60/5 starting problems

[ME 109]

Thanks for the info, everyone,i'll try the car,but it sounds more like the battery than anything now. I just hate buying batteries,seems like i just need to ride more. I have a new condensor, but have heard that they seldom go bad, so I didn't change it when I changed points.Off to the battery shop again.

I'd take your battery with you to the shop and get them to load test it......to be sure.

[Jean]

"but have heard that they seldom go bad, so I didn't change it when I changed points."
BUT they DO!! then you get bad ju-ju. It will spoil your new points, or your ignition will fail to deliver as you'd like.
Put the new one on...OLD ones especially are subject to internal failure in such a way that the bike might idle, then fail after a while ususlly when you are a few miles from home.

Have you changed any wiring on your coils while doing all this work? If you connect the primary wires to the wrong terminals, you will also get a weak spark.
And then, there's the coils themselves, and the wires, and the SP caps. Are they all original?

ME109, few Auto parts shops around "here" have a clue what a real load test is. They check VOLTAGE and declare the battery OK. The original advice to measure the voltage while only the switch is ON and then when the starter is activated and watching the voltmeter is good enough. Of course if it's a wet cell bat. checking the cells' gravity is a sure way to tell if the battery is trash.

[nofd504]

Well i installed the new condensor,but no change. the battery was on a2 amp charge all night,it read 11.95, under load it went below 10,so it seems a new battery is probably gonna be in order.Thanks for all the insight.

[Jean]

That sure sounds like a dead cell. What kind of battery was it...wet or AGM or some sort of hybrid?
Anyhow, think back on the questions we asked and see if you can answer them. The R60 s are know for their reliability and easy starting, and what you describe doesn't fit the mold!
The mainthing to consider is did it happen suddenly or did you sort of not ride for a long time and then try to start it and it would not start. Other than a dead or really weak battery, that points to a fouled carb. (actually not "A" fouled carb but 2 fouled carbs!!)

[nofd504]

It's your basic yuasa wet cell, and it does sit more than it should.I did have a surprise when I pulled the plugs to change them,I noticed bits of moisture on them, we had a ton of rain last week,and I'm thinking it got in the tank somehow( or got bad gas ) which seems to be a problem here.Drained the tank,took out the plugs and kicked it over to clear the cylinders,now to go get some fresh gas and see what happens.Any other things I should look for?

[Deleted User 72]

I would think that moisture on the plugs was more likely condensation, aggravated by the wet conditions, rather than water in the gas tank.

[nofd504]

That would be great, but I drained the tank anyways and in the process cleaned out a bunch of gunk.

[Duane Ausherman]

Always measure the charge voltage, especially when a new battery was just installed. Yes, a few batteries are faulty, but more often it is due to improper treatment by the machine, or owner.

One trick that often worked for us with a really poor battery on a /5 with kick starter is this. With fuel petcocks open, kick it through several times. This works best with a helper. Just as the kick start lever hits compression, shove the key in, which turns on the ignition system. Sometimes the battery only has a second or two of power left in it. To torn on ignition and then kick it may have already wasted what little is left.

If not kick start lever, push it in a higher gear and let the clutch out, then turn the ignition on after the engine is turning. If it starts to fire, then be ready to downshift quickly.

We used larger batteries (cars) many times, it isn't dangerous electrically. A danger does exist though and that is mishandling the jumper cables and causing one to short out on something. This could happen when going from car to car too.

[nofd504]

Finally,success! Not sure what exactly was the tipping point,but new gas,fully charged battery,clean tank and petcocks,new plugs,new condensor,etc.,but she cranked and seems to be runnning well. Thanks to all who contributed their insight,much appreciated!

[Jean]

Gas with water in it...the water will be at the bottom of the tank, so you get mostly water when you turn on the petcocks.
Take the carb bowls off and wash them with alcohol. (paint grade!), then be sure you have gas withhout water in the tank!
After lots of rain, what you get from a gas station may be contaminated!! put some in a jar and SEE if it has water in it.

And yes. Even a NEW (especially if it's only NEW to you!) battery can be faulty. Maybe it was on the shelf too long, or maybe it got dropped.