Cold Start Issues (won't start)

Hey guys,

New to the forum, bought an '87 VFR-700 about a month or two ago. It started up and ran fine pretty much every time I rode it, but it's starting to get cold now, and I let the bike sit for a week because I was busy with school. When I went to go for a ride I noticed, for one, that almost all my fuel had leaked out on to the ground, and it was enough to dissolve most of the asphalt. I had the petcock in the 'off' position but it still seems to be leaking from somewhere. For two, when I go to start it, (at around 45 degrees F), it will turn over fine but doesn't catch. It seems like it's about to when I have the choke all the way out but it never gets there. Haven't been able to successfully start it since then (it's still cold). I've run through the battery a couple times trying to start it up to no avail.

Some possible relevant info: it's been running and starting fine for as long as I've owned it until this weekend when I tried to start it up. I even started it at around 50 degrees recently and that was fine. Last time I rode it was last weekend, and it was pretty cold, and when I tried to start it after riding it, it didn't start as easily as usual. Wasn't anything too bad but it did make me a little worried.

My thinking is:
Something might be messed up with the choke, because it only seems to apply choke in the very last 10% of the lever pull, but when I look at the actual choke, it moved linearly with the lever.
OR
Something is up with the petcock because it's old, and when the o-rings/diaphram got cold they just gave up and now don't do their job.

Or it's something else entirely, like maybe the float valves or the ignition, but I don't know.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

In cold weather and if the bike's been sitting for awhile, you should consider permanently installing the fuel pump relay bypass wire as illustrated in the FSM. Faster stArting with much less battery drain. You'll need to check and verify that the charging system is working properly, of course.

If the choke appears inoperative, the long bass tubes in the float bowls probably are clogged and need rodding out with a steel wire of about .012" thickness. On your bike, when using the wire, it should go in to a depth of about 30-35mm if the tubes are clear.

Very few leaky petcocks have been reported on bikes similar to yours, so you might have developed leaks from the fuel tubes' O-rings or from float bowl gaskets.

 

FSM? What is this?

 

el oh el...

 

i believe...field service manual, may be what he referenced

 

As Dino is new here I would make the assumption he is not being sarcastic but rather he needs to know what this acronym means.

Dino - Factory Service Manual.

 

Thanks for the PC reply white knight.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

Oh snap! Lol! Well there is a "duh" moment for me! Perhaps this is also why my bike won't start either! I'll have to look into this further! Thanks!

 

Several of the dudes here talk funny. Codes, acronyms, the latest teenieboopisms & texttalk, Just today I got aboot half way through this list of meanings for FSM until my day turned into knight.

Squirrelmandudeperson aka Jerry is the go to guy for the venerable VFRs..


FSM Finite State Machine
FSM Flying Spaghetti Monster
FSM Federated States of Micronesia (ISO Country code)
FSM Fórum Social Mundial (World Social Forum)
FSM Free Speech Movement
FSM Flight Schedule Monitor
FSM Functional Size Measurement
FSM Federación Sindical Mundial (Spanish)
FSM Field Service Management
FSM Fédération Syndicale Mondiale (French)
FSM Food Service Management (US Navy)
FSM Franciscan Sisters of Mary (religious order)
FSM Franciscan Sisters of Mary (Religious Order of Catholic Women)
FSM Field Strength Meter
FSM Fast Steering Mirror
FSM Full Screen Mode
FSM Factory Service Manual
FSM Frente Sindical Mexicano (Spanish: Mexican Labor Front)
FSM Field Sales Manager
FSM Financial Services Marketing
FSM Fire Safety Manager
FSM Fine Scale Modeler (Magazine)
FSM Firmware Support Manual
FSM Florida School of Massage
FSM Four Star Mary (band)
FSM Fabless Semiconductor Management (Tensoft, Inc.)
FSM Fort Smith, AR, USA - Fort Smith Municipal (Airport Code)
FSM FDDI Switching Module
FSM Finite State Markov (model)
FSM Facility Sustainment Model
FSM Frequency Shift Modulation
FSM Feasible Successor Metrics
FSM Fixed Survey Meter
FSM Full Service Manual
FSM Female Seeking Male
FSM Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter eV
FSM Fashion Square Mall
FSM Feature Space Mapping (neural networks)
FSM Frequent Structure Mining
FSM Flats Sorting Machine
FSM First Servicing Mission
FSM Frame Service Module
FSM Forward State Metric (computing)
FSM Forward Site Modernization
FSM Foodorama Supermarkets
FSM Fleet SIPRNET Messaging
FSM Fuel Supply Manifold
FSM Film Sealing Machine
FSM Fan Scroll Motor (automotive HVAC)
FSM Folded Sideband Modulation
FSM Functional Specification Mapping
FSM Fungal Spores Monitor
FSM Fully Surrendered Ministries Inc (Modesto, California)
FSM Fault Summary Message
FSM feature structure matrix
FSM Folded Sheet Material
FSM Fixed Slope Matching
FSM Flight Simulation Monitor
FSM Factor, Sub-Factor, Metric (software quality metrics model)
FSM Fabricated Sheet Metal
FSM Factory Scheduled Maintenance (vehicles; various companies)
FSM Faculté des Sciences de la Motricité (French: School of Movement Sciences; Belgium)
FSM Faculté des Sciences de Meknès (French: Meknes School of Sciences; Meknes, Morocco)
FSM Family Security Matters (Washington, DC)
FSM Fantasy Sports and Mathematics
FSM Final Stage Manufacturer
FSM Final Subdivision Map
FSM Finance and Strategic Management (various organizations)
FSM FileNet System Monitor (IBM)
FSM Film Score Monthly (Los Angeles, CA)
FSM Femtocell Station Modem Chipset (Qualcomm)
FSM Federalist Society Member (politics)
FSM Fédération des Spécialités Médicales (French: Federation of Medical Specialties)
FSM Fédération Suisse des Masseurs (French: Swiss Federation of Massage; Switzerland)
FSM Fluid and Solid Mechanics (various schools)
FSM Fleet Services Manager (job title)
FSM First Stone Ministries (Oklahoma City, OK)
FSM Fire Science Management (college program)
FSM Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri (Italian: Salvatore Maugeri Foundation)
FSM Forces Sous-Marines (French: Submarine Forces)
FSM Forerunner School of Ministry (Alabama)
FSM Free School Meal (various locations)
FSM Functional Safety Management (product certification)
FSM Fusion Splicing Machine (Fujikura)
FSM Functional Systems Manager
FSM Fundación Sierra Madre (Spanish: Seirra Madre Foundation; Guatemala)
FSM Fuel Supply Module
FSM Full Spectrum Media (various locations)
FSM Fresh Start Ministries (Orlando, FL)
FSM Friends School of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN)

 

Checkmate..

 

yOU'RE JUST TOO FUNNY, BB ! :congratulatory:Too funny entirely !

 

I was going with Flying Spaghetti Monster. My apologies.

 

Lol! Too funny! But still have yet to find info on said issue via FSM!

 

I bet if that was translated into Italian they could probably get away with using it to name a Ducati..

 

If you are dumping gas overnight all over the garage floor it is not coming from the carbs, it is the petcock if it is in the off position. That means you are riding a bomb waiting to go off. You are done for the season until you get that ironed out. My VF500F had a leaky petcock and I had to completely rebuild it. Also, my fuel pump failed so I did the gravity feed bypass, do not know if this applies to the bigger Interceptors. Bad starts and poor idle on a bike you recently bought could also be signs of carbs needing going over, weak spark, or engine compression. You might get it to a point of limping along with plenty of duct tape but it sounds like there is plenty for you to work on this winter.