07 800 won't fire up

So...just had bike dropped off. (on trailer) from another town where i purchased from a car dealer who had imported. ex Japan. We started the bike no probs and it ran briefly before turning it off and putting in garage. Tried starting again a few minutes later and it turns over but was not firing up. Very soon i drained the battery trying. (was possibly already flattish) I also noted that there was very little (if any) petrol in tank so filled tank, charged battery overnight and had it tested to make sure it wasn't shot.

Tried again and still the same. Runs through all the right startup noises turning key on etc. And it turns over nice and fast but never gets going. What has happened in the few minutes it was going when delivered??

Has running it dry done something?

Appreciate the suggestions/help.

 

Stupid question but did someone perhaps accidentally bump the handlebar switch to OFF?
Is the fuel pump working/connected? Fuel filter/line clear?

 

Samuel, correct me if i'm wrong (this is my 1st VFR and i've only had it for 5 minutes) but if the handlebar switch was bumped to off, it wouldn't turn over like it is right? Your just talking about the red kill switch on the right handle bar right?

 

The fuel pump appears to be doing its thing like it should (that i can hear) Fuel filter line clear? I'm not sure how to check this.

 

Hey Wezo, yes that switch - if it's OFF, the bike will still turn over, it just won't fire/catch... BTDT btw... lol Battery sounds good, starter sounds good so probably fuel or spark related like some of the things Derstuka pointed out... hopefully it's something simple/minor...

 

An 07 800 will not turn over and no fuel pump noise with the kill switch off. I tried starting my 99 yesterday and had one of those "D'oh" moments.

Stuka's suggestions sound about right. I guess you've done a fuse check?

 

My bad, sorry Wezo! I had ASSumed the 07 is like my 8th gen and my old 86/87 VFRs (IIRC) where the bike will still turn over with the switch OFF...

 

Got the Honda guys coming to take a look today, i'll post what actually was the problem for anyone searching this thread in the future with the same issue.

 

Samuel, Mine won't. If the kill switch is off nothing occurs. It is a electrical kill switch and if so, no power would go to the starter or any other system other than the display and headlight. While I get another beer I will check it out again. But logic would say "no power to engine". ................Yeap no power to the engine, flip the switch and hear the fuel pump, starter etc. engage.

 

Yup my issue is definitely not the kill switch and fuel pump, starter etc appears to be working. Turns over, just doesn't fire up. It could still be a battery issue, though i'm thinking as suggested above, its a fuel blockage or spark issue.

 

I am not a mechanic at heart, but I do know some logic and you seem to have sorted out the electrical. Maybe not Look at this You Tube Video

 

As far as I can tell, 12v from the battery goes via a fuse to the bank angle sensor o a white/black wire, then this provides power to the engine stop relay switch on an orange/red wire and returns to ground along a black wire via the kill switch. The fuel cut relay is switched by a brown/black wire from the ECU and earthed through the ECU. Therefore if your fuel pump primes then you must have power to the ECU.

Spark production is also controlled by the ECU to the coils, so unless there is a discontinuity between coils and ECU (unlikely along all 4 wires), you should have sparks, unless the pulse generator is disconnected/faulty. Or you have no fuel, contaminated fuel, fouled plugs. The fuel filter is located inside the tank integral to the pump. You can do a really crude test of fuel pressure by disconnecting the return line from the regulator to the tank and jumpering the pump to run continually, you should get some flow into a bucket.

Given all this happened after trailering the bike, my guess is you have either got water into a connector or the connector has come apart, so I would suggest looking closely at those especially the ECU and the pulse generator.

 

Holy S$&t I'm all F$%&ed up... You guys are right. I think I was out in the sun too much all week... Sorry all, didn't mean to mislead anyone!

Not an excuse but I put in a kill switch this weekend and my bike Will turn over without firing up until/unless I flip the kill switch...

 

So what did Mr Honda find? Sorry I have only just read this thread and wonder if the issue is the battery?

Your posts suggests two areas to check (1) you may have run the fuel out and (2) you cranked the battery until the battery gave out. As for the fuel run out - I doubt it would cause any lasting issues once you refill the tank with fresh fuel - just turn the ignition on (but don't start until the start cycle is complete) and you should clearly hear the fuel system pressurise at which point the pump noise will drop audibly once the system is at pressure. The bike should then fire up pretty much on the button press (just don't add throttle).

Sadly 6th Gens are known to be very prone to charging system problems which eventually result in low battery volts problems. I wonder if your "new" bike is the latest in a long line of VFRs suffering from charging system problems - perhaps its the reason the previous owner sold it. If you have a multi-meter please check the battery volts. If its 12.4 volts or lower it is unlikely to start and probably needs replacing.

If you don't have a multi-meter - then try to start the bike whilst taking a boost with jump leads from a healthy car battery (BUT do NOT start the car engine!). If the bike fires up - it suggests that a new battery may be all you need - but it might also be symptomatic of the infamous RR/Stator failings.

Finally if you still have starting issues - its usually a good idea to eliminate all the usual suspects - so cycle the kill switch on-off a few times - just in case the contacts have crap build up. Check bike is in neutral, raise the side stand and pull in the clutch (that should eliminate the safety interlocks from the potential problem) and see if it fires up.

If that does not get the bike running - its difficult to suggest much from the other side of the pond without need more input from you - perhaps post a YouTube video so we can see and hear what is happening?

Good luck let us know how you get on.

SkiMad

 

SOLVED:
Thanks for your help everyone.

It turns out after trying a new battery, changing the fuel filter and a few other things, it was the spark plugs in the end which were the issue. I guess they were fouled up from old fuel? The bike is now going!