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Engine "Re-start" problems--anyone had anything similar?

7K views 38 replies 34 participants last post by  stormiezzz 
#1 ·
My 9 starts fine every time I cold start it (its been sitting awhile). But if I ride it for a while then shut it down for a brief period (even a few minutes for anything like gas or just a quick rest stop) I usually have to crank it 2-3 times before it will kick over. A couple of times I had to wonder whether it was going to start at all!? It hasnt left me stranded yet but its a bit embarrasing when it happens......... :redfaced:

Anyone had this issue? What the :edit: could be wrong!?

p.s. FYI, its an 08 with about 800 miles on it and it did this a couple of times when I first got the bike then it went away for awhile.......... until now!!
 
#4 ·
Has happened to me a few times as well, and yes very embarrassing. It has even stalled on me a couple times at a light after alot of riding, seems to get hot. I was thinking maybe plugs being a little fouled was doing this but now hearing its happened to you guys maybe not.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Happens to my bike aswell,also notice a crackling noise under the instruments (electrical shorting noise)when switching it off. In the work shop getting a once over as it did leave me stranded for one hour before it started,and is only 6 months old with only 2,000km.keep you posted with the results
 
#7 ·
Mine does it too! Not always, but sometimes when I pull in for gas, or just shut it off for a few minutes and try to restart it. I seems to me like it might have something to do with the position of the pistons/crank when you shut it off. Seems like the starter has a hard time overcoming the compression under some conditions. It will make you hold your breath for a minute. I just pray there are no HD riders around when it happens! :redfaced:
 
#10 ·
I'm pretty quick on the draw with my ignition switch. Perhaps I'm not giving the injectors the proper time before hitting the switch!? :dontknow: I'll be more concious of this and see how it works!!!

Thanks for the tip................ :bigthumbsup:
 
#34 · (Edited)
Coming in off the road



Its a good idea instead of pulling in and snapping off the switch, let the computer and the bike run while you take off your gloves and helmet letting the computer know your at idle and then turn off the engine, after I started doing that I have not had a problem with it backing up on the starter like it use too. When you re-fire the motor make sure you let it cycle all he way thru and hold that starter button until its running.
 
#16 ·
The only time you should ever touch the throttle on a fuel injected motor is if they are flooded. Then you should hold it wide open and crank it. They all have a provision for starting a flooded engine, and the ECU recognizes a full throttle start as being that situation.
 
#18 ·
Last summer I was having issues with restart after getting gas. Very erratic. Than a few times it stalled out while moving. Then again gas started leaking from left side. I had already gotten recall done but brought it in for a second fuel line which fixed all of the above problems.
 
#21 ·
My 9 starts fine every time I cold start it (its been sitting awhile). But if I ride it for a while then shut it down for a brief period (even a few minutes for anything like gas or just a quick rest stop) I usually have to crank it 2-3 times before it will kick over. A couple of times I had to wonder whether it was going to start at all!? It hasnt left me stranded yet but its a bit embarrasing when it happens......... :redfaced:
My C109 does this sometimes. I noticed it especially on hot days. Stop for gas and it doesn't want to start right away. Last time it happened, seemed like the starter was working against a lot of compression as there was sort of a kick back when I let off the starter. Had a 99 Kawasaki Nomad that used to make some kind of mechanical sound, cough and die. Usually it was when you were pulling out from a stoplight, etc. very dangerous. Others were complaining about the same thing-never heard an explanation. I attributed it to the timing sensor and other mechanical aspects of the engine being in a specific conditon for it to happen. May not be a fixable answer for this one either.
 
#22 ·
Every bike i have had has done this it's like the parts in the starter swell from the heat you need to give the bike time to run the start checks and shift to N and let out the clutch and just hold the start button down till it starts you'll learn the tidbits and how some of the things are on the bike 800 mi on it just check "past post" always take time to read but don't think that a problem will happen to you just be aware of something.

Ride the bike enjoy i spend more time on here reading then i do posting it's not the "search" ppl should use but in the forums just go to the first post or click on last let the fun begin.
 
#25 · (Edited)
A bunch of you have stated you have this problem when its hot outside....I have very little mechanical aptitude, but we used to get this problem every know and then with fuel injected piston airplanes due to Vapor Lock....

Just a thought.....procedure was just like Zoom mentioned, full throttle, crank starter, then pull that throttle back asap before you "hole shot" and start chopping up airplanes on the ramp. Definitely got the heart rate elevated when it fired up....and scared the crap out of bystanders.
 
#26 ·
A bunch of you have stated you have this problem when its hot outside....I have very little mechanical aptitude, but we used to get this problem every know and then with fuel injected piston airplanes due to Vapor Lock....

Just a thought.....procedure was just like Zoom mentioned, full throttle, crank starter, then pull that throttle back asap before you "hole shot" and start chopping up airplanes on the ramp. Definitely got the heart rate elevated when it fired up....and scared the crap out of bystanders.
I have the same problem occasionally with my Mustang when it has just been shut down. I simply go full throttle before I crank it and let off the throttle completely as soon as it fires. Works every time.
 
#27 ·
I've had this problem too and come to think of it I haven't experianced it in a while. With that said it may be climate related since I got my bike back in the HOT Alabama month of July. There is an old thread on this that I looked at last year. One guy mentioned hitting the kill switch on/off before starting up worked for him everytime. No one could explain why it worked but it did for him. I can't recall if that method worked for me because if it happens it's always just one mis-fire. Second one always cranks right up. I may just be so use to it by now to notice.
 
#28 ·
Hot restart

Mine does it too when hot, but always fires. The 1500 Intruder forum has a lot of info on this, as they won't start at all when hot sometimes. A hot starter motor has much higher resistance and lower starting power than a cold one. The 1500 has a compression valve to release the pumping resistance to ease starting, but it gets out of adjustment since it's cable actuated. That, and a smaller battery (14 AH compared to our 18AH) can make for a hot no start. Sometimes, pushing the bike backwards while in gear will move the piston enough to make it start. I ended up adding a second battery (12AH) to my 1500, and it started like a champ everytime after that. Some people fit a larger military style battery to solve the problem.
So it's not just this bike, or Suzuki. Harleys with Hi comp motors need aftermarket high torque starters. Some boats with big engines won't start on hot days until they cool off.
So at least ours starts.
 
#30 ·
G'day everyone,Up date on the re-start issue,they took all the wiring under the dash off making sure everything was properly connected and also the earth's.Everything was OK took it for a good 45 min run and when they came back found that it had restart issues.They looked at the battery and found that the charge was quite low and as these engines need a high charge due to the great compression therefore the charge wasn't sufficient.Now this is a brand new battery that I've ridden only 3 times with.They believe it could be the generator ? or the regulator ? as only when the engine is very hot and under load there could be a slight break in the link of coil which is not charging the battery in fack draining it of its power.So when you re-start it struggles to have enough spark.Will keep you guy posted with the outcome.
 
#31 ·
Restating issues after a ride

I too have had this issue with my bike. I have a 2009 Boulevard C109RT. I started searching the net for a solution and did find that there is a recall for the rectifier. I had it replaced and the problem persists. Although I have noticed that a lot of times my battery doesn't have enough power to crank a second time when the bike doesn't start right off. It could be compression on mine too keeping the battery from starting the bike. My lights go dim and the speedo goes all the way over to the max and back. I am assuming my battery is finally seeing its last days, it is as old as the bike. I'm purchasing a new battery and see if that will take care of the issue. I'll repost here if it does otherwise into the shop the bike will go. Has anyone found a true solution?
 
#33 ·
I too have had this issue with my bike. I have a 2009 Boulevard C109RT. I started searching the net for a solution and did find that there is a recall for the rectifier. I had it replaced and the problem persists. Although I have noticed that a lot of times my battery doesn't have enough power to crank a second time when the bike doesn't start right off. It could be compression on mine too keeping the battery from starting the bike. My lights go dim and the speedo goes all the way over to the max and back. I am assuming my battery is finally seeing its last days, it is as old as the bike. I'm purchasing a new battery and see if that will take care of the issue. I'll repost here if it does otherwise into the shop the bike will go. Has anyone found a true solution?
I think it is your battery, because your lights go dim,..= there is not enough 'juice' to power them up after the first unsuccessful start.. starter is the biggest draw from your battery..
 
#32 ·
It sounds like vapor lock as someone mentioned in a previous thread. The fuel gets too hot and actually ends up boiling and you end up will air in the line because of this. Very common on high hp cars, and also airplanes with injectors. Best fix is to wrap the fuel lines that are near any source of heat...ie exhaust, or even the engine. Use header wrap, or fuel line wrap made for this.
good luck.
troy
 
#35 ·
I have not had this problem yet. But I don't think is vapor lock. That is one of the advantages of FI. that it keep the fuel under pressure even after shut off for a minimum of 1/2 hr. That is the reason the electric fuel pump has a check valve built in, to hold pressure in the system for a while after shutting off. I agree with the battery being weak, that can cause a long cranking time. Just my 2 cents guys!! :doorag:
 
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