TT600RE poor start from cold and in the wet

[dieg0oo]

hello guys

I bought my TT600RE reg '03 (electric start version) about an year ago.

although i keep it outside overnight (in a sheltered area, and under a thick bike-cover) it has always run well. started easily in the cold, dump, winter mornings at first or second attempt. also, often ridden it in the very heavy rain, without any problem at all, until a month ago.

last december I went for a wintery trip to europe, after a whole day in a very dense, wetting fog, in the france countryside, in the evening the bike started spluttering and switching off on me, even if started-up again after few minutes, each time.

the next morning it wouldn't start... no ignition whatsoever.
the local garage changed spark-plug and spark-plug's cap, as they say that lots of humidity went in.

the bike was fine for a while, but few days later, after I got back to london, the bike was still spluttering in the rain, and in the morning is very difficult to start up, which is very strange.

even now, after the 12,000 miles service and MOT, done last week, it still struggles to start up... it starts up after the 6th or more attempt, and the battery is going flat....

any idea?

[Martynbiker]

Diego, these things are well hard to diagnose over the net!
It could be one many things..

if you are mechanically capable, i would say start on this list....

Check the following things:

check all electrical connections from battery & from charging circuit

check the Rectifier is charging the battery ( start bike and park 6 feet away from a wall, at night, turn MAIN BEAM on, let the bike idle, blip the throttle...... if lights get brighter, the charging system is OK, if lights get DIMMER the rectifier is knackered)

Check HT lead from Coil to Plug Cap Including check resistance, is it within specs, maybe there is a break in it?

Check Plug Cap

Check Plug & Gap on plug

check Carb is not loose

check fuel filter & carb float bowl for debris & 'bits/ water'

check air filter

check valve clearances

after that........ if it still does it...... repost!

Martyn

[leigh]

The wife and I have 05 TTRE's with about 45000 kms on them and wet has never been a problem, even ridden through water up to the top of the engine.
I suspect either something has come loose allowing water in and/or corrosion.
Check all connectors on normal wiring, HT connection and all points where things gain ground to chassis.
I would be tempted to double check plug cap connection and douse everything liberally with WD40 first though!

[Walkabout]

Originally Posted by dieg0oo

even now, after the 12,000 miles service and MOT, done last week, it still struggles to start up... it starts up after the 6th or more attempt, and the battery is going flat....

any idea?

That bit implies that it may not be the damp that is causing this - how sure are you that the problem is really related to damp?

You have a start point with those other posts; if you want to trouble-shoot to identify the cause then I suggest that you do one at a time and check what difference that makes. On the other hand, if you just want to fix it, just get them all done.

The TT600R (non electric start) has a reputation (I don't really know if it is well founded or not) for producing a weak spark, so you might want to concentrate on that area first - good luck.

[dieg0oo]

hi all, abd thanks for the advice, i will try them all.

i also have to say that, after recently changing the exhaust slip on pipe (in november), from original to leoVince 3, i noticed that the bike needed a lot shorter time on choke, starting from cold.
and also, after the service, perhaps the idle was a bit lower... is this in anyway helpful to narrow the diagnosys, or perhaps related with the fuel consumption, carb, etc?

another thing, after that "incident" in france (the bike died in the fog, and had to change spark plug, and cap), i came back to london and left the bike stopped for a week (went away)... after which i started it up and it st was then when it really started struggling starting up, it was floded the first couple of times... since then it just struggles to start every morning.

[leigh]

On a recent Morocco trip after camping overnight in the desert, my mates TT600R refused to start properly ( fired up reluctantly then died whilst trying to take choke off). His one normally starts fine (mine is another story). After about 20 mins I took over to give his leg a rest, we got the occasional cough and burble but no fire up. I tried in desperation giving it a tickle of throttle and no choke ( normally results in leg crunching backfire). It then fired a bit.
On further questioning I asked if he had fiddled with anything, turns out he adjusted the tickover down a gnats cock the night before when the bike was hot.
As you probably know these bikes vary a great deal in idle speed, ride-ability etc. between cold and hot. I suspect your mechanic may have tweaked the idle speed a bit. Worth a try.

[dieg0oo]

Originally Posted by leigh

On a recent Morocco trip after camping overnight in the desert, my mates TT600R refused to start properly ( fired up reluctantly then died whilst trying to take choke off). His one normally starts fine (mine is another story). After about 20 mins I took over to give his leg a rest, we got the occasional cough and burble but no fire up. I tried in desperation giving it a tickle of throttle and no choke ( normally results in leg crunching backfire). It then fired a bit.
On further questioning I asked if he had fiddled with anything, turns out he adjusted the tickover down a gnats cock the night before when the bike was hot.
As you probably know these bikes vary a great deal in idle speed, ride-ability etc. between cold and hot. I suspect your mechanic may have tweaked the idle speed a bit. Worth a try.

yessss. Leigh: thank you so much!

i've put the idle a tiny bit higher, and today (in a cold day) the bike started at the first touch of the button

well, I have learned something new today. it's amazing how important is getting to know well your bike.

still don't understand why it died on me like that, in the fog, in france, but hopefully now, after cleaning all the connectors under the tank, new cap and plug, it will be sorted... will let you know after the first heavy rain ride.
(and surely I will put loads of WD40 next time!)

thank you all guys for the precious advice.

Diego


p.s.
Leigh, your trips on your TTR / TTRE always sound fantastic... do you have any diary, photos, web-blogs, etc. to share with us?

[blades44]

Hi, i have a tt600re 05 750 miles on it.
Just recently it started to act up, poor starting and a miss fire at high revs.
The problem is the ht lead where it meets the coil works loose, and gives a intermittent spark.
I know two other that did the same.
Here's the fix, screw the lead back on tight and wrap self amalgamating tape around the lead and coil where they meet, also do the same at the cap end. job done never looked back.
Another top tip is change the standard plug, to a NKG iridium one (about £9) which runs a bit hotter which will cure the poor starting. Always turn the fuel off just before you stop if you plan to leave it, so that there isn't fuel lying in the carb. The heat of the engine vaporizes the fuel causing poor starting. You will be cured of all the starting and running problems.
Hope this helps.