Forum

[IanD]

Guys, I've just degreaser my engine with junk as I need to do a bit of maintenance work before its MOT later this week. I used gunk in a squirty bottle and then rinsed it off with a standard hose on low pressure - not a jet wash!
Trouble is it now won't start, before hand it started first kick or press of the button. Any tips as to where water may have got to?
I'm now nowhere near the bike so can't check for spark or anything until tomorrow morning. I'm hoping by the morning it will have dried off and will start anyway!
Thanks
Ian

[IanD]

If it helps it's a 2008 Bullet Sixty-5 carb not fuel injection

[vill98]

Have you checked that the point are dry and no water has got in to the plug cap it may be worth a little rug with with a thin nail file in between the points in case gunk has got on to them hope it helps

[jefrs]

The electrics - do the lights and horn work, if not check battery; otherwise go through the ignition, check for spark with another plug before pulling it apart - HT cap, points, etc.

br>
You have a carb so water could get into the float bowl but tickling should have flushed that out; that should not stop it starting.



Consider places water can get at. A bike is reasonably waterproof, the points fairly well protected and the battery doesn't care if it gets a bit wet. That rather leaves the HT cap, HT lead and coil; there's a nice well around the spark plug. Drowning the carb won't help but a little water won't prevent it from making starting noises. If you can smell petrol in the exhaust, dry the top of the plug; water conducts HT far better than 12VDC.



Water tends to dry out by itself so it may be worth having another go before getting the spanners out.

[John M]

Don't forget to check the kill switch, you wouldn't be the first!

[albert]

Very good point mentioned by John m,catches me out constantly ,very easy to knock to off position when humping bike around. Seems a useless feature to me.

[jefrs]

The kill switch is a bit nugatory with the key sitting there. Mandatory nanny rule but it came from racing where they have/had a pull-out pin attached by a string to your wrist for when you part company. I was involved marshalling trials for a few years, they part company a lot. Part of the job was picking them up, directing riders around the wreckage and on more than a couple of occasions finding their bike gone missing in the scenery. Then there's the rollover sensor that shuts the bike off if you drop it. Treble redundancy?

[IanD]

Thanks guys, it dried out overnight and started up fine this morning, gave the old girl a proper wash this afternoon, much better and all set for her MOT tomorrow!