flow freely, do,s it get faster if you tap the carb to free the valve. also some carb cleaners can attack the rubber parts in your carb , i use wd40 if the carb is on the bike and complete . it may be worth taking the carb bottom off and removing the small screw holding the flow valve on if there is a small filter in there discard it, on my 43f this can be done with the carb on the bike also the jets can be removed ,and wd40 blasted around . it do,s sound a fuel problem but ? zigzag

[Jens Eskildsen]

Check airfilter and sparkplug, thats a couple of easy things

[GeoffE]

Hi,
I think my Tenere 'wet-sumps' and so if left for a time, the crank is fighting the extra weight of oil. Almost impossible to start with the electric starter.
Just a thought.......
Geoff

[bolla]

The first post sounds like a fuel problem
Do you guys still have your fuel pump conected ?

Draining the carb via the drain screw will nearly allways help to get my TTR going, If left for a few days I could kick it over 20 times and nothing drain carb and within 3 kicks it works.

If my 3AJ did not start first go on the button I would switch off the ignition for 30 sec-1 min when switched back on it would usually start dont know the reason or if its just luck.

I would also check your plug/HT cap and lead and air filter and definently the little filter in the carb if you have not done so allready.
Also make sure lights are off when trying to start

[DAVSATO]

Originally Posted by Babybadger

On mine I am talking maybe a couple of days, a week and it's a real bitch, will put some carb cleaner through it, is redex a good remedy?

Also you guys running on 95 RON octane unleaded?

yes regular unleaded, wouldnt bother with the redex, a waste of money if you ask me. as long as your fuel filter is ok then a good blast of carb cleaner is all you need to clean it out. you dont put it in the fuel, its an aerosol.

if yours is doing this after only a couple of days i would check the battery, they can go tits up after a couple of years and these big singles need a lot of cranking power to start

[wrussell]

hello everybody i would just like to tell you of my expierience with my 1vj when i first got the bike it would start on choke and as soon as i opened the throttle it would die immediately and then the battery would go flat and i couldnt even kick start it(i tried and broke out into a sweat whlist doing it)!!
however a friend said it was an air leak in the carb/inlet dept so i stripped the carb and cleaned it and found fumes (on very close inspection) coming out of the joint between the lower float bowl and the top part of carb and when i took it apart again the rubber seal seemed very flat so i replaced the rubber seal with a genuine yamaha one reassembled it and put it back together then i put a petrol pipe straight from the tank to the carb and bypassed the pump etc.then i tried to start it by starter but my battery was to flat but itried to kick start it and it started reasonably easy.
now after replacing all the petrol pipes in the correct position it starts easier on the button but it is still a bit temperamental but i want to change my plug and battery next to hopefully make it even better.

[aukeboss]

This not wanting to start after a while or after emptying the normal tank is caused by the fuel pump not letting fuel through easily. There is a kind of valve in there but it sticks with age.
My trick is as follows:
Close fuel tap right side. Open tap left side. Close tap left. Remove fuel hose from tap. Blow in the hose. Repeat four times. Start.

Auke

[gixxer.rob]

My Aus 96 model was the same. Anything longer than a couple of days. The closest thing to a solution I came up was turn off the fuel tap when I was parking it up for a while and let it run the carb dry (ish). Even this was less than ideal, as I had to then let some petrol drain through anyway when I wanted to start it again.

I had to do it that often I chewed out the phillips head drain screw head. Yup wrong screwdriver too many times. Ended up cutting a slot in it.

[bogweasel]

I have the same problem with my XT600E. I use it nearly every day to get to work and it starts first pop, every time. Had last week off (due to snow) and left the bike in the garage. Went out yesterday and had a hell of a job starting. Pretty convinced its a fuel supply problem. Fiddled with the carb, checked the plug etc etc then, in the end , grabbed the handlebars and bounced up and down on the forks a few times (made me feel better as well!) and she finally agreed to join the land of the living. Wish she had a kick-start as battery was on last legs.

[Babybadger]

Originally Posted by aukeboss

This not wanting to start after a while or after emptying the normal tank is caused by the fuel pump not letting fuel through easily. There is a kind of valve in there but it sticks with age.
My trick is as follows:
Close fuel tap right side. Open tap left side. Close tap left. Remove fuel hose from tap. Blow in the hose. Repeat four times. Start.

Auke

Can anyone tell me : what the hell are the two taps for? Do I just run with the left one , the right one, both? I normally have both on main as I don't want to around with it?